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Home > Ergative case

In ergative-absolutive languages, the ergative case identifies the subject of a transitive verb. In such languages, the ergative case is typically marked (most salient), while the absolutive case is unmarked.

Certain Australian languages possess an intransitive case and an accusative case along with an ergative case, and lack an absolutive case.

See also

• morphosyntactic alignment

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Topics: Ergative Case Languages Absolutive Alignment Possess Salient...

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Ergative caseIn ergative-absolutive languages, the ergative case identifies the subject of a transitive verb. In such languages, the ergative case is typically marked (most salient), while the absolutive case is unmarked. Certain Australian languages possess an intran ErgativeThe term ergative is used in grammar in two different meanings: ergative case, ergative language ergative verb. Ergative verbIn the English language, an ergative verb is a verb whose action affects the subject, rather than the object, of the verb. Another way to describe this is that a normal verb's patient is its object, whereas an ergative verb's patient is its subject. Often Ergative-absolutive languageAn ergative-absolutive language (or just ergative language is one that marks the subject of transitive verbs distinctly from the subject of intransitive verbs and the object of transitive verbs. If the language has morphological case, then the verb argume