Alternations of Eastern Armenian
| Alternation name | Coded? | Description | Examples | Verbs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
C
|
y | Usually introduces a new Agent, the Causee | 15 | |
|
C
|
y | suffix stacking: causative suffix followed by mediopassive suffix |
(122) Hetpateɾazmjan tasnamjakneɾi əntʰacʰkʰum ajd kapeɾə pʰastoɾen sarecʰvac ein. het-pateɾazm-jan post-war-adjv tasnamjak-neɾ-i decade-pl-gen əntʰacʰkʰ-um course-loc ajd this kap-eɾ-ə tie-pl-def pʰastoɾen in.fact sar-ecʰ-v-ac freeze-caus-med-ptcp.res ein aux.pst.3pl ‘In the post-war decades these connections have almost stopped (lit. were frozen).’ |
3 |
|
C
|
y | Mediopassive is a semantically heterogeneous alternation usually yielding a reduction of the argument number and having a vast range of interpretations, depending on the verb semantics and the context, from passive and decausative to reflexive and reciprocal. | 38 | |
|
U
|
n |
With come reciprocal situations, the two participants may be either expressed as separate NPs (a subject NP and a complement NP) or to be incorporated into single plural subject NP. As this is an uncoded alternation, we can not check how frequent this alternation is used with the separate verbs in the corpus. The alternation value regularly is therefore given to verbs for which we entered an example. |
3 | |
|
U
|
n | Generalized objects may be omitted to result in a new situation, with a focus on the state or the activity of the Agent. | 1 | |
|
U
|
n | Semantics of some verbs may strongly suggest a specific object; however, when the object is not default or has to be additionally characterized, it may appear as an overt DO | 0 | |
|
U
|
n | Verbs of loading and filling may take the filling substance as P and the Goal as an in-lative adjunct or take the Goal as P and the filling substance as an instrument. | 0 | |
|
U
|
n |
Vebs of removal and separation may take the Source as an ablative adjunct; alternatively, the Source may be coded as the Possessor of the Theme. While in many languages that may happen to verbs of deprivation such as still or take away by force (I stole my friend's hat vs. I stole this hat from a friend of mine), in Armenian this is extended to verbs designating separation of the part from the whole. As this is an uncoded alternation, we can not check how frequent this alternation is used with the separate verbs in the corpus. The alternation value regularly is therefore given to verbs for which we entered an example. |
3 |