absolutive

Absolutive is a grammatical case used in ergative–absolutive languages to mark noun phrases that are either the object of a transitive verb or the subject of an intransitive verb. It contrasts with the ergative case, which marks the agent of a transitive clause, and with nominative or accusative systems found in many languages.

In typical ergative–absolutive systems, the absolutive marks the patient or theme of transitive verbs as well as the subject of intransitive verbs. The ergative marks the agent of transitive verbs. The pairing reflects a different arithmetic of argument roles than that found in nominative–accusative languages.

Some languages exhibit split ergativity, using absolutive marking in some contexts (such as certain tenses or aspect) and ergative marking in others. Others have differential object marking, zero-marking, or postpositions instead of overt case endings. The term absolutive is primarily a morphosyntactic label and does not imply a universal phonological form.

Example in a hypothetical ergative–absolutive language: The hunter-ERG shot the deer-ABS. The deer-ABS ran. In Basque, a well-known real-world example, the subject of a transitive sentence carries an ergative marker, while the object and the subject of an intransitive sentence bear the absolutive marker.

See also ergativity, alignment, Basque language.