%0 Journal Article
%T The Evolution of Ergativity in Iranian Languages
%A KARIMI
%A Yadgar
%J Acta Linguistica Asiatica
%D 2012
%I 
%X This paper presents an attempt to investigate the origins of ergativity in Iranian languages, drawing upon diachronic and synchronic analyses. In so doing, I will trace the development of the ergative structure back to Old and Middle Persian where, it is argued, the roots of ergativity lie. I will specifically show that the ergative pattern as currently obtained in the grammatical structure of some Iranian languages has evolved from a periphrastic past participle construction, the analogue of which is attested in Old Persian. It will further be argued that the predecessor past participle construction imparted a resultative construal in Old Persian and, subsequently, in the transition to Middle Persian, has assumed a simple past reading. The bottom-line of the analysis will be represented as a proposal regarding the nature of the ergative verb, to the effect that an ergative verb, as opposed to a regular (non-ergative) transitive verb, is semantically transitive, but syntactically intransitive.
%K ergative structure
%K resultatives
%K past participle
%K Old Persian
%K Iranian languages
%U http://revije.ff.uni-lj.si/ala/article/view/73/60