1179: Loaded Verbs: Marking for Subject & Objects Mar 2, 2018
Verbs are marked for subjects; in English, even passive constructions are not marked by agent, but by subject, e.g. "you are commanded by her", not "you is...". Some languages, however, distinguish between the subject and the agent—as is the case in English's passive—in the active voice as well. This, called the ergative is true of many languages, but it raises an important question:
Should the verbs be marked for subject or agent?
For Kalaallisut a.k.a West Greenlandic—which uses the ergative case rather than nominative—this is a trick question, because both are marked, and moreover, when there is possession, both are marked on the noun as well. Because verbs are marked for the subject and object, in addition to everything else that is conveyed with conjugation (person, number, tense, mood, voice), a single verb can contain all of the information that in English would require a whole clause. A pleasant example is with "I love you", which requires three words in English—and while French for instance uses the reflexive to shorten things somewhat with "je t'aime"—but in Kalaallisut it is 'asavakkit', with 'asa-' meaning 'love' and '-avakkit' being a common element meaning "I—you", such as with "Ikiorsinnaavakkit?" ("can I help you").
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Should the verbs be marked for subject or agent?
For Kalaallisut a.k.a West Greenlandic—which uses the ergative case rather than nominative—this is a trick question, because both are marked, and moreover, when there is possession, both are marked on the noun as well. Because verbs are marked for the subject and object, in addition to everything else that is conveyed with conjugation (person, number, tense, mood, voice), a single verb can contain all of the information that in English would require a whole clause. A pleasant example is with "I love you", which requires three words in English—and while French for instance uses the reflexive to shorten things somewhat with "je t'aime"—but in Kalaallisut it is 'asavakkit', with 'asa-' meaning 'love' and '-avakkit' being a common element meaning "I—you", such as with "Ikiorsinnaavakkit?" ("can I help you").
If you're wondering Ikiorsinnaavakkit about Word Facts, check out the Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/wordfacts.