PREGLED KABARDINSKE GRAMATIKE - Cryptm.org

Matasović: A Short Grammar of KabardianCase assignment with causative verbs is typologically very unusual 48 . The case of thearguments in a causative construction is not determined by that verb, but by the verbfrom which the causative verb is derived. If this verb is intransitive and has only oneargument, its only argument will be marked for the nominative, while the causer willbe marked for the ergative (as the oblique argument), as in the previous example. If,on the other hand, the original verb is intransitive and has an indirect object (obliqueargument), the only macrorole ("subject") of the original verb will be marked for thenominative (yadžāk' w ar "student" in the following example):yaġadžāk' w a-m yadžāk' w a-r wəsa-m q'-rə-y-ġa-dž-ā-śteacher-ERG student-NOM poem-ERG dir.-3sg.-3sg.-caus.-to read-pret.-aff."The teacher encouraged the student to read the poem"Finally, if the causative verb is derived from a transitive verb, the lowest-rankingmacrorole of this (original) verb will be in the nominative, and the other macrorole inthe ergative; the causer is again in the ergative:ł'əźə-m ś'āla-m χədžabzə-r yə-r-yə-ġa-h-ā-śold man-ERG boy-ERG girl-NOM 3sg.-3sg.-3.sg.-caus.-to carry-pret.-aff."The old man made the boy carry the girl"ł'əźə-m ś'āla-m pχa-r yə-r-yə-ġa-q' w ət-ā-śold man-ERG boy-ERG tree-NOM 3sg.-3sg.-3sg.-caus.-to cut-pret.-aff."The old man made the boy cut the tree"Of course, all of the nominal arguments can be left unexpressed, and proper nounsand indefinite NPs do not receive case marking:Q'arašəway yə haś'a-m-ra yə šə-m-ra yə-ġa-šx-ā-śQ. 3sg.poss. guest-ERG-and 3sg.poss. horse-ERG-and 3sg.-caus.-eat-pret.-aff."Karašavey fed his guest and his horse"(in this sentence the name Q'arašəway would be in the ergative as the causer, theundergoer of the underived verb, i. e. the food, which is unexpressed, would be in thenominative, and the only case-marked nouns (haś'a and šə) are in the ergative as theindirect objects viz. non-macrorole core arguments).These unusual rules of case assignment with causative verbs are related to the rules ofcase assignment in subordinate clauses (see below), where the case of the nouns in themain clause depends on the role of these nouns in the subordinate clause.Since causers are agents, the causative verb receives a personal prefix for the causerwhich takes the position of the prefix for the agent / subject of a transitive verb(immediately before the causative prefix), and the noun denoting the causer is in theergative; the agent of the underived verb is reduced to the status of oblique argument /48 Information on this is given according to Kumaxov (ed.) 2006: 436 and according to the examplesobtained from my informants.43