reflexives in subject position

[Dan Everett]

So my question, then, is one you might expect. What is the total set of
arguments you have for this actually being the subject in this case? I
am not yet convinced that it is.

Moreover, as George Lakoff has shown, it is easy to mistake a
grammatical relation, thinking that, to take George's example, 'My own
father...' is a subject reflexive, when in fact it isn't.

Your example looks good, but I think more argumentation is in order.

A different kind of question is twofold: (i) evidence for clearly
nominative reflexives (as *'heself', a missing English form) and (ii)
evidence that if such exist they are in subject position. Chomsky
predicts, for example, that these not exist. In HPSG the absence of
'nominative reflexives' would be an accidental gap. This is a clear
difference between these theories (and others fall along these lines
too) so clear cases would be most welcome and valuable.

Dan Everett

Balthasar Bickel wrote:
>
> Dan Everett wrote:
> > One question: does ERGative case in this language have any other
> > functions, e.g. instrumental, locative, etc?
>
> Yes, it also covers instrumental and cause functions. However, ergative
> -le alternates with the nominative in non-past and non-perfective
> contexts, while in other functions, -le shows no tense/aspect-driven
> alternation. In the construction I quoted ("aaphaile Raamlaaii barbaad
> garyo"), -le has an ergative function. As such, it alternates with the nominative:
>
> aaphu    Raam-laaii barbaad  gar-cha
> REFL:NOM R.-DAT     spoiling do-3SG.PT
> 'Ram will get himself spoiled.'
>
> --- Balthasar Bickel.
>
> __________________________________________
>
> Balthasar Bickel
> University of California at Berkeley
> Department of Slavic Languages
> 6303 Dwinelle Hall
> Berkeley, CA 94720-2979
> Phone:    +1-510-848 4875 (home)
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> E-Mail:   bickel at socrates.berkeley.edu
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