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Ergative alignment

Grammar
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A grammatical system where subjects of intransitive verbs pattern differently

Detailed Definition
Ergative alignment is a grammatical system found in certain languages (e.g., Basque, Georgian) where the subject of an intransitive verb is treated like the object of a transitive verb, rather than like the subject of a transitive verb as in nominative-accusative languages like English; while not directly applicable to English poetry, awareness of ergativity can inform poetic syntax that blurs agency—such as passive constructions or object-focused narration—allowing poets to explore themes of fate, impersonal force, or ecological interconnectedness by subverting conventional subject-centered grammar.
Example
Example in poetry:
Ergative alignment: Though not native to English, poetic approximation: “The poem wrote itself”—treating the subject as an instrument rather than agent, as in ergative languages.
Additional Notes
Grammatical system where subjects of intransitive verbs pattern with objects of transitive verbs. Linguistic term. Affects poetry in ergative languages. Contrast: accusative alignment. Technical grammatical concept.
Also Known As
Split intransitivity Active-inactive alignment Ergative-absolutive case Split subject marking
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