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.)