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The active-stative alignment

The case system of Proto-Piti language is based on a morphological alignment called agentive-stative type (also called the agentive-passive alignment). This kind of alignment is essential different from the nominative-accusative alignment, which is widespread among most European languages, and from the even rarer ergative-absolutive alignment.

In an agentive-stative alignment the choice of the case relies on the intrinsic ability of the subject to be an active agent in the sentence or not. Unlike the ergative-absolutive alignment, subjects of an intransitive verb can also be agentive subjects, if the action is performed with a certain degree of animacy or intentionality. This usually also depends on the semantic nature of the verb itself. Let’s see two examples:

• to jump: this verb is considered as grammatically intransitive, but the described action involves an activity and a will from the subject. Thus, the alignment selects the agentive case for such subjects.
• to fall: this verb is considered as grammatically intransitive, but the described action involves no active engagement or no active will from the subject. It is more regarded as an incidental event, even if it implies some kind of motion. Thus, the alignment selects the passive case for such subjects.

The system selects only the passive case for direct objects of transitive verbs. Potential confusion is avoided, as the agentive case and the passive case cannot be selected for two kinds of elements which may be in the same sentence.

The general usage rule for these cases is:

• Subject of a transitive verb: agentive case
• Active subject of an intransitive verb: agentive case
• Inactive subject of an intransitive verb: passive case
• Direct object of a transitive verb: passive case

Since nouns referring to intrinsically inanimated entities cannot be selected as subjects of transitive verbs, sentences in which these elements might be transitive or active subjects are usually differently arrange are usually differently arranged, as such nouns cannot be in the agentive case:

the storm spoiled the harvest → the harvest spoiled because of the storm
umaʈoːta ḱumeːkʰu ʔaʔosiːp(æt́)

However, some natural entities can be perceived as animate, as having their own will, like sæɳo, light, ṕiḱe, water, ʔaḱo, wind/air, and they may optionally be regarded as animate, as if they were endowed with their own will. In such cases these nouns can be active subjects of transitive verbs and be declined in the agentive case.