Definition
Definition of ergative - Reverso English Dictionary
Noun
1.
linguisticsTECH. grammatical case showing the doer of an actionTECH.
- In Basque, the ergative marks the subject of a transitive verb.
2.
grammarTECH. verb that can be both transitive and intransitiveTECH.
- 'Break' is an ergative because 'The vase broke' and 'She broke the vase'.
Adjective
1.
grammar caseTECH. relating to a grammatical case indicating the agent of a transitive verbTECH.
- In some languages, the ergative case marks the doer of the action..
2.
language typeTECH. describing a language where subjects of some actions are marked like objectsTECH.
- Basque is an ergative language.
Expressions with ergative
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language where core roles follow ergative, not nominative, pattern
Basque is often cited as an ergative language.
Origin of ergative
Greek, ergon (work)
Terms with ergative included in their meaning
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grammar type
language where core roles follow ergative, not nominative, pattern
Examples of ergative in a sentence
Linguists study the ergative to analyze language patterns. 'Open' is an ergative in 'The door opened' and 'She opened the door'. Linguists study ergatives to understand language structure. The ergative case is used in this sentence structure. Linguists study the ergative case in depth. The linguist explained the ergative structure of the language.
Ergative languages often confuse new learners.
View all translations of ergative
Click below to see the appropriate translations facing each meaning.
- French:ergatif, ...
- German:Ergativ, ergativ, ...
- Italian:ergativo, ...
- Spanish:ergativo, ...
- Portuguese:ergativo, ergativa, ...
- Chinese:作格, 作格的, ...
- Japanese:能格, 能格の, ...
- Arabic:الحالة الفاعلية, إِرْغَاتِي, ...
- Hebrew:מִקְרֶה אֶרְגָּטִיבִי, אֶרְגָּטִיבִי, ...
- Russian:эргатив, эргативный, ...
- Ukrainian:ерґатив, ергативний, ...
- Hindi:एर्गेटिव, कर्तृवाचक, ...
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