The term ‘ergativity’ is used to describe a grammatical pattern in which there is a formal parallel between the object of a transitive clause and the subject of an intransitive clause. The subject of the transitive clause, however, is treated differently. Dixon, in his standard survey of ergativity, uses the following symbols for these three elements: S = intransitive subject, A = transitive subject, and O = transitive object (1994:6). Initially, the term ‘ergativity’ was only associated with case marking on constituents of a noun phrase. Manning summarises this as folllows: “The more patient-like argument of a transitive verb appears in the same absolutive case as the single argument of an intransitive verb, while the more agent-like argument of a transitive verb is marked differently, in what is known as the ergative case” (1996 : 3). Thus, ergativity is the counterpiece to accusativity, where one case is employed for the intransitive (S) and the transitive subject (A) (nominative) and another case marks the transitive object (O) (accusative).
The term ‘ergativity’ derives from the Greek words ergon ‘work, deed’ and ergátēs ‘doer (of an action)’ (Bussmann 1996 : 151) and thus relates to the active – the “more agent-like” – member of the pair involved in a transitive structure. Dixon states that the first use of this term was in 1912 in a study on the Dagestanian language Rutul (1994 : 3).
Inhaltsverzeichnis
- I. Ergativity
- I.1 Introduction
- I.2 Absolutive-ergative system vs. other systems
- I.3 Morphological, syntactic, and split ergativity
- II. Causativity
- II.1 Introduction
- II.2 The causative construction
- II.3 The causative morpheme
- II.4 The causative construction in English
- II.5 The causative construction in other languages
- III. Conclusion (Fazit)
- IV. Bibliography (Literaturverzeichnis)
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte
This seminar paper examines the grammatical phenomena of ergativity and causativity in the English language. It aims to provide a comprehensive overview of these concepts, exploring their theoretical foundations, morphological and syntactic manifestations, and cross-linguistic variations. The paper will delve into the historical development of these concepts, analyze their role in sentence structure, and discuss their implications for understanding the nature of grammatical relations.
- Ergativity: The paper will explore the concept of ergativity, contrasting it with the more familiar nominative-accusative system. It will examine the morphological and syntactic features of ergative languages, including case marking, verb agreement, and word order.
- Causativity: The paper will investigate the phenomenon of causativity, focusing on the causative construction in English and its cross-linguistic variations. It will analyze the morphological and syntactic properties of causative verbs and explore the semantic relations involved in causative constructions.
- Cross-linguistic comparison: The paper will compare and contrast the manifestations of ergativity and causativity in different languages, highlighting the diversity and complexity of these grammatical phenomena.
- Theoretical implications: The paper will discuss the theoretical implications of ergativity and causativity for linguistic theories of grammar, including theories of grammatical relations, case marking, and verb agreement.
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel
The first chapter introduces the concept of ergativity, defining it as a grammatical pattern where the object of a transitive clause and the subject of an intransitive clause are treated alike, while the subject of the transitive clause is marked differently. The chapter contrasts the ergative-absolutive system with the nominative-accusative system, providing examples from Latin and Dyirbal. It also discusses the different levels of ergativity, including morphological and syntactic ergativity, and explores the concept of split ergativity.
The second chapter focuses on causativity, defining it as a grammatical construction that expresses the causing of an event. The chapter examines the causative construction in English, analyzing its morphological and syntactic properties. It also explores the causative construction in other languages, highlighting cross-linguistic variations and the role of causative morphemes.
Schlüsselwörter
The keywords and focus themes of the text include ergativity, causativity, nominative-accusative system, absolutive-ergative system, case marking, verb agreement, word order, causative construction, causative morpheme, cross-linguistic variation, grammatical relations, and linguistic theory.
- Citar trabajo
- Regina Männle (Autor), 2008, Ergativity and causativity, Múnich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/112823
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