Fluid-S: Difference between revisions
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The subject of an intransitive verb is marked the same way as a transitive | The subject of an intransitive verb is marked the same way as a transitive | ||
subject if it is an agent, and like a transitive object if it is not. Here | subject if it is an agent, and like a transitive object if it is not. Here | ||
are a few examples from | are a few examples from [[Old Albic]]: | ||
{| | {| | ||
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| || AOR-break-3SG:P-3SG:A M-AGT man-AGT I-OBJ knife-OBJ | | || AOR-break-3SG:P-3SG:A M-AGT man-AGT I-OBJ knife-OBJ | ||
|- | |- | ||
| || | | || ?The man broke the knife.? | ||
|} | |} | ||
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| || AOR-flee-3SG:A M-AGT man-AGT | | || AOR-flee-3SG:A M-AGT man-AGT | ||
|- | |- | ||
| || | | || ?The man fled.? | ||
|} | |} | ||
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| || AOR-sit-3SG:P M-OBJ man-OBJ | | || AOR-sit-3SG:P M-OBJ man-OBJ | ||
|- | |- | ||
| || | | || ?The man sat.? | ||
|} | |} | ||
| Line 36: | Line 36: | ||
| || AOR-come-3SG:A father-AGT 1SG-GEN-AGT | | || AOR-come-3SG:A father-AGT 1SG-GEN-AGT | ||
|- | |- | ||
| || | | || ?My father came.? | ||
|} | |} | ||
| Line 44: | Line 44: | ||
| || AOR-come-3SG:P letter-OBJ 2SG-GEN-OBJ | | || AOR-come-3SG:P letter-OBJ 2SG-GEN-OBJ | ||
|- | |- | ||
| || | | || ?Your letter came.? | ||
|} | |} | ||
Revision as of 12:55, 8 August 2005
A fluid-S language is a language in which not so much subject and object are distinguished from each other but agent and patient. The subject of an intransitive verb is marked the same way as a transitive subject if it is an agent, and like a transitive object if it is not. Here are a few examples from Old Albic:
| (1) | Ibretara o ndero am phath. |
| AOR-break-3SG:P-3SG:A M-AGT man-AGT I-OBJ knife-OBJ | |
| ?The man broke the knife.? |
| (2) | Obosca o ndero. |
| AOR-flee-3SG:A M-AGT man-AGT | |
| ?The man fled.? |
| (3) | Acara om nderom. |
| AOR-sit-3SG:P M-OBJ man-OBJ | |
| ?The man sat.? |
Both markings may be used with the same verb, depending on the agency of the subject:
| (4) | Acvamsa atto maso. |
| AOR-come-3SG:A father-AGT 1SG-GEN-AGT | |
| ?My father came.? |
| (5) | Acvama gratath thas. |
| AOR-come-3SG:P letter-OBJ 2SG-GEN-OBJ | |
| ?Your letter came.? |
In the examples (2) and (4), the subject acts out of itself, it is an agent; hence it receives the same marking as the transitive subject in (1). The subjects in (3) and (5) are not agents, and are thus marked like the object in (1).
See also degrees of volition.
