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In:Theoretical Issues in the Languages of the Caucasus
Edited by Ümit Atlamaz, Ömer Demirok and Balkız Öztürk
[Linguistik Aktuell/Linguistics Today 294] 2026
► pp. 95–117

Chapter 3
Revisiting case in Laz

 | Boğaziçi University
 | Boğaziçi University
 | Boğaziçi University
This content is being prepared for publication; it may be subject to changes.
Abstract
With its surface active-ergative alignment, Laz is one of the few languages where the external argument of unergatives surfaces in ergative case. To account for languages like Laz, the dependent case-theoretic analysis of ergative case resorts to the concealed-transitive theory of unergatives, i.e., posit a (possibly covert) internal argument for unergatives. In this paper, we use morphological causativization as a diagnostic tool to understand the structure of unergatives. Our findings reveal that roots which build unergative verbs in the language in fact exhibit variable behavior. They can pattern with transitive verbs as well as with unaccusative verbs. This variability is demonstrated by the case we find on the causee NP and the causative allomorph we find on the verb.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Overview of the case system in Laz
    • 2.1Case forms
    • 2.2Alignment in Laz
  • 3.A dependent case theoretic account of Laz
    • 3.1DCT basics
    • 3.2Unergatives in Georgian and Laz as concealed transitives
  • 4.Unergatives
    • 4.1Unergatives: Morphological classes
    • 4.2Unergatives under causativization
      • 4.2.1Direct causatives of unergatives: Different morphological classes
      • 4.2.2Indirect causatives of unergatives: Different morphological classes
    • 4.3The structural difference between direct and indirect causatives
  • 5.The analysis: Mapping structures to forms
    • 5.1The structure of unergatives and their direct causativization
    • 5.2Indirect causatives of unergatives
  • 6.Wrapping up
  • Author queries
  • Notes
  • References
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