Ergative as accusative case: evidence from Adıyaman Kurmanji

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the nature of ergativity in Adıyaman Kurmanji within the premises of the Minimalist Program. Adıyaman Kurmanji displays two alignment patterns depending on the tense. In non-past structures nominative alignment is observed whereas the past tense requires an ergative alignment. Based on these two types of alignments many linguists like Haig (2004), Thackston (2006), and Gündoğdu (2011) argue that Kurmanji is a split ergative language. Accordingly, the major aim of this study is to investigate the structure of the ergative pattern in Adıyaman Kurmanji. In this study, the initial step was to compare the ergative and nominative subjects in terms of certain tests like binding, scope and EPP to determine the phrase structure and where the subjects reside on the structure. Additionally, voice properties of the language were inspected as a background to the major claim. Based on the results of the tests applied and the motivation obtained from the data, it was argued that what has been called ergative in Adıyaman Kurmanji is, indeed, a passive structure diachronically reanalyzed as the past tense. According to Trask’s (1979) typology of ergative languages, there are two types of ergative languages, which labels as Type A and Type B. Based on this typology, we argue that Adıyaman Kurmanji falls into Type A where ergativity is the result of passive structure becoming obligatory diachronically. In order to incorporate our analysis into the Minimalist Program we adopt Collins’ (2005) analysis of passives in English. Additionally, we argue that perfects in Adıyaman Kurmanji have a bi-clausal structure and display ergativity only because they accommodate a past tense CP. In addition to ergativity in Adıyaman Kurmanji, we investigated unbalanced coordination, which occurs as a by-product of ergativity in this language. We argue that unbalanced coordination takes place as coordination of two VPs. Moreover, coordination has a hierarchical structure rather than a flat one.