Personal Pronouns / Ergativity

[Rick Mc Callister]

	I wasn't sure at what you were getting at.
	Yes, I see <se> as mediopassive in expressions that parallel the
passive voice with the exception that the subject and direct object are the
same. I thought that was generally accepted.
	My daughter says that she had no problem with the Greek
mediopassive because, to her, it's just like Spanish <se>
	Given that I don't know Greek, I can only take her word

>>[snip]

>>>1. the expression 'estáte quieto' (keep, stay, remain...quiet), remarkable
>>>because 'estar' is already stative and clearly intransitive and not
>>>susceptible to becoming reflexive; so I presume it is to be interpreted as
>>>medio-passive.  But what mental process and/or grammatical 'reasoning' is
>>>behind it?

	<esta/te quieto> "be still" is inchoate; it parallels <callarse>,
<sentarse>, <dormirse>, <casarse>, etc. in that marks the beginning of a
new action or state of being

	[snip]

>'Véndese' = 'For sale' [is] an older, more idiomatic form that
>exactly parallels the Greek medio-passive.
>On the other hand, 'enjuáguese el envase' is still the standard text (in
>Spain, not in Latin America) on reusable glass bottles etc.('envase' is used
>as a general word for
>any packaging container, 'recipiente').

	Just like Latin America, although it's more often used for cans and
food in jars -- <envasadora> is used for "packing company" and "envasar"
for "to can"; <envase> often used in conjunction with bottle deposits "Hay
que pagar el envase"

[snip]