Yet all human languages classify actions into two basic types: those involving one obligatory participant, which are described by intransitive clauses, and those involving two or more obligatory participants, which are dealt with by transitive clauses.
Standardized
All human languages classify actions into two basic types: those involving one obligatory participant, which are described by intransitive clauses, and those involving two or more obligatory participants, which are dealt with by transitive clauses.
A. Harris 1997: 372 comments: “If it is meant only roughly, generally, it is obvious and unremarkable; if it is meant literally and intended to apply to every verb in every language, there are exceptions. For example, Georgian has a small group of intransitives that require a second participant, such as elis ‘s/he waits for him/her’, seessabaameba ‘something corresponds something’, esat’q’viseba ‘something agrees with something, suits something’… Lezgi, in a different family, has similar patterns (for details see Haspelmath 1993: 271-2).”
A. Harris 1997: 372 comments: “If it is meant only roughly, generally, it is obvious and unremarkable; if it is meant literally and intended to apply to every verb in every language, there are exceptions. For example, Georgian has a small group of intransitives that require a second participant, such as elis ‘s/he waits for him/her’, seessabaameba ‘something corresponds something’, esat’q’viseba ‘something agrees with something, suits something’… Lezgi, in a different family, has similar patterns (for details see Haspelmath 1993: 271-2).”