Understanding Ergative Verbs
An ergative verb is a verb that takes a different grammatical case for its subject depending on whether it's in the active or passive voice. This can be a bit tricky, so let's clarify:
* Active Voice: The subject performs the action (e.g., "The cat chased the mouse." - The cat is the subject and does the chasing).
* Passive Voice: The subject receives the action (e.g., "The mouse was chased by the cat." - The mouse is the subject and is the one being chased).
Identifying Ergative Verbs
1. Look for Differences in Subject Marking: Ergative verbs are often signaled by the subject taking a different grammatical case (like nominative, accusative, or ergative) in active versus passive voice. This case change can involve a different word ending, a preposition, or other grammatical markers.
2. Example: In Basque, an ergative language, the verb "ikusi" (to see) has different endings depending on the voice:
* Active: "Nik ikusi dut" (I saw it) - "Nik" (I) is in the nominative case.
* Passive: "Ikusi naute" (I was seen) - "Naute" (I) is in the ergative case.
3. Consider the Language: Ergative verbs are more common in certain language families like Basque, Inuit, and some Aboriginal Australian languages. They are less common in English.
Note: English verbs, for the most part, are not ergative. We usually use the same case (nominative) for the subject in both active and passive voice.
Examples of Non-Ergative English Verbs
* Active: "The dog barked at the mailman."
* Passive: "The mailman was barked at by the dog."
Let me know if you have a specific language in mind. I can help you search for ergative verbs within that language. Just provide some details about the language's grammatical structure.