Ergativity as a natural manifestation of the v > EA base

Authors

  • Hiroyuki Tanaka Kwansei Gakuin University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3765/plsa.v7i1.5254

Keywords:

ergativity, vP structure, feature ordering, multiplicity of features

Abstract

This study proposes an analysis of ergativity based on the hypothesis that, contrary to the standardly assumed structure, the Case assigner v asymmetrically c-commands the base position of all the arguments of the verb, including the external argument. Simply assuming that an EPP feature attracts the closest NP it c-commands, and that a Case feature assigns structural Case to the closest NP it c-commands, we aim at a theory in which ergativity as well as accusativity is a natural manifestation of this universal base, while their differences reflect the parametric differences of the formal features of v.

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Published

2022-05-05

How to Cite

Tanaka, Hiroyuki. 2022. “Ergativity As a Natural Manifestation of the V > EA Base”. Proceedings of the Linguistic Society of America 7 (1): 5254. https://doi.org/10.3765/plsa.v7i1.5254.