<html>
  <head>
    <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8">
  </head>
  <body>
    <p>I wouldn't use "obviation", because outside of North American
      linguistics, this has come to be used in the sense of "disjoint
      reference from the subject" (e.g. Szabolcsi, Anna, 2021. Obviation
      in Hungarian: What is its scope, and is it due to competition? <i>Glossa:
        A Journal of General Linguistics</i> 6(1): 57. doi: <a
        href="https://doi.org/10.5334/gjgl.1421"
        class="moz-txt-link-freetext">https://doi.org/10.5334/gjgl.1421</a>)</p>
    <p>In my 2021 paper on role-reference associations
      (<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://ling.auf.net/lingbuzz/004047">https://ling.auf.net/lingbuzz/004047</a>), I referred to the kinds of
      phenomena that Jürgen talks about as "scenario splits" of argument
      coding, because they depend on the *scenario* (the
      referential-prominence value of two arguments).</p>
    <p>I wouldn't use the term "alignment" for such phenomena, because
      this is generally reserved for coexpression patterns (accusative
      alignment is coexpression of S and A, ergative alignment is
      coexpression of S and P, etc).</p>
    <p>But this discussion is useful because it illustrates how
      difficult we sometimes find it to talk about interesting phenomena
      with terms that we all understand right away.<br>
    </p>
    <p>Martin<br>
    </p>
    <div class="moz-cite-prefix">On 18.09.23 20:26, Juergen Bohnemeyer
      wrote:<br>
    </div>
    <blockquote type="cite"
cite="mid:SJ0PR15MB469685A0AC96B6DF6ED37553DDFBA@SJ0PR15MB4696.namprd15.prod.outlook.com">
      <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8">
      <meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 15 (filtered
        medium)">
      <style>@font-face
        {font-family:Helvetica;
        panose-1:0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0;}@font-face
        {font-family:"Cambria Math";
        panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;}@font-face
        {font-family:Calibri;
        panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}@font-face
        {font-family:"Apple Color Emoji";
        panose-1:0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0;}p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
        {margin:0in;
        font-size:10.0pt;
        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;}a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
        {mso-style-priority:99;
        color:blue;
        text-decoration:underline;}span.EmailStyle20
        {mso-style-type:personal-reply;
        font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
        color:windowtext;}.MsoChpDefault
        {mso-style-type:export-only;
        font-size:10.0pt;
        mso-ligatures:none;}div.WordSection1
        {page:WordSection1;}</style>
      <div class="WordSection1">
        <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Fair enough,
            Christian! Let me try to restate my comment a little more
            sensibly:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
        <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
        <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Both
            active/passive voice alternations and the kind of phenomena
            I’m interested in (including inverse voice marking) are
            governed by constraints on topicality and animacy, and thus
            more broadly by ‘reference-conditioned alignment
            constraints’.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
        <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
        <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">But I was
            looking specifically for a way to designate only those
            constraints that occur in obviative alignment systems.
            <o:p></o:p></span></p>
        <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
        <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">And those
            constraints are of a subtly different nature from those that
            govern active/passive alternations. In active/passive
            alternations (though surely not in every language-specific
            construction that has been called by that label), what
            matters is whether the actor or the undergoer is topical and
            where each lands on an animacy scale.
            <o:p></o:p></span></p>
        <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
        <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">In contrast,
            in obviative alignment systems, what matters is whether the
            actor *<b>outranks</b>* the undergoer in animacy and
            topicality (including definiteness) or vice versa.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
        <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
        <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">And, again,
            I’m looking for a way to specifically designate grammatical
            systems that have constraints of this specific second kind.
            <o:p></o:p></span></p>
        <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
        <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Does that
            make sense? – Best – Juergen<o:p></o:p></span></p>
        <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
        <div>
          <div>
            <p class="MsoNormal"><span
                style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Helvetica;color:black">Juergen
                Bohnemeyer (He/Him)<br>
                Professor, Department of Linguistics<br>
                University at Buffalo <br>
                <br>
                Office: 642 Baldy Hall, UB North Campus<br>
                Mailing address: 609 Baldy Hall, Buffalo, NY 14260 <br>
                Phone: (716) 645 0127 <br>
                Fax: (716) 645 3825<br>
                Email: </span><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><a
                  href="mailto:jb77@buffalo.edu"
                  title="mailto:jb77@buffalo.edu" moz-do-not-send="true"><span
style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Helvetica;color:#0078D4">jb77@buffalo.edu</span></a></span><span
style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Helvetica;color:black"><br>
                Web: </span><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><a
                  href="http://www.acsu.buffalo.edu/~jb77/"
                  title="http://www.acsu.buffalo.edu/~jb77/"
                  moz-do-not-send="true"><span
                    style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Helvetica;color:#0563C1">http://www.acsu.buffalo.edu/~jb77/</span></a></span><span
style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Helvetica;color:black"> <br>
                <br>
              </span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:black">Office
                hours Tu/Th 3:30-4:30pm in 642 Baldy or via Zoom
                (Meeting ID 585 520 2411; Passcode Hoorheh) </span><span
style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Helvetica;color:black"><br>
                <br>
                There’s A Crack In Everything - That’s How The Light
                Gets In <br>
                (Leonard Cohen)  </span><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
            <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">-- <o:p></o:p></span></p>
          </div>
        </div>
        <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt" lang="DE"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
        <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt" lang="DE"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
        <div id="mail-editor-reference-message-container">
          <div>
            <div style="border:none;border-top:solid #B5C4DF
              1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in">
              <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><b><span
                    style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black">From:
                  </span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black">Christian
                  Lehmann <a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:christian.lehmann@uni-erfurt.de"><christian.lehmann@uni-erfurt.de></a><br>
                  <b>Date: </b>Monday, September 18, 2023 at 19:32<br>
                  <b>To: </b>Juergen Bohnemeyer
                  <a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:jb77@buffalo.edu"><jb77@buffalo.edu></a>,
                  <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:LINGTYP@LISTSERV.LINGUISTLIST.ORG">LINGTYP@LISTSERV.LINGUISTLIST.ORG</a>
                  <a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:lingtyp@listserv.linguistlist.org"><lingtyp@listserv.linguistlist.org></a><br>
                  <b>Subject: </b>Re: [Lingtyp] Terminology query:
                  Obviative constraints<o:p></o:p></span></p>
            </div>
            <div>
              <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">I'm
                  afraid I don't understand your qualms. An alternation
                  is not a constraint, and voices and diatheses are no
                  alignment constraints.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
            </div>
            <blockquote style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt">
              <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Thanks,
                  Christian! But wouldn’t those terms again also extend
                  to voice alternations, including European-style
                  active/passive alternations? I’m not looking for a
                  cover term, mind you, but rather specifically for a
                  term that narrowly denotes those constraints that
                  specifically concern the
                  <i>relative</i> animacy and topicality (etc.) of core
                  arguments in transitive (and ditransitive) clauses. –
                  Best – Juergen</span><o:p></o:p></p>
              <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
              <div>
                <div>
                  <p class="MsoNormal"><span
                      style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Helvetica;color:black">Juergen
                      Bohnemeyer (He/Him)<br>
                      Professor, Department of Linguistics<br>
                      University at Buffalo <br>
                      <br>
                      Office: 642 Baldy Hall, UB North Campus<br>
                      Mailing address: 609 Baldy Hall, Buffalo, NY
                      14260 <br>
                      Phone: (716) 645 0127 <br>
                      Fax: (716) 645 3825<br>
                      Email: </span><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><a
                        href="mailto:jb77@buffalo.edu"
                        title="mailto:jb77@buffalo.edu"
                        moz-do-not-send="true"><span
                          style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Helvetica;color:#0078D4">jb77@buffalo.edu</span></a></span><span
style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Helvetica;color:black"><br>
                      Web: </span><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><a
                        href="http://www.acsu.buffalo.edu/~jb77/"
                        title="http://www.acsu.buffalo.edu/~jb77/"
                        moz-do-not-send="true"><span
                          style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Helvetica;color:#0563C1">http://www.acsu.buffalo.edu/~jb77/</span></a></span><span
style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Helvetica;color:black"> <br>
                      <br>
                    </span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:black">Office
                      hours Tu/Th 3:30-4:30pm in 642 Baldy or via Zoom
                      (Meeting ID 585 520 2411; Passcode Hoorheh) </span><span
style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:Helvetica;color:black"><br>
                      <br>
                      There’s A Crack In Everything - That’s How The
                      Light Gets In <br>
                      (Leonard Cohen)  </span><o:p></o:p></p>
                  <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">-- </span><o:p></o:p></p>
                </div>
              </div>
              <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"
                  lang="DE"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
              <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"
                  lang="DE"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
              <div id="mail-editor-reference-message-container">
                <div>
                  <div style="border:none;border-top:solid #B5C4DF
                    1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in">
                    <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><b><span
                          style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black">From:
                        </span></b><span
                        style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black">Lingtyp <a
href="mailto:lingtyp-bounces@listserv.linguistlist.org"
                          moz-do-not-send="true">
<lingtyp-bounces@listserv.linguistlist.org></a> on behalf of
                        Christian Lehmann <a
                          href="mailto:christian.lehmann@uni-erfurt.de"
                          moz-do-not-send="true">
                          <christian.lehmann@uni-erfurt.de></a><br>
                        <b>Date: </b>Monday, September 18, 2023 at
                        18:12<br>
                        <b>To: </b><a
                          href="mailto:LINGTYP@LISTSERV.LINGUISTLIST.ORG"
                          moz-do-not-send="true"
                          class="moz-txt-link-freetext">LINGTYP@LISTSERV.LINGUISTLIST.ORG</a>
                        <a
                          href="mailto:lingtyp@listserv.linguistlist.org"
                          moz-do-not-send="true"><lingtyp@listserv.linguistlist.org></a><br>
                        <b>Subject: </b>Re: [Lingtyp] Terminology
                        query: Obviative constraints</span><o:p></o:p></p>
                  </div>
                  <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Since
                      animacy (better: empathy
                    </span><span
                      style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Apple
                      Color Emoji"">🙂</span><span
                      style="font-size:11.0pt">) and topicality are both
                      related to reference, the term you are looking for
                      could be something like 'reference-conditioned
                      alignment constraint'. It would cover not only
                      empathy and topicality, but also other referential
                      properties like specificity, which play a role in
                      alignment, too.<br>
                      Best, Christian</span><o:p></o:p></p>
                  <div>
                    <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">--
                      </span><o:p></o:p></p>
                    <p><span style="font-size:10.0pt">Prof. em. Dr.
                        Christian Lehmann<br>
                        Rudolfstr. 4<br>
                        99092 Erfurt<br>
                        <span style="font-variant:small-caps">Deutschland</span></span><o:p></o:p></p>
                    <table class="MsoNormalTable" cellpadding="0"
                      border="0">
                      <tbody>
                        <tr>
                          <td style="padding:.75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt">
                            <p class="MsoNormal"><span
                                style="font-size:9.0pt">Tel.:</span><o:p></o:p></p>
                          </td>
                          <td style="padding:.75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt">
                            <p class="MsoNormal"><span
                                style="font-size:9.0pt">+49/361/2113417</span><o:p></o:p></p>
                          </td>
                        </tr>
                        <tr>
                          <td style="padding:.75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt">
                            <p class="MsoNormal"><span
                                style="font-size:9.0pt">E-Post:</span><o:p></o:p></p>
                          </td>
                          <td style="padding:.75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt">
                            <p class="MsoNormal"><span
                                style="font-size:9.0pt"><a
                                  href="mailto:christianw_lehmann@arcor.de"
                                  moz-do-not-send="true"
                                  class="moz-txt-link-freetext">christianw_lehmann@arcor.de</a></span><o:p></o:p></p>
                          </td>
                        </tr>
                        <tr>
                          <td style="padding:.75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt">
                            <p class="MsoNormal"><span
                                style="font-size:9.0pt">Web:</span><o:p></o:p></p>
                          </td>
                          <td style="padding:.75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt">
                            <p class="MsoNormal"><span
                                style="font-size:9.0pt"><a
                                  href="https://www.christianlehmann.eu/"
                                  moz-do-not-send="true"
                                  class="moz-txt-link-freetext">https://www.christianlehmann.eu</a></span><o:p></o:p></p>
                          </td>
                        </tr>
                      </tbody>
                    </table>
                    <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
                  </div>
                </div>
              </div>
            </blockquote>
            <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt"><span
                style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
            <div>
              <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">-- <o:p></o:p></span></p>
              <p><span style="font-size:10.0pt">Prof. em. Dr. Christian
                  Lehmann<br>
                  Rudolfstr. 4<br>
                  99092 Erfurt<br>
                  <span style="font-variant:small-caps">Deutschland</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
              <table class="MsoNormalTable" cellpadding="0" border="0">
                <tbody>
                  <tr>
                    <td style="padding:.75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt">
                      <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:9.0pt">Tel.:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
                    </td>
                    <td style="padding:.75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt">
                      <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:9.0pt">+49/361/2113417<o:p></o:p></span></p>
                    </td>
                  </tr>
                  <tr>
                    <td style="padding:.75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt">
                      <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:9.0pt">E-Post:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
                    </td>
                    <td style="padding:.75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt">
                      <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><a
                            href="mailto:christianw_lehmann@arcor.de"
                            moz-do-not-send="true"
                            class="moz-txt-link-freetext">christianw_lehmann@arcor.de</a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
                    </td>
                  </tr>
                  <tr>
                    <td style="padding:.75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt">
                      <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:9.0pt">Web:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
                    </td>
                    <td style="padding:.75pt .75pt .75pt .75pt">
                      <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><a
                            href="https://www.christianlehmann.eu/"
                            moz-do-not-send="true"
                            class="moz-txt-link-freetext">https://www.christianlehmann.eu</a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
                    </td>
                  </tr>
                </tbody>
              </table>
              <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
            </div>
          </div>
        </div>
      </div>
      <br>
      <fieldset class="moz-mime-attachment-header"></fieldset>
      <pre class="moz-quote-pre" wrap="">_______________________________________________
Lingtyp mailing list
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:Lingtyp@listserv.linguistlist.org">Lingtyp@listserv.linguistlist.org</a>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://listserv.linguistlist.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/lingtyp">https://listserv.linguistlist.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/lingtyp</a>
</pre>
    </blockquote>
    <pre class="moz-signature" cols="72">-- 
Martin Haspelmath
Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Deutscher Platz 6
D-04103 Leipzig
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://www.eva.mpg.de/linguistic-and-cultural-evolution/staff/martin-haspelmath/">https://www.eva.mpg.de/linguistic-and-cultural-evolution/staff/martin-haspelmath/</a></pre>
  </body>
</html>