Re: A mixed ergative question...

From: "Garrett Jones" <alkaline@...>

> As for Tech, do you know what each of the cases actually means? There are
> three elements that these cases group together in different ways: Agent
> (transitive verb only), Patient (transitive verb only), and Subject
> (intransitive verb only). Here is what each of the cases includes:
>
> nominative = A + S
> accusative = P
>
> ergative = A
> absolutive = P + S
>
> maybe you would best consider a three case (tripartite) system, because
that
> is the most that occurs in a single clause. Almost all natural languages
use
> only a dual system, with a few tripartite systems in existance.
That's what I was looking for, tripartite. I considered having all four of
those cases but that would be unnecessary since nominative and absolutive
are usually unmarked or minimally marked.

Georgian has something like what I want; it has a "screeve system":

[Format: series (or aspect) = subject > direct object > indirect object]
Class 1 = transitive verbs (including causatives);
Class 3 = medial (and passive) verbs:
-- present = nominative > dative* > dative
-- aorist = narrative (or ergative) > nominative > dative
-- perfect = dative > nominative > nominative + -tvis "for"
Class 2 = intransitive verbs
-- all = nominative > dative > dative
Class 4 = "inverted" verbs
-- all series: dative > nominative
*dative is used for both direct and indirect objects -- in Tech, I'll split
these into accusative and dative

I'm still confused about all these, but Kartvelian verb grammar and
consonant phonology arouses me. :-)

~Danny~