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Udi
Glottocode: udii1243
Genalogical classification: Nakh-Dagestanian
Original alignment pattern: Ergative
Source construction: Transitive construction with a light verb, an A argument with an ergative marker and a P argument with an absolutive marker, e.g. 'X ERG says word ABS'.
Developmental mechanism: The P argument of the light verb is incorporated and the construction is reanalyed as intransitive; the A argument of the source construction becomes the S argument of the new intransitive construction, as in (1).
Resulting construction: The S argument of the instransitive construction retains the ergative marker originally used for the A argument of the source construction; as a result, the ergative marker becomes a nominative marker.
Type of change: Reinterpretation of argument structure
Alignment in the resulting construction: Nominative-Accusative
Global alignment pattern following the change: Split intransitivity
Constraints on the distribution of the resulting alignment: The new nominative (S=A) pattern is restricted to intransitive constructions derived from transitive ones with light verbs; other intransitive constructions follow an ergative pattern (with S=P), as in (2).
Grammatical domains: Case marking
Symmetry: Asymmetric
Type of data: Internal reconstruction
References: Harris 2010:15
Examples
(1) Udi (Nakh-Daghestanian; Harris 2010:205)
| Luiza-n | udi-n | muz-in | äit-ne-p-e |
| Louisa-ERG | Udi-GEN | language-INST | word-3SG-say-AORII |
‘Louisa spoke in Udi.’
(2) Udi (Nakh-Daghestanian; Harris 2010:206)
| šonor | qai-q’un-bak-sa |
| they.ABS | back-3PL-be-PRES |
‘They returned.’