Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site ucla-cs.ARPA Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!bonnie!akgua!whuxlm!whuxl!houxm!ihnp4!qantel!hplabs!sdcrdcf!trwrb!trwrba!cepu!ucla-cs!wales From: wales@ucla-cs.UUCP Newsgroups: net.nlang Subject: Query on ergative languages Message-ID: <6312@ucla-cs.ARPA> Date: Sat, 13-Jul-85 17:36:11 EDT Article-I.D.: ucla-cs.6312 Posted: Sat Jul 13 17:36:11 1985 Date-Received: Wed, 17-Jul-85 21:17:08 EDT Reply-To: wales@ucla-cs.UUCP (Rich Wales) Distribution: net Organization: UCLA Computer Science Department Lines: 29 I am seeking more information on so-called "ergative" languages. In ergative languages, the "subject" and "direct object" concepts of Indo-European and many other languages (wherein every verb must have a "subject") do not exist. Rather, they have what might be called "patient" and "agent" concepts; every verb must have a "patient"). (a) "Patient" basically corresponds to the "subject" of intransitive verbs, or the "direct object" of transitive verbs. (b) "Agent" basically corresponds to the "subject" of transitive verbs. The best-known example of an ergative language is Basque. European grammarians, never having encountered an ergative language before and committed to casting every language into a Graeco-Latin mold, tried to explain Basque by proposing that every transitive verb in the language used the passive voice! What I want to find out is, what other ergative languages exist other than Basque? I have heard rumors that some Polynesian and Caucasian languages are ergative, but I have not yet been able to verify this. Also, are there any languages which use neither the "subject/object" nor the ergative "patient/agent" concepts for binding nouns to verbs? -- Rich Wales // UCLA Computer Science Department // +1 213-825-5683 3531 Boelter Hall // Los Angeles, California 90024 // USA ARPA: wales@UCLA-LOCUS.ARPA -or- wales@LOCUS.UCLA.EDU UUCP: ...!(ihnp4,ucbvax)!ucla-cs!wales