Morphosyntactic alignment

The relational typology is concerned with how languages ​​bring the two actants, which act as an agent or undergoer, in transitive and intransitive sentences morphologically and syntactically expressed, that is, with the grammatical fundamentals relations.

Here we also speak of types of morphosyntactic alignment (English alignment).

Types of sentence relations

Orientation of monotransitiven constructions

In monotransitiven constructions, the verb of the sentence with two arguments ( agent and undergoer ) is connected. Depending on which of the two arguments has the properties of the single intransitive argument, one distinguishes three main types of alignment:

• Accusative languages ​​, such as almost all European languages
• Ergativsprachen such as Basque language, or almost all Caucasian
• Active languages ​​, such as Dakota or Guaraní

A further distinction

• Neutral orientation, such as at the nominal inflection in English
• Three-part orientation
• Hierarchical alignment, such as the Cree Plains

Orientation of ditransitive constructions

A similar distinction is provided for Ditransitiv constructions, so designs wherein the verb is required combined with three arguments. This is usually determined to "give" from the behavior of the verb. The one who is, this is the agent that what is given is the theme, and the one to whom something is given, the goal (English goal, sometimes recipient or receiver). The ditransitive type specifies which behaves the two object arguments of a ditransitive sentence as the object of a transitive sentence.

• Indirektive orientation, that is, the undergoer of the transitive sentence is marked the same as the theme of ditransitive, such as the German
• Secondary dative alignment, that is, the undergoer of the transitive sentence is marked the same as the goal of ditransitive, such as in the Yoruba
• Neutral alignment, that is, the two object arguments of the ditransitive sentence will not be marked

Split Systems

There are languages ​​that can be observed in which several types of alignment. In these languages, it usually depends on particular properties of the argument or the predicate that is used of the possible types of alignment. This change in the alignment mark is referred to as the argument of split (or more restrictive than split Ergativity ).

In many cases, this is the position of the arguments on a scale, which is based on the parameters liveliness and definiteness critical. This scale is known as the animation of the hierarchy. Is, for example, the object of a transitive set higher in the hierarchy than the subject in these languages ​​, a different orientation is used as in the opposite case, in which the subject is higher in the hierarchy than the object.

In other languages ​​, a change is caused in the orientation by other formal characteristics. In Hindi, for example, the orientation is controlled by the aspect or the Tempus.