[Lingtyp] languages with accusative/ergative alternation

[Juergen Bohnemeyer]

Dear Martin – Indic languages have a to my knowledge not super-well described alternation between ergative and instrumental-marked agent/causer NP. The former indicates intentional action, the latter unintentional action. Here are Urdu examples courtesy of my advisee Saima Hafeez:


(1)          Larke=se                     larki                       jag                         ga-i.
boy.SG=INSTR           girl.SG(NOM)         wake.INTRN.HV     go.LV-PERF.SG.M
‘A boy (accidently) woke a girl up.’


(2)          Larke=ne          larki=ko                 jaga                       di-a.

boy.SG=ERG    girl.SG=ACC         wake.TRNS.HV      give.LV-PERF.SG.M

‘A boy (deliberatly) woke a girl up.’ (Hafeez 2018)


As you can see, the two case frames come with distinct light verbs, and only the ergative-marked variant is morphologically transitive (parallel in that respect to Michael Daniel’s Mehweb Dargwa pattern) and thus involves case-marking on the object NP. You then get DOM between overt dative/accusative and zero-marked nominative/absolutive depending on humanness or animacy (I think it’s the former, but I’m not entirely sure).

So, this isn’t exactly what you had in mind, and the difference is important. But I thought I’d mention it since it comes close in that it’s an argument structure alternation between an ergative case frame and a different case frame governed by lexical meaning.

By the way, I’d be grateful to know if there is a standard description of this alternation in the literature.

Best – Juergen

Hafeez, Saima. (2018). Causality and agentivity in Urdu: sensitivity of case clitics and light verbs to volitionality, intentionality and control in Urdu. Qualifying paper, University at Buffalo.











Juergen Bohnemeyer (He/Him)
Professor, Department of Linguistics
University at Buffalo

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From: Lingtyp <lingtyp-bounces at listserv.linguistlist.org> on behalf of Martin Haspelmath via Lingtyp <lingtyp at listserv.linguistlist.org>
Date: Sunday, June 30, 2024 at 08:42
To: LINGTYP LINGTYP <LINGTYP at LISTSERV.LINGUISTLIST.ORG>
Subject: [Lingtyp] languages with accusative/ergative alternation
Dear typologists,

Does anyone know of a language that has been described as exhibiting an
accusative/ergative alternation, i.e. where verbs with meanings like
'break' or 'chase' can occur in two constructions such as (1) and (2)
(which are schematic examples, not English)?

(1) the dog-NOM chased the cat-ACC

(2) the dog-ERG chased the cat-NOM

Such an alternation would be analogous to indirective/secundative
alternations, as in the schematic examples (3) and (4).

(3) they provided food-ACC us-DAT ('they provided food to us')

(4) they provided us-ACC food-INS ('they provided us with food')

While indirective/secundative alternations have been described
repeatedly, accusative/ergative alternations are little-known, and seem
to be quite rare. Is this impression correct?

Thanks,

Martin

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Martin Haspelmath
Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
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