Ergative

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈɜːɡətɪv/

Definitions

1. A linguistic concept that identifies a type of verb where the subject of an intransitive form differs from that of a transitive one
2. This term relates to a grammatical framework that contrasts the roles of subjects in both transitive and intransitive verbs
3. Describes verbs in language where the doer of an action in a direct verb differs in role from the subject in a verb without an object

Etymology: The word is a grammatical term built from a Greek noun meaning "labourer" or "worker," which is a surprising starting point for a concept about sentence structure. The Greek "ergátēs" came from "ergon," meaning "work," and the English suffix "-ive" (relating to, tending to, serving to) turned it into an adjective. The result describes a case that marks the "worker" of an action, the doer of a transitive verb, in a particular way. The logic of the name is literal: in languages with this system, the subject of an intransitive verb is marked the same way as the object of a transitive one, which sets it apart from the more familiar pattern in English, where the subject of a sentence usually looks the same whether or not the verb takes an object. The label was adopted as a technical grammatical term, so it reflects a deliberate choice of Greek roots rather than a word that drifted into use through everyday speech.

Synonyms: agentive