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From: iad@cogsci.ed.ac.uk (Ivan A Derzhanski)
Subject: Re: Ergativity and Middle voice
Message-ID: <D6Bnss.IvC@cogsci.ed.ac.uk>
Organization: Centre for Cognitive Science, Edinburgh, UK
References: <D5FBwH.700@tigadmin.ml.com> <aldersonD5x049.95u@netcom.com> <3lgocg$kfi@marble.Britain.EU.net>
Date: Fri, 31 Mar 1995 20:34:01 GMT
Lines: 66

In article <3lgocg$kfi@marble.Britain.EU.net> paul.sampson@octacon.co.uk (Paul Sampson) writes:
>In article <aldersonD5x049.95u@netcom.com>, alderson@netcom.com (Richard M. Alderson III) says:
>> Middle voice (equivalent, for the most part, to reflexivity) implies
>> action of the verb on the subject of the sentence, agentive or not.
>
>Um, except where it doesn't. Such as when it implies action of the verb on
>*behalf of* the subject, agentive or not. (e.g. 'Victoria built this Memorial'
>meaning 'Victoria had this memorial built' - she didn't build it herself).

She's still an agent, of the causation if not the building itself.
If she is also a beneficiary (if she built the monument, or had it
built, for herself), you may have a reflexive construction.

>[...] I find I no longer know what the middle voice is (sob).
>*I* thought it included reflexive, causative (as in the above e.g.),

That causative is a kind of oblique reflexive.

>and a few others involving, for example, bunches of people embracing
>each other (mutual, as in ancient greek).

Reciprocal.

>If I were to temporarily abuse english by using an ergative sentence
>like "Him sings" (where 'him' stands in for an ergative case of 'he')
>then there's no reflexive flavour to this at all. So far so good. But
>it is possible to conceive that such an expression could carry the
>meaning of his singing for his own pleasure or benefit - it's a
>possibility, that's all (whereas the reflexive isn't).

It's a possibility which is not always available.  Let's look at Georgian:

      _mGeri-s_ `(s)he sings'
    _i-mGeri-s_ `(s)he sings for h##self'
  _m-i-mGeri-s_ `(s)he sings for me'

There's no way to count _mimGeris_ as middle voice, since the singing
is stated not to be for the singer's pleasure or benefit.  Actually,
_imGeris_ is not normally considered middle voice either, merely a
subjective version (that's the traditional term) of an active verb.
The case marking is the same for all three, showing that the kind of
reflexivity you're thinking of is orthogonal to ergativity.

>Now, on the assumption (which may be quite breathtakingly
>presumptious, I'll freely admit) that agentive forms of nouns and
>active forms of verbs *tend* to be either unmarked, or at least less
>marked than ergative forms of nouns and middle forms of verbs,

The first part of the comparison doesn't make much sense, I'm afraid,
since ergative forms are agentive, almost by definition.  As for the
second, in Georgian it's the middle voice that tends to be unmarked,
cf. _rz'e duG-s_ `the milk is boiling', _rz'e-s a-duG-eb-s_ `(s)he is
boiling the milk'.

>I was just struck by the similarity in meaning of sentences with
>ergative nouns and active verbs versus nominative nouns and middle verbs.

It is true that active constructions often can have an oblique reflexive
(benefactive) meaning, but I fail to see where ergativity comes in.  You
can get that reading with nominative subjects just as easily.

-- 
`"Na, na ... ah mean, *no wey*, wi aw due respect, ma lady," stammers Joe.'
Ivan A Derzhanski (iad@cogsci.ed.ac.uk)    (J Stuart, _Auld Testament Tales_)
* Centre for Cognitive Science,  2 Buccleuch Place,   Edinburgh EH8 9LW,  UK
* Cowan House E113, Pollock Halls, 18 Holyrood Pk Rd, Edinburgh EH16 5BD, UK
