Universal 206: ergative alignment ⇒ case (Erg/Abs) & personal affix (Erg/Abs)

Universal 206: ergative alignment ⇒ case (Erg/Abs) & personal affix (Erg/Abs)

Original

The most important implications of ergativity are the following: the opposition of ergative and absolutive series in personal affixes in the verb conjugation and the opposition of the ergative and absolutive cases in the noun declension, similar to each other in their function.

Standardized

IF alignment is ergative, THEN there will be an opposition of ergative and absolutive series of personal affixes in verb inflection and an opposition of an ergative and an absolutive case in noun inflection, similar to each other in their function.

Keywords

alignment, ergative, case, absolutive, person, verb

Domain

inflection, syntax

Type

implication

Status

achronic

Quality

absolute

Basis

languages mentioned in Klimov 1983

Source

inferred from Klimov 1973: 97, Klimov 1983: 102-3

Counterexamples