Subject Properties @cite{comrie-1989}

@cite{comrie-1989} (Ch 5) argues that "subject" is not a primitive cross-linguistic category but a bundle of coding and behavioral properties. In accusative languages, all properties converge on the same NP (the S=A argument). In ergative languages, they may diverge: coding properties (case, agreement) pick out S=P (absolutive), while behavioral properties (conjunction reduction, reflexivization, raising) often pick out S=A.

Coding Properties

How the "subject" NP is morphologically identified:

• Case marking: receives the unmarked or nominative/absolutive case
• Verb agreement: triggers person/number agreement on the finite verb
• Word order: occupies the canonical pre-verbal or clause-initial position

Behavioral Properties

How the "subject" NP participates in cross-clausal syntactic operations:

• Conjunction reduction: the omitted NP under coordination
• Reflexivization: the antecedent of clause-bound reflexives
• Raising: the NP that raises to a higher clause subject position
• Equi-NP deletion: the NP deleted as controlled PRO
• Relativization: the most accessible position on the @cite{keenan-comrie-1977} Accessibility Hierarchy

Key Generalization

In accusative languages, all properties pick out S=A → full convergence. In syntactically ergative languages (rare), coding picks out S=P while behavioral properties still pick out S=A. In morphologically ergative languages (common), coding picks out S=P but behavioral properties also pick out S=P (Dyirbal-type). The split between these patterns is one of the central diagnostics for "deep" vs "surface" ergativity.

inductive Phenomena.Subjecthood.SubjectProperties.CodingProperty : Type

Coding properties: how the subject NP is morphologically marked. These are "surface" properties visible from case and agreement alone.

• caseMarking : CodingProperty
• verbAgreement : CodingProperty
• wordOrderPosition : CodingProperty

@[implicit_reducible]

instance Phenomena.Subjecthood.SubjectProperties.instDecidableEqCodingProperty : DecidableEq CodingProperty

Equations

• Phenomena.Subjecthood.SubjectProperties.instDecidableEqCodingProperty x✝ y✝ = if h : x✝.ctorIdx = y✝.ctorIdx then isTrue ⋯ else isFalse ⋯

@[implicit_reducible]

instance Phenomena.Subjecthood.SubjectProperties.instReprCodingProperty : Repr CodingProperty

Equations

• Phenomena.Subjecthood.SubjectProperties.instReprCodingProperty = { reprPrec := Phenomena.Subjecthood.SubjectProperties.instReprCodingProperty.repr }

def Phenomena.Subjecthood.SubjectProperties.instReprCodingProperty.repr : CodingProperty → Nat → Std.Format

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inductive Phenomena.Subjecthood.SubjectProperties.BehavioralProperty : Type

Behavioral properties: how the subject NP participates in syntactic operations that span clause boundaries. These are the "deep" properties that motivate a grammatical-relation analysis.

• conjunctionReduction : BehavioralProperty
• reflexivization : BehavioralProperty
• raisingTarget : BehavioralProperty
• equiDeletion : BehavioralProperty
• relativizationAccess : BehavioralProperty

@[implicit_reducible]

instance Phenomena.Subjecthood.SubjectProperties.instDecidableEqBehavioralProperty : DecidableEq BehavioralProperty

Equations

• Phenomena.Subjecthood.SubjectProperties.instDecidableEqBehavioralProperty x✝ y✝ = if h : x✝.ctorIdx = y✝.ctorIdx then isTrue ⋯ else isFalse ⋯

@[implicit_reducible]

instance Phenomena.Subjecthood.SubjectProperties.instReprBehavioralProperty : Repr BehavioralProperty

Equations

• Phenomena.Subjecthood.SubjectProperties.instReprBehavioralProperty = { reprPrec := Phenomena.Subjecthood.SubjectProperties.instReprBehavioralProperty.repr }

def Phenomena.Subjecthood.SubjectProperties.instReprBehavioralProperty.repr : BehavioralProperty → Nat → Std.Format

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def Phenomena.Subjecthood.SubjectProperties.CodingProperty.all : List CodingProperty

All coding properties (for finite enumeration).

Equations

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def Phenomena.Subjecthood.SubjectProperties.BehavioralProperty.all : List BehavioralProperty

All behavioral properties (for finite enumeration).

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structure Phenomena.Subjecthood.SubjectProperties.SubjectPropertyBundle : Type

A subject property bundle: for each property, which NP grouping it picks out in a given language.

• true = S=A grouping (accusative pattern for that property)
• false = S=P grouping (ergative pattern for that property)

A language's "subject" is well-defined when all properties agree; it is a non-primitive cluster concept when they diverge.

• coding : CodingProperty → Bool
• behavioral : BehavioralProperty → Bool

def Phenomena.Subjecthood.SubjectProperties.accusativeBundle : SubjectPropertyBundle

Accusative convergence: all properties pick out S=A. English, Latin, Russian, Japanese, etc.

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def Phenomena.Subjecthood.SubjectProperties.morphErgativityBundle : SubjectPropertyBundle

Morphological ergativity with accusative syntax: coding picks S=P (absolutive case/agreement), but behavioral tests pick S=A. This is the common pattern in "ergative" languages: Dyirbal main clauses, many Australian and Mayan languages.

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def Phenomena.Subjecthood.SubjectProperties.syntacticErgativityBundle : SubjectPropertyBundle

Full (syntactic) ergativity: both coding AND behavioral properties pick out S=P. Rare cross-linguistically; Dyirbal subordinate clauses are the classic example.

Equations

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def Phenomena.Subjecthood.SubjectProperties.SubjectPropertyBundle.converges (b : SubjectPropertyBundle) : Bool

Whether all subject properties converge on the same NP. Convergence means all coding and behavioral properties agree on either S=A (accusative) or S=P (ergative). Divergence — some properties picking S=A and others S=P — means "subject" is not a unitary concept in that language.

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theorem Phenomena.Subjecthood.SubjectProperties.accusative_converges : accusativeBundle.converges = true

Accusative bundle converges: all properties pick out S=A.

theorem Phenomena.Subjecthood.SubjectProperties.syntacticErgativity_converges : syntacticErgativityBundle.converges = true

Syntactic ergativity bundle converges: all properties pick out S=P.

theorem Phenomena.Subjecthood.SubjectProperties.morphErgativity_diverges : morphErgativityBundle.converges = false

Morphological ergativity diverges: coding picks S=P, behavioral picks S=A.