Ergativity

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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.)