Working Mechanisms and Discourse Functions of Ergativity

Transitivity and ergativity are the two grammatical systems available for the representation of processes. While transitivity focuses on the extension of a process, that is, whether the process extends to the goal, ergativity emphasizes the causation of a process, that is, whether the process happens by itself or is caused by an agent. In ergativity, the object of the transitive verb can function as the subject of the intransitive verb. This feature of ergative alternation makes it possible for language users to choose from ergative and non-ergative clauses in representing the same process. At the textual level, language users'choice from the ergative system serves to facilitate the organization of information on the one hand, and contributes to the achievement of discourse intentions on the other hand.