(Des)genitibizazioaren historiaz gehiago: genitibozko subjektu iragangaitzak (ISGEN) Ekialdeko euskaran

Abstract

The genitive marking of transitive objects (TOGEN) in nominalized clauses has been described in northern varieties of Basque. It has traditionally been one of the features used to demonstrate that Basque syntax is accusative (Oyharçabal 1992; Trask 2002), because of the varieties exhibiting this type of genitivization mark O, and treat both transitive (A) and intransitive (S) subjects similarly. As a result of a far-reaching search in old northern and eastern texts, we are now in a position to provide solid evidence of genitive marking of S in nominalized clauses. Intransitive subject genitives (ISGEN) are present in a range of eastern Basque texts as late as in the19th century. Our aim is to demonstrate that in subordinate clauses Basque once treated both O and S in the same manner, i.e. in ergative alignment. At this point, ISGEN has two possible explanations: a) it would be an archaism preserved in eastern Basque longer than elsewhere, as a vestige of an ancient general rule; b) as a non-successful innovation of eastern Basque.