Re: [tied] I'm back with a few questions

On Sat, 28 Jan 2006 09:18:13 +0000, tgpedersen
<tgpedersen@...> wrote:

>
>> Reduplication most commonly denotes plurality of the
>> transitive object or intransitive subject. It rarely
>> denotes plurality of the transitive subject, for which other
>> more explicit plural markers are usually available.
>>
>> E.g. Basque *da "to be", reduplicated form *di-da > *(d)ira,
>> used for intransitive plural subject:
>>
>> *na-da (iza) > naiz "I am"
>> *ka-da (iza) > haiz "you are"
>> *0-da > da "he is"
>> *ga-di-da > gara, gera "we are"
>> *sa-di-da > zara, zera "you are"
>> *0-di-da > dira "they are"
>>
>> versus *du "to have", red. *di-du
>>
>> *na-da-du > nau he has me
>> *ka-da-du > hau he has you
>> *da-du > du he has it
>> *ga-da-di-du > gaitu (*gaaiddu) he has us
>> *sa-da-di-du > zaitu (*zaaiddu) he has you
>> *0-da-di-du > ditu (*daiddu) he has them
>>
>
>So much for Basque; but you made a general statement.
>
>The way you stated it above, reduplication in the verb is a
>phenomenon of ergative languages.

I didn't say that. The examples I'm most familiar with
(Basque, Sumerian) happen to be from ergative languages.

I guess reduplication as a plural marker is typical of
nominal forms (including verbal nouns and participles). And
the participle most often agrees in number with the object.

=======================
Miguel Carrasquer Vidal
mcv@...