Hacia una explicación de la ergatividad

Abstract

In Part I, I present the problem of Ergativity related to the function of subject of transitive verbs: examples from Basque, Tcherkess and Lezguian. In Part II, I explain the kind of ergativity to be analysed. I remember (Part III) that the Ergativity is a continuum property and must be described in terms of degree, and extension. Part IV presents several properties of subjecthood in order to confirm that basque ergative is the subject of its sentence. Part V is divided into 5.1, where I justify the ergative, markedness and the accusative one. In 5.2, I propose a typological division among languages: languages S-type with syntax dominance and languages M-type with morphological dominance. Ergative languages are of M-type and it is showed that Ergativity is, first, a semantic feature. I suggest that languages seem to change from Ergativity to Accusativity. The use of Basque language shows that several ways of passivization meaning are increasing according to the use of language in high social Domains.