Ergativity
As pne understand it, the practice of distinguishing between agent (ergative) and non-agent (absolutive), rather than between nonpatient (nominative) and patient (accusative) as is common in Indo-European languages.
For a very brief overview of different case-marking systems, see [1] -- part of a rant against Esperanto, but you can ignore that here; this appendix focuses only on cases. Ergative languages use approach (E) in his list.
How do we express this in Lojban? gausmi?
- gernrgativiti --And (mi stidi)
Unfortunately English not always marks this distinction (e.g. "return",
the infamous keyword of xruti)... See Ergativity.
Non-Agentive form & it's corresponding Agentive:
|| cfari | begins | cfagau | initiates
denpa | pauses | depygau | delays
tolcfa | comes to a stop | sisti/dicra | halts/interrupts)
sezyxru | reverts | xruti | restores
cenba | varies | cenbygau/cnegau | alters
jelca | burns | jelgau | ignites
snura | is secure | bandu | protects
masno | is slow | snogau/jabre | retards/brakes)
muvdu | moves | muvgau | causes to move
mrobi'o | dies | catra | kills
banro | develops | banrygau | nurtures
zenba | increases | zengau | augments
banzu | suffices | bazgau | fulfills
culno | is full | tisna | fills
basti | takes the place of | basygau | replaces
klama | goes | bevri | conveys
bilma | is sick | bilmygau | sickens
bredi | is ready | redgau | prepares
carna | turns | cargau | rotates
selcfipu | is confused | cfipu | confuses
cilre | learns | ctuca | teaches
ckeji | feels ashamed | kejgau | humiliates
kakne | is able | curmi | allows
curve | is pure | cuvgau | purifies
danfu | is an answer | dafsku/frati | replies
drani | is correct | dragau | rectifies
farlu | falls | falgau | drops
fatne | is backwards | fatygau | reverses
febvi | comes to a boil | fabgau | boils
porpi | comes apart | popygau | breaks
fukpi | is a copy | fukyzba | duplicates
gacri | is a cover | gairgau | covers over
ganlo | is closed | ganlygau | closes
gusni | illumines | gusygau | illuminates
jdika | contracts | jdikygau | decreases
jinru | bathes | jirgau | immerses
jorne | is joined to | jongau | connects
katna | cutter | katnygau | cuts
burcu | brush | bruzu'e | paints
komcu | is a comb | komzu'e | combs
korcu | is bent | krogau | bends
krefu | repeats | refygau | causes to recur
kunti | is empty | kutygau | vacates
gapru | is above | lafti | lifts
lunbe | is bare | lubgau | denudes
manku | is dark | mangau | darkens
mapti | fits | matygau | matches
muvdu | is in motion | muvgau | moves
selnupre | is a promise | nupre | promises
pagre | penetrates | gregau | causes to penetrate
panlo | is a slice | panlyzba | slices
pijne | is a pin | pijnylasna | pins
pindi | is poor | pidgau | impoverishes
preti | is a question | retsku/tese preti | asks a question
preja | expands | pejgau | spreads
cpana | is on | punji | puts on/at
zvati | at | punji | puts on/at
punli | is a swelling | pulgau | swells
ranji | lasts | ranjygau | causes to last (makes lasting)
ranti | is soft | rangau | softens
ricfu | is rich | cfugau | enriches
panzi | offspring | rorci | procreates
viknu | is thick | viknygau | thickens
ruble | is weak | blegau | weakens
runme | is melting | rumgau | makes melt
runta | dissolves | runtygau | makes dissolve
sepli | is apart | fendi | divides
nenri | is within | setca | inserts
jbini | is between | setca | interposes
spoja | explodes | pojgau | blows up
sraku | is sharp | rakygau | scratches
sudga | is dry | sudgau | dries off
sutra | is fast | sutygau | hastens
tcena | stretches | tengau | extends
terpa | fears | tepygau | frightenss
tinsa | is stiff | tensygau | stiffens
titla | is sweet | titygau | sweetens
tordu | is short | torgau | shortens
tsali | is strong | tsagau | strengthens
tsapi | ia a spice | tsapygau | seasons
vasru | contains | vasygau | encloses
vlipa | is powerful | vligau | empowers
vreji | is a record of | rejgau | records
vrusi | is a flavor | vusyga'e | tastes
panci | is an odor | sumne | smells
zasti | exists | zbasu | creates
zekri | is a crime | zerzukte | commits a crime
zifre | is free | zifygau | liberates ||
(There are doubtless others.)
- The place structure of xruti has changed during its history...
- A note here says (1994) that xruti was to become non-agentive, although it remains agentive on the gismu lists of 9-6-94.
- I will have to check my notes, but IIRC the non-agentive meaning was changed to the present agentive at about the same time as the Great Rafsi Shift.
- Lojban distinguishes forms of causation...One could extend the foregoing series with each of the others.
- One must also consider the "hidden doers", those with non-x1 agent places:
- smuni has meaning---------------tersmu interprets
- tatpi is tired------------------seltatpi tires
- fengu is angry------------------selfengu angers
- torni is twisting---------------seltorni twists
- xalni is panicked---------------selxalni terrifies
- zgike is music------------------selzgi makes music
That's a very useful list. We shouldn't overlook the usefulness of zil-, though:
- zilsti comes to a stop
- sisti halts (or dicra interrupts)
- zilxru reverts
- xruti restores
- zilcatra dies
- catra kills
- zilcfipu is confused
- cfipu confuses
--And
- Wouldn't "is killed" be better as a translation than "dies"? That is, there has to be a killer or there isn't really any catraing involved. I'd use mrobi'o (become dead) for just plain dying "without a cause". (And I'm not sure whether consensus was reached on the usage of zil- in this manner. xu la .andban. lojbo?) --mi'e .filip.
- It's a reasonable suspicion to have when I say something, but in this instance it's pretty uncontroversial, at least among the jboskepre. (I can't speak for nonjboskpre, since I don't get to hear their relevant views.)