Discover

'''Transitivity''' is a grammatical category in some languages ^[1] Similar remarks hold for Potawatomi language, see Verbs and Verbal categories of Potawatomi Grammar.. For example, the verb which has an object (called a transitive verb) takes on another paradigm, than the verb which has no object (called an intransitive verb). In some languages, this distinction may be more sophisticated, e.g. according to the definiteness of the object.

Contents

Example

Languages

In language families present also in Siberia

Notes

See also

External links

Example

A Hungarian example:

Root: “lát”-, indicative mood, present tense

Number + person		Transitivity
		Transitive	Intransitive
Singular	1	látom	látok
	2	látod	látsz
	3	látja	lát
Plural	1	látjuk	látunk
	2	látjátok	láttok
	3	látják	látnak

The transitive column (“látom”…) means “I can see him/her/it”, or it can be used in contexts like “Látom a kutyát” (“I see the dog”).
The intransitive column can be used in various contexts, e.g.

★ “Látok” (translated as “I can see” meaning I am not blind)

★ “Látok egy kutyát” (“I see a dog”)

Languages

The following languages of the below language families (or hypothetical language families) have this feature ^[2].

In language families present also in Siberia

In the Uralic language family:

★
★ Mordvinic languages

★
★ the three Ugric languages

★
★ Northern Samoyedic languages
In the Paleosiberian hypothetical language family:

★ Languages of both branches of the Eskimo-Aleut family; for details from the the Eskimo branch, see e.g. Sireniki, Kalaallisut

★ Chukotko-Kamchatkan languages

★ Yukaghir

★ Ket language has a very sophisticated verbal inclination systems, referring (among others) also to the object in many ways, (see also polypersonal agreement).

Notes

1. E.g. the book ''Studies in Grammatical Categories'' lists transitivity as one of the grammatical categories of Lithuanian grammar.
2. Pusztay, János: Nyelvek bölcsőjénél. Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest, 1990. Published in Hungarian. Translation of the title: At the cradle of languages.

See also

★ Valency (linguistics)

★ Ergative-absolutive language

★ Verb argument

★ Transitive verb

★ Intransitive verb

★ Ambitransitive verb

★ Impersonal verb

★ Unaccusative verb

External links

★ What is transitivity?