QuestionsHattic, Kassite and the half-read languages of the cuneiform archivesIs the Hattic verb aligned actively, ergatively or accusatively, and what does each verbal prefix mark?Answer
Answer · Hattic, Kassite and the half-read languages of the cuneiform archives
Hattic is an active language with an ergative base: an- marks the agent of a transitive verb, zero marks the patient…
Hattic is an active language with an ergative base: an- marks the agent of a transitive verb, zero marks the patient, and intransitive subjects take either according to whether they act.
Where it stands
Still possibleOne piece of evidence for, one against. It needs two reviews to be accepted.
What it predicts
- In every bilingual, a Hattic verb with an- will correspond to a Hittite transitive with an agent subject or to an intransitive whose subject acts deliberately.
- Zero-marked intransitive subjects will correspond to Hittite non-agentive subjects.
What would rule it out
- A tabulation of all verb forms in the bilinguals against their Hittite translations shows an- with non-agentive intransitive subjects, or zero with clearly agentive ones, beyond what scribal variation can explain.
Evidence 1 for · 1 against
FOR
The questions it answers
Open2 answers, none ahead
Cite it
Mysteries Department. (2026). Hattic is an active language with an ergative base: an- marks the agent of a transitive verb, zero marks the patient… [Answer ANS0DEDZAC8MVBC]. https://mysteriesdept.com/r/ANS0DEDZAC8MVBC
@misc{mysteriesdept_ans0dedzac8mvbc,
title = {Hattic is an active language with an ergative base: an- marks the agent of a transitive verb, zero marks the patient…},
author = {{Mysteries Department}},
year = {2026},
note = {Answer, catalog key ANS0DEDZAC8MVBC},
url = {https://mysteriesdept.com/r/ANS0DEDZAC8MVBC}
}