Split ergativity
Split ergativity is like having two rules for who gets to do what in a sentence. Normally, we have one rule for who does the action in a sentence. So when we say "The dog chased the cat," we know the dog is doing the chasing because it comes first in the sentence.
But in some languages, like Hindi or Kurdish, there are two sets of rules depending on what kind of action is happening. If the action is something like walking or singing, the person doing the action follows one set of rules. But if the action is something like being scared or feeling happy, the rules change and the person doing the action follows a different set of rules.
So for example, in Hindi, the sentence "I walked to the store" would use one rule for figuring out who is doing the walking. But the sentence "I am scared of the dark" would use a different rule for figuring out who is feeling scared.
It's kind of like having two different games you can play with your friends, depending on what game you want to play. Both are still fun, but they have different rules that you need to follow.
But in some languages, like Hindi or Kurdish, there are two sets of rules depending on what kind of action is happening. If the action is something like walking or singing, the person doing the action follows one set of rules. But if the action is something like being scared or feeling happy, the rules change and the person doing the action follows a different set of rules.
So for example, in Hindi, the sentence "I walked to the store" would use one rule for figuring out who is doing the walking. But the sentence "I am scared of the dark" would use a different rule for figuring out who is feeling scared.
It's kind of like having two different games you can play with your friends, depending on what game you want to play. Both are still fun, but they have different rules that you need to follow.