English Dictionary

ergative

/ˈɜːɡətɪv/

noun

Ellipsis of ergative case (“a grammatical case used to indicate the agent of a transitive verb in ergative-absolutive languages”). / An ergative verb or other expression.

The ergative case is used in some languages to mark the subject of a transitive verb.

意味（1）

Ellipsis of ergative case (“a grammatical case used to indicate the agent of a transitive verb in ergative-absolutive languages”).

Samoan, for example, differs from the usual pattern displayed by split ergative languages in that the appearance of the ergative is grounded in sociolinguistic factors as well as syntactic ones. The more formal register of Samoan requires the ergative on all postverbal transitive subjects. The less formal register allows the ergative not to be expressed at all.

意味（2）

An ergative verb or other expression.

Unlike those with subjectivized ergatives, such locative clauses naturally do not allow for imperatives (*Contain the apples).