Re: [tied] Nominative: A hybrid view

>
> Miguel:
>>The Eskimo (and Kartvelian aorist) constructions (with *-m in an
>>ergative role), [...]
>
> What exactly is the basis of this *-m? I know that Inuktitut has
> an ending /-p/ marking the agent (eg. /inuup/ "by the person")
> and an accusative ending /-mik/ (eg. (inummik/). Neither seem to
> correlate well with this *-m.

May I, Miguel? I know I ought to stay calm, but this is too good to be
left alone:

The basis of the reconstruction *-m is the fact that all Eskimo dialects
West of the Mackenzie River distinguish between nasals and stops in
word-final position, while that opposition is neutralized in the Eastern
territory. And the ergative ends in -m in the West. It also ends in -m in
Aleut.

Jens