Universal #605

Legacy number: 605

 Number  602
 Original  No accusative language has only ergative-type verb agreement in person or number or gender.
 Standardized  IF alignment is accusative for some/many purposes, THEN verb agreement in person or number or gender is not limited to ergative alignment.
 Keywords  alignment, accusative, ergative, verb agreement, person, number, gender
 Domain  inflection, syntax
 Type  implication
 Status  achronic
 Quality  absolute
 Basis  languages mentioned in Moravcsik 1978d
 Source  Moravcsik 1978d: 263

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Discussion
Notes
This statement contributes to the prediction of the distribution of ergative verb-agreement patterns by asserting that in whatever class of languages ergative person/gender/number agreement occurs exclusively, this class will not include accusative languages (Moravcsik 1978: 264).???
Comment
Frans Plank · 3 Aug 2006
This statement contributes to the prediction of the distribution of ergative verb-agreement patterns by asserting that in whatever class of languages ergative person/gender/number agreement occurs exclusively, this class will not include accusative languages (Moravcsik 1978: 264). ???