Re: But where does *-mi come from?

From: aquila_grande
Message: 38799
Date: 2005-06-20

Therefore, both the IE & Ur. use of accusative *-m of the object of
a verb derivable from an active participle and the EA use of
ergative *-m of the agent of a transitive verb derivable from a
passive participle are fully explained as functions of an original
genitive. That function ís synchronically alive in EA. This analysis
makes sense and sheds light on things; calling the transitive
agent "ergative" instead is cryptic and spreads darkness.

Jens

Well Jens, but where are the participle markers? Present 3. person
is an old participle in Finnish, but there are not any participle
markers elsewhere.

Some correction about finnish:

Finnish has no contemporary allative in -n, however there once was
an "lative" in some -n-like sound. To Helsinki is "Helsinkiin <
helisnki-se-n", but "Helsingin" is genitive.

Finnish is bacically an nominative-accusative type, but some
situations have an ergative-logic.

In these situations the subject of an intransitive worb, and the
object is placed in partitive, a historical ablative case, and the
subject of a transitive werbs is in nominative.