In this paper we propose a unified account of ergativity in two unrelated languages with very different systems of marking grammatical relations. Both Chol (Mayan, Mexico) and Mẽbengokre (Jê, Brazil) have what appear to be aspect-based ergative splits. However, while in Mẽbengokre ergativity is found in verb stems which are formally nominal, ergativity in Chol is found in what can be shown to b...

Person-based split-ergativity is one of a number of linguistic phenomena which reflect the general tendency, first noted in Silverstein 1976, for the hierarchy of grammatical functions to be “aligned” with hierarchies of other linguistic substance, such as person. A diachronic, usage based explanation is offered both for the existence of personbased split-ergative systems and for the absence of...

In recent years, there has been new and growing interest in ergativity among researchers working within the generative framework. This two-part lecture describes the basic facts about so-called ergative languages and then examines the existing approaches to ergative case assignment (Lecture 1) and syntactic ergativity (Lecture 2). Our main objective is to explore whether ergativity can be shown...

Practically in all examples found in the literature, the oblique intervener Y in (1) is an argument marked with dative Case, either a dative indirect object (e.g. Romance) or a dative subject (Icelandic, Basque). Could the intervener be ergative? Under current received accounts of ergativity, this is predicted to be impossible. For simplicity we demonstrate it for H=v: In some theories of ergat...

The theory of Case and agreement presented in Bittner and Hale 1996 reduces the traditional distinction between syntactic and morphological ergativity to a structural difference — namely, opacity or transparency of VP to government from C. This hypothesis is tested against detailed evidence from Inuit (opaque) and Warlpiri (transparent). The complex Case and agreement systems of both languages ...

Not all spatial adjuncts behave alike. In some languages, certain display different marking or combinatorial possibilities than others. Recent functional-typological studies make two claims about this differential place phenomenon: (1) it is primarily motivated by noun semantics, opposing names and other nouns; (2) realized as a contrast between zero-marking overt of adjunct function. We evalua...

Legate (2008) proposes a class of ergative case marking systems, in which sole arguments of intransitives receive nominative case, transitive patients receive accusative case, and transitive agents receive ergative case. The system does not exhibit absolutive as a distinct case. The appearance of a single morphological case on both intransitive sole arguments and transitive patients is due to a...