(Udmurt)

APmk=Case

APmk=Case: The agent and patient are marked through the use of case marking alignment.

(1)tamarakušt-i-zpavel-ez.
TamarathrowPST3SG PaulACC
’Tamara split up with Paul.’ (Y. S.)

(2)monkušt-iso-je.
IthrowPST.1SG(s)heACC
’I split up with her/him.’ (Y. S.)

(3)gondyrćorygkut-i-z.
bearfishcatchPST3SG
’The bear caught a fish.’ (Y. S.)

In the active sentences of Udmurt, the agent is in nominative case irrespective of whether it is a noun (1) or a pronoun (2). Specific indefinite and definite patients have accusative case, both nominal (1) and pronominal (2). Non-specific indefinite objects are nominative (3) (cf. Csúcs 1990: 34, Winkler 2001: 68, Csúcs 2003, É. Kiss–Tánczos 2018), in this case it is the meaning of the constituents that helps determine which nominative phrase is the agent, and which is the patient.

Author: Erika Asztalos


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