如果一种语言有形态上的格变化,那么及物動詞的施事论元(A)和不及物動詞的單一核心變元(S)一同标记为主格(S=A)。及物動詞的受事论元(标记为P)则区别对待,将它标记为宾格,如日语和梵语;但有时候它也可以被标记为其他的格,比如芬兰语会将 P 标记为宾格和部分格,俄語會把 P 標記為屬格,以区分结点性(英语:Telicity)。
出于上述原因,不及物型语言很罕见[17][1]:36[2]:125,因为没有满足区分论元 A 和 P 的需求[2];不过经济原则也是影响配列形成的重要因素,虽然有必要辨别区分论元,但像三分型那样的配列就有些过剩了,因为超出了需求,所以三分型语言也很少[2],大部分语言都会在不损害可理解性的前提下采取较少的论元数目。通过这种方式,效率和经济的双重压力下就产生了 S 与 A、P 任意两方联合、一方孤立的格配列,也即主宾型和作通型这两种最为广泛分布的配列。
^ 2.02.12.22.3Comrie, Bernard. Language Universals and Linguistic Typology: Syntax and Morphology. University of Chicago Press. 1989. ISBN 0226114333.
^ 3.03.13.23.33.4van de Visser, Mario. (2006) "The Marked Status of Ergativity". PhD. Dissertation.
^ 4.04.1Dryer, Matthew S. & Haspelmath, Martin (eds.). (2011) "The World Atlas of Language Structures Online". Munich: Max Planck Digital Library. Available online at WALS (页面存档备份,存于互联网档案馆)
^Bossong, G. Differentielle Objektmarkierung in den neuiranischen Sprachen. Tübingen: Narr. 1985.
^Aissen, Judith. (2003) "Differential Object marking: Iconicity vs. Economy." Natural Language and Linguistic Theory.
^Silverstein, Michael. (1976) "Hierarchy of Features and Ergativity". In R. M. W. Dixon (ed.) Grammatical Categories in Australian Languages.
^See Jaklin Kornfilt and Klaus von Heusinger (2005). The case of the direct object in Turkish. Semantics, syntax and morphology. In Turkic Languages 9, 3–44
^ 13.013.1de Hoop, Helen and Malchukov, Andrej L. (2008) "Case-marking strategies". Linguistic Inquiry.
^ 14.014.1de Hoop, Helen. Malchukov, Andrej L.. Case-marking strategies. Linguistic Inquiry. 2008.
^Bates, E., & MacWhinney, B. (1982) Functionalist approaches to grammar. In E.Wanner, & L. Gleitman (Ed.), Language acquisition: The state of the art. New York: Cambridge University Press.
^Fedzechkina, Maryia & Jaeger, T. Florian & Newport, Elissa L. (2011) "Functional Biases in Language Learning: Evidence from Word Order and Case-Marking Interaction". Cognitive Science.
^Payne. The decay of ergativity in Pamir languages. Lingua. 1980, (51): 86-147.