Ph.D. in Empirical Linguistics
Lead for Georgian Studies
Frankfurt University
Frankfurt am Main, Germany
ORCID: 0009-0006-0404-4424
ma.kamarauli@em.uni-frankfurt.de

New Aspects to Split-Ergativity in Georgian

This presentation investigates new aspects of split ergativity in Georgian, a morphologically rich and syntactically flexible South Caucasian language. Georgian presents a typologically intriguing case by exhibiting characteristics of both ergative-absolutive and nominative-accusative alignment systems. The result is a split or mixed system, more accurately described as dative-ergative, since Georgian lacks a dedicated accusative case and uses the dative for (in)direct objects.

Split ergativity in Georgian is conditioned by multiple interacting factors. Building on Dixon’s (1994) framework, this study highlights three primary determinants: (a) the semantic nature of the verb, particularly in terms of control and transitivity; (b) the person and form of core noun phrases; and (c) the clause’s tense, aspect, or mood.

Importantly, while Dixon suggests that ergative marking in Georgian applies only to third-person nominals in certain series, this presentation shows that first and second person pronouns, though uninflected for case, functionally participate in the same system through syntactic behavior and context.

Additionally, this analysis identifies voice as a previously underappreciated conditioning factor. Data from the Georgian National Corpus illustrate that active control verbs (e.g., daiʒina ‘slept’) trigger ergative marking, whereas passive control verbs (e.g., daǯda ‘sat down’) do not. This pattern suggests that the active/passive voice distinction plays a decisive role in case alignment, in interaction with other factors.

Another interesting example is the verb amaq̇oba ‘to be proud’, a verbum sentiendi, which triggers the nominative case for the subject in the present tense but the ergative case in the aorist.

By integrating empirical corpus data and theoretical analysis, this presentation proposes a more nuanced understanding of split ergativity in Georgian. It challenges oversimplified views of case marking and offers new insights into the interdependence of semantics, morphosyntax, and discourse in shaping alignment systems. These findings contribute to the typological modeling of split ergativity and refine our understanding of alignment variation in natural languages.

 

Keywords: Caucasian linguistics, Typology, Functional Grammar, Corpus linguistics