Universal #603

Legacy number: 603

 Number  600
 Original  If in a language there are two classes of sentences such that there is ergative-type verb agreement in one but not in the other type and the semantic property whose respective presence and lack characterizes the two classes is perfectivity, then it is in the class of perfective sentences that ergative verb agreement will occur, rather than in the other class.
 Standardized  Whenever there is more than one alignment type of verb agreement, one being ergative and the other non-ergative:
ergative verb agreement occurs in perfective sentences,
and non-ergative verb agreement occurs in imperfective sentences.
 Formula  ergative verb agreement ⇔ perfective sentences;
non-ergative verb agreement ⇔ imperfective sentences
 Keywords  agreement, alignment, ergative, aspect, perfective
 Domain  inflection, syntax
 Type  no genuine implication; rather: provided that
 Status  achronic
 Quality  absolute
 Basis  languages mentioned in Moravcsik 1978d
 Source  Moravcsik 1978d: 263

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Discussion
Notes
Cf. #898.
Comment
Frans Plank · 3 Aug 2006
Cf. <a class="innerLink" href="browse.php?entrry_id=898"><img src="../img/entry.gif" border="0">