Editing Ergative case

{{Short description|Grammatical case}}

[[File:Lugal Kiengi Kiuri, King of Sumer and Akkad, on a seal of Shulgi.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Cuneiform]] inscription ''Lugal Kiengi Kiuri'' {{cuneiform|5|𒈗𒆠𒂗𒄀𒆠𒌵}}, "[[King of Sumer and Akkad]]", on a seal of [[Sumer|Sumerian]] king [[Shulgi]] (r. c. 2094–2047 BCE). The final ''ke<sub>4</sub>'' {{cuneiform|5|𒆤}} is the composite of -k ([[genitive case]]) and -e (ergative case).<ref>{{cite book |last1=Edzard |first1=Dietz Otto|author-link=Dietz Otto Edzard |title=Sumerian Grammar |date=2003 |publisher=BRILL |isbn=978-90-474-0340-1 |page=36 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HOx5DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA36 |language=en}}</ref>]]

In [[grammar]], the '''ergative case''' ([[list of glossing abbreviations|abbreviated]] {{smallcaps|'''erg'''}}) is the [[grammatical case]] that identifies a [[Noun phrase|nominal phrase]]<ref>{{cite web|last=Loos|first=Eugene|title=Glossary of linguistic terms|url=http://www-01.sil.org/linguistics/GlossaryOflinguisticTerms/WhatIsErgativeCase.htm|work=LinguaLinks Library 5.0 Plus|access-date=September 27, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304190305/http://www-01.sil.org/linguistics/GlossaryOflinguisticTerms/WhatIsErgativeCase.htm|archive-date=March 4, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>  as the [[Agent (grammar)|agent]] of a [[transitive verb]] in [[ergative–absolutive language]]s.<ref>[[Martin Haspelmath|Haspelmath, Martin]]. 2022. Ergative, absolutive, accusative and nominative as comparative concepts. In Iomdin, Leonid & Milićević, Jasmina & Polguère, Alain (eds.), Lifetime linguistic inspirations: To Igor Mel’čuk, 201–213. Frankfurt: Peter Lang. (doi:10.5281/zenodo.7625026) (https://zenodo.org/record/7625026)</ref>

==Characteristics==
In such languages, the ergative case is typically [[Markedness|marked]] (most [[Salience (communication)|salient]]), while the [[absolutive case]] is unmarked. Recent work in [[Grammatical case|case theory]] has vigorously supported the idea that the ergative case identifies the agent (the intentful performer of an action) of a verb.<ref>Woolford, Ellen. [http://people.umass.edu/ellenw/Woolford%20Lexical%20and%20Inherent%20Case.pdf "Lexical Case, Inherent Case, and Argument Structure"]. Feb 2005.</ref>

In [[Greenlandic language|Kalaallisut]] (Greenlandic) for example, the ergative case is used to mark subjects of transitive verbs and possessors of nouns. This [[Syncretism (linguistics)|syncretism]] with the [[genitive]] is commonly referred to as the ''relative'' case.

[[Nez Perce language|Nez Perce]] has a three-way nominal case system with both ergative (''-nim'') and [[accusative]] (''-ne'') plus an absolute (unmarked) case for intransitive subjects: ''hipáayna qíiwn'' ‘the old man arrived’; ''hipáayna wewúkiye'' ‘the elk arrived’; ''wewúkiyene péexne qíiwnim'' ‘the old man saw an elk’.

[[Sahaptin language|Sahaptin]] has an ergative noun case (with suffix ''-nɨm'') that is limited to transitive constructions only when the direct object is 1st or 2nd person: ''iwapáatayaaš łmámanɨm'' ‘the old woman helped me’; ''paanáy iwapáataya łmáma'' ‘the old woman helped him/her’ (direct); ''páwapaataya łmámayin'' ‘the old woman helped him/her’ (inverse).

In languages with an optional ergative, the choice between marking the ergative case or not depends on semantic or pragmatics aspects such as marking focus on the argument.<ref>{{Cite Q|Q122816430}}</ref>

Other languages that use the ergative case are [[Georgian language|Georgian]], [[Chechen language|Chechen]], and other [[Caucasian languages]], [[Mayan languages]], [[Mixe–Zoque languages]], [[Wagiman language|Wagiman]] and other [[Australian Aboriginal languages]] as well as [[Basque language|Basque]], [[Burushaski]] and [[Tibetic languages|Tibetan]]. Among all [[Indo-European languages]], only [[Yaghnobi language|Yaghnobi]], [[Kurdish language]] varieties (including [[Kurmanji]], [[Zazaki]] and [[Sorani]])<ref>[[Theodora Bynon]]. 1979. The Ergative Construction in Kurdish. ''Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies'' Vol. 42, No. 2:211-224.</ref> and [[Pashto]] from the [[Iranian languages]] and [[Hindi]]/[[Urdu]], along with some other [[Indo-Aryan languages]], are ergative.

The ergative case is also a feature of some [[constructed language]]s such as [[Na'vi language|Na'vi]], [[Ithkuil]] and [[Black Speech]].

==See also==
{{Wiktionary|ergative case|ergative}}

* [[Antipassive voice]]
* [[Ergative-absolutive language]]
* [[Morphosyntactic alignment]]
* [[Volition (linguistics)]]

==Citations==
{{reflist}} 

{{Grammatical cases}}

[[Category:Grammatical cases]]