Grammatical Relations in Ergative Languages

Abstract

Two of the most important issues in the discussion of ergativity concern the pattern of syntactic organization and notion of subject in ergative languages. A number of scholars have claimed that most morphologically ergative languages are in fact syntactically accusative. Data from four ergative languages (Archi, Enga, Jacaltec and Dyirbal) are examined with regard to these two questions. It is found that each of these languages differs from the others both in syntactic organization and notion of subject, and these facts call into question recent claims about the syntax of ergative languages.

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