Universal #134
Legacy number: 134
| Number | 134 |
| Original | Ergative languages favour SENT and SENT-POSS ANCs and disfavour POSS-ACC and NOMN ones. |
| Standardized | IF there is ergative alignment, THEN action nominalizations are likely to be of the SENT or SENT-POSS types and unlikely to be of the POSS-ACC or NOMN types. |
| Keywords | nominalization, alignment, ergative-absolutive, agent, case, genitive |
| Domain | inflection, syntax |
| Type | implication |
| Status | achronic |
| Quality | statistical, almost absolute |
| Basis | sample of languages in Koptjevskaja-Tamm 1993 |
| Source | inferred from Koptjevskaja-Tamm 1993: 241 |
Discussion
Counterexamples
Agul (Lezgic, East Caucasian) alternates between SENT and POSS-ACC ANCs (Koptjevskaja-Tamm 1993: 241).
Notes
1. In other words, ergative languages favour retention of sentential marking by the Agent and disfavour its genitivization. For an explanation see Kibrik 1987: 135, as cited in Koptjevskaja-Tamm 1993: 241.2. DEFINITIONS:Sentential (SENT) type (of nominalization): all arguments in ANCs retain their sentential dependent marking.Sentential Possessive Subtype (SENT-POSS) of the ergative-possessive type (ERG-POSS) of those nominalization types where the A retains its sentential marking. Possessive-Accusative (POSS-ACC) type: the S and the A in ANCs genitivize, while the P retains sentential dependent-marking.Nominal (NOMN) type: all the arguments in ANCs assimilate to dependents in non-derived NPs.
Log in to join the discussion.
2. DEFINITIONS:
Sentential (SENT) type (of nominalization): all arguments in ANCs retain their sentential dependent marking.
Sentential Possessive Subtype (SENT-POSS) of the ergative-possessive type (ERG-POSS) of those nominalization types where the A retains its sentential marking.
Possessive-Accusative (POSS-ACC) type: the S and the A in ANCs genitivize, while the P retains sentential dependent-marking.
Nominal (NOMN) type: all the arguments in ANCs assimilate to dependents in non-derived NPs.