LING 3005 Lecture Notes - Lecture 19: Polysynthetic Language, Compound Verb, Split Ergativity

• School: Carleton University
• Department: Linguistics
• Course: LING 3005
• Professor: Daniel Siddiqi

Document Summary

Every verb has certain rings that need to be filled by nouns. Device that changes the valence of a sentence. There is still marking on the verb to show passive. Anti-passive: patient backgrounding device (some languages make the patient more important) Case is only needed when there is more than one noun. Subject (in english) is always marked with nominative. Some languages (split ergative) apply case to nouns depending on what role they play. Reflexive voice, both roles are being played by the same guy. Causativization make (syntax does this in english adds subjects) The door is closed no cause or become. Dative shift: i sent a book to mary. Babysit, bartend, deletes object by letting meaning into compound verb. Valence is determined by the head of the compound. Also created ambiguity, either you are tired from the race, or the horse is. They are compounds that seem to have argument principles inside of them.