Международная лаборатория языковой конвергенции: Ведущий научный сотрудник
This paper develops an analysis of the so-called biabsolutiveconstruction in Avar as an instance of an optional TAM-based split inalignment, whereby both the A and O arguments of a transitive clausereceive unmarked case instead of A receiving ergative marking. Iconsider earlier work by Forker (2012) and Ganenkov (2017) appealingto additional structure as the source of the split in alignment inseveral East Caucasian languages, which I reject on empirical andconceptual grounds. I show that the Avar biabsolutive constructioninvolves no added structure in comparison with its ergativecounterpart and argue that the differences between them in agreementand case marking are best accounted for by a combination of aconfigurational view of case and a dynamic approach to syntacticlocality.
