Includes bibliographical references (p. [339]-358) and index.

Introduction -- Aims and assumptions -- The Iranian languages -- Alignment in the Iranian context -- Constructions and syntax -- Old Iranian -- The Mana Kartam construction -- Implications for diachronic syntax -- What is a passive? -- Re-assessing the M. K. construction -- The semantics of the genitive -- Summing up the alternatives -- Conclusions -- Western Middle Iranian -- Middle Iranian -- Past transitive constructions -- The case system -- Case and person -- Pronominal clitics -- Clitics expressing core arguments -- Past transitive verbs -- Summary of Middle Iranian -- Case systems in West Iranian -- Introduction -- Three processes -- Innovated object markers -- Inhalt -- The tatic-type languages -- Explanations for change -- Case and animacy -- Towards a solution -- Summary of case -- Kurdish (northern group) -- Introduction -- Overview of the morphosyntax -- The canonical ergative construction -- Deviations from canonical ergativity -- Summary of deviations -- Evidence from Badynany -- Summary of the northern group -- The central group -- Introduction -- Suleimani morphosyntax -- Past transitive constructions -- Aligning case and agreement -- Summary of the central group -- Desire, obligation, possession, and ergativity -- Conclusions -- A brief synopsis -- Areal pressure and alignment change -- Alignment in Indo-European -- On explanations for change -- Appendices -- Case in Old Persian -- Changing rules of clitic placement.

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