We can speak of ergative/absolutive organization whenever intransitive subjects pattern with transitive objects (to the exclusion of transitive subjects). So defined, ergativity is independent of case marking and has many linguistic manifestations, some being observable in any given language. At the same time, ergativity competes with accusativity even in languages where it represents the predominant pattern.

Two other machines exhibited by Whitworth… One was furnished with a reversing tool to plane both ways, and called, from its peculiar motion, a Jim Crow machine.

For two vague regions, one topological relation exists between any pair of crispings. There are a number of relations possible between the members of the sets of crisp regions on which the vague regions stand.

“What if it does rain? You ain't made of sugar,” Clete said. “You ain't goin' to melt.” Poole laughed. “You ain't made of sugar,” he repeated. “I like that.”