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An ergative verb is a special kind of verb which allows the object in a transitive clause to become the subject in an intransitive clause. An example in English is the verb "to open": John opened the door becomes The door opened. A verb is a part of speech that usually denotes action (bring, read), occurrence (decompose, glitter), or a state of being (exist, stand). Depending on the language, a verb may vary in form according to many factors, possibly including its tense, aspect, mood and voice. ...
An object in grammar is a sentence element and part of the sentence predicate. ...
In English grammar, a transitive verb is a verb that requires both a subject and one or more objects. ...
In grammar, a clause is a group of words consisting of a subject and a predicate, although, in non-finite clauses, the subject is often not explicitly given. ...
The subject of a sentence is one of the two main parts of a sentence, the other being the predicate. ...
An intransitive verb is a verb that has only one argument, that is, a verb with valency equal to one. ...
The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ...
Ergative verbs can be divided into several categories:
- Verbs suggesting a change of state – break, burst, melt, tear
- Verbs of cooking – bake, boil, cook, fry
- Verbs of movement – move, shake, sweep, turn
- Verbs involving vehicles – drive, fly, reverse, sail
Like the passive voice and nominalization, ergative verbs allow the agent to be deleted. However, even passive clauses and nominalized verbs allow the implicit question, by whom or what? The ergative verb, when used intransitively, does not, as can be seen in the fifth example here: In grammar, voice is the relationship between the action or state expressed by a verb, and its arguments (subject, object, etc. ...
// Definition A nominalization is a word that has been changed from a verb or an adjective into a noun. ...
In linguistics, a grammatical agent is an entity that carries out an action. ...
- The burglar broke the window (active, transitive)
- The window was broken by the burglar (long passive, transitive)
- The window was broken (agentless passive, transitive)
- The breaking of the window (nominalization)
- The window broke (active, intransitive)
Some grammarians recognize a middle voice in addition to the active and passive voices; they would see the fifth example as being in the middle voice. Voice, in grammar, is the relationship between the action or state expressed by a verb, and its arguments (subject, object, etc. ...
In French, reflexive verbs are frequently used in cases where ergative verbs would be used in English: In grammar, a reflexive verb is a verb whose semantic agent and patient (typically represented syntactically by the subject and the direct object) are the same. ...
- J'ouvre la porte (I open the door)
- La porte s'ouvre (The door opens, or, literally, the door opens itself)
Also, the verb "faire" (to make) can be used to show causation: - Je cuis les pâtes (I am cooking the pasta)
- Je fais cuire les pâtes (I am cooking the pasta, or, literally, I am making the pasta cook)
- Les pâtes cuisent (The pasta is cooking)
However, ergative verbs are used in some cases: - Il a tourné la tête (He turned his head)
- Sa tête a tourné (His head turned)
In Dutch, ergative verbs are used in a way similar to English. For example: - Jan breekt zijn glas (John breaks his glass)
- Het glas breekt (The glass breaks)
However, there are cases where the two languages deviate. For example, the verb zinken (to sink) can not be used transitively. - Het schip zonk (The ship sank)
But not - De marine zonk het schip (The navy sank the ship)
The significance of the ergative verb is that it enables a writer or speaker not only to suppress the identity of the outside agent responsible for the particular process, but also to represent the affected party as in some way causing the action by which it is affected. It can be used by journalists sympathetic to a particular causative agent and wishing to avoid assigning blame, as in Eight factories have closed this year.
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