Universal #225
Legacy number: 225
| Number | 225 |
| Original | Difference of case inventories in the different systems: the strong active system is characterized by an absence of case inflection; the opposition of active and inactive cases occurs in its later periods. The main cases of the ergative system are the ergative and absolutive, added to a number of locatives. The case system of the nominative system is characterized by the opposition of a nominative and an accusative case, to which can be added genitive, dative, instrumental, and a number of locatives. |
| Standardized | IF alignment is active, THEN there is no case inflection. IF alignment is ergative, THEN there are ergative, absolutive, (and locative) cases. IF alignment is accusative, THEN there are nominative, accusative, (genitive, dative, instrumental, and locative) cases. |
| Keywords | alignment, active, ergative, accusative, case, locative, nominative, accusative, genitive, dative, instrumental |
| Domain | inflection, syntax |
| Type | no genuine implication; rather: provided that |
| Status | achronic |
| Quality | absolute |
| Basis | languages in Klimov 1973, Klimov 1977, Klimov 1983 |
| Source | Klimov 1983: 116 |
Discussion
Counterexamples
Muskogean languages
Notes
1. See also #206, 216.2. As far as active languages are concerned, the Muskogean languages have a recognized case system. Their state can be determined as late-active or early-nominative one. Klimov 1983.3. Case is correlated with head/dependent marking by definition: case is dependent marking. Klimov observes that languages of the active type tend to lack case. As Nichols (1992: 3.2) claims, stative-active languages are almost all radically head-marking, which is a more general claim than Klimov’s.
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2. As far as active languages are concerned, the Muskogean languages have a recognized case system. Their state can be determined as late-active or early-nominative one. Klimov 1983.
3. Case is correlated with head/dependent marking by definition: case is dependent marking. Klimov observes that languages of the active type tend to lack case. As Nichols (Nichols 1992: 3.2) claims, stative-active languages are almost all radically head-marking, which is a more general claim than Klimov's.