Ergativity as transitive unaccusativity

• Autores: José Luis Mendivil Giró
• Localización: Folia lingüística: Acta Societatis Linguisticae Europaeae, ISSN-e 1614-7308, ISSN 0165-4004, Vol. 46, Nº 1, 2012, págs. 171-210
• Idioma: inglés
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• Dialnet Métricas: 1 Cita
• Resumen

  • The present article proposes a non-parametric approach to ergativity. It is argued that ergativity does not depend on a parametric choice, but on morphological properties of certain constructions found in a wide and varied array of languages. It is claimed (i) that the notion of ergativity should include not only canonical ergative patterns, but also, as a part of the same phenomenon, oblique subject constructions (i.e. dative experiencers and so-called quirky subjects), and (ii) that ergativity can be understood as the consequence of a defective accusative case assignment in transitive constructions. In this sense, I propose to consider ergativity in general as a special kind of deponency, that is, as transitive unaccusativity.