As I understand it, the practice of distinguishing between agent (ergative) and non-agent (absolutive), rather than between nonpatient (nominative) and patient (accusative) as is common in Indo-European languages.

For a 'very' brief overview of different case-marking systems, see http://www.xibalba.demon.co.uk/jbr/ranto/r.html — part of a rant against Esperanto, but you can ignore that here; this appendix focuses only on cases. Ergative languages use approach (E) in his list.

How do we express this in Lojban? gausmi?

• gernrgativiti --And (mi stidi)

Unfortunately English not always marks this distinction (e.g. "return",
the infamous keyword of xruti)... See Ergativity.

Non-Agentive form & it's corresponding Agentive:

cfari	begins	cfagau	initiates
denpa	pauses	depygau	delays
tolcfa	comes to a stop	sisti/dicra	halts/interrupts)
sezyxru	reverts	xruti	restores
cenba	varies	cenbygau/cnegau	alters
jelca	burns	jelgau	ignites
snura	is secure	bandu	protects
masno	is slow	snogau/jabre	retards/brakes)
muvdu	moves	muvgau	causes to move
mrobi'o	dies	catra	kills
banro	develops	banrygau	nurtures
zenba	increases	zengau	augments
banzu	suffices	bazgau	fulfills
culno	is full	tisna	fills
basti	takes the place of	basygau	replaces
klama	goes	bevri	conveys
bilma	is sick	bilmygau	sickens
bredi	is ready	redgau	prepares
carna	turns	cargau	rotates
selcfipu	is confused	cfipu	confuses
cilre	learns	ctuca	teaches
ckeji	feels ashamed	kejgau	humiliates
kakne	is able	curmi	allows
curve	is pure	cuvgau	purifies
danfu	is an answer	dafsku/frati	replies
drani	is correct	dragau	rectifies
farlu	falls	falgau	drops
fatne	is backwards	fatygau	reverses
febvi	comes to a boil	fabgau	boils
porpi	comes apart	popygau	breaks
fukpi	is a copy	fukyzba	duplicates
gacri	is a cover	gairgau	covers over
ganlo	is closed	ganlygau	closes
gusni	illumines	gusygau	illuminates
jdika	contracts	jdikygau	decreases
jinru	bathes	jirgau	immerses
jorne	is joined to	jongau	connects
katna	cutter	katnygau	cuts
burcu	brush	bruzu'e	paints
komcu	is a comb	komzu'e	combs
korcu	is bent	krogau	bends
krefu	repeats	refygau	causes to recur
kunti	is empty	kutygau	vacates
gapru	is above	lafti	lifts
lunbe	is bare	lubgau	denudes
manku	is dark	mangau	darkens
mapti	fits	matygau	matches
muvdu	is in motion	muvgau	moves
selnupre	is a promise	nupre	promises
pagre	penetrates	gregau	causes to penetrate
panlo	is a slice	panlyzba	slices
pijne	is a pin	pijnylasna	pins
pindi	is poor	pidgau	impoverishes
preti	is a question	retsku/tese preti	asks a question
preja	expands	pejgau	spreads
cpana	is on	punji	puts on/at
zvati	at	punji	puts on/at
punli	is a swelling	pulgau	swells
ranji	lasts	ranjygau	causes to last (makes lasting)
ranti	is soft	rangau	softens
ricfu	is rich	cfugau	enriches
panzi	offspring	rorci	procreates
viknu	is thick	viknygau	thickens
ruble	is weak	blegau	weakens
runme	is melting	rumgau	makes melt
runta	dissolves	runtygau	makes dissolve
sepli	is apart	fendi	divides
nenri	is within	setca	inserts
jbini	is between	setca	interposes
spoja	explodes	pojgau	blows up
sraku	is sharp	rakygau	scratches
sudga	is dry	sudgau	dries off
sutra	is fast	sutygau	hastens
tcena	stretches	tengau	extends
terpa	fears	tepygau	frightenss
tinsa	is stiff	tensygau	stiffens
titla	is sweet	titygau	sweetens
tordu	is short	torgau	shortens
tsali	is strong	tsagau	strengthens
tsapi	ia a spice	tsapygau	seasons
vasru	contains	vasygau	encloses
vlipa	is powerful	vligau	empowers
vreji	is a record of	rejgau	records
vrusi	is a flavor	vusyga'e	tastes
panci	is an odor	sumne	smells
zasti	exists	zbasu	creates
zekri	is a crime	zerzukte	commits a crime
zifre	is free	zifygau	liberates

(There are doubtless others.)

• The place structure of xruti has changed during its history...
  • A note here says (1994) that xruti was to become non-agentive, although it remains agentive on the gismu lists of 9-6-94.
  • I will have to check my notes, but IIRC the non-agentive meaning was changed to the present agentive at about the same time as the Great Rafsi Shift.

• Lojban distinguishes forms of causation...One could extend the foregoing series with each of the others.

• One must also consider the "hidden doers", those with non-x1 agent places:
  • smuni has meaning-------tersmu interprets
  • tatpi is tired------seltatpi tires
  • fengu is angry------selfengu angers
  • torni is twisting-------seltorni twists
  • xalni is panicked-------selxalni terrifies
  • zgike is music------selzgi makes music

---

That's a very useful list. We shouldn't overlook the usefulness of zil-, though:

zilsti comes to a stop

sisti halts (or dicra interrupts)

zilxru reverts

xruti restores

zilcatra dies

catra kills

zilcfipu is confused

cfipu confuses

--And

• Wouldn't "is killed" be better as a translation than "dies"? That is, there has to be a killer or there isn't really any catraing involved. I'd use mrobi'o (become dead) for just plain dying "without a cause". (And I'm not sure whether consensus was reached on the usage of zil- in this manner. xu la .andban. lojbo?) --mi'e filip
• It's a reasonable suspicion to have when I say something, but in this instance it's pretty uncontroversial, at least among the jboskepre. (I can't speak for nonjboskpre, since I don't get to hear their relevant views.)