New CBB

I'm trying to figure out the alignment of my language now, since it was nominative/accusative but now has a different case that is the subject of an intransitive verb. What would I call this case?

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Magnae clunes mihi placent, nec possum de hac re mentiri. -Multomixtor

If it retains both the Nominative and Accusative but also has a case for the subject of an intransitive verb, then it's actually an entirely different alignment called Tripartite. Do note that this this is VERY rare in natlangs.

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Banami bhjaddhos rafi mau cy vyaja cecerror.
Fools do not see the sun nor sail the seas
-Azenti Proverb

Just post the relevant paradigms and some example sentences.

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Up in blue sky silly blimp goes by
Where it come from where it go
Ziggy-Zaggy it fly high

I'm in the process of completely rebuilding my language right now, so I couldn't really do that at the moment.
One case is unmarked and is the subject of the transitive verb, another case is the marked case as the direct object of the transitive verb (so nom-acc alignment so far,) but then there is another marked case for the subject of an intransitive verb. What would these cases be called?

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Magnae clunes mihi placent, nec possum de hac re mentiri. -Multomixtor

You have no excuse for not posting at least the English translations and marking which nouns would are marked with what marker.
Three distinct cases means tripartite; it's not nominative-accusative alignment so far if the case for transitive clauses isn't also used in intransitive ones. I have no idea where you're getting ergativity out of this, I'd expect the intransitive one to be the unmarked one, and I guess Chagen was right about something.

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Up in blue sky silly blimp goes by
Where it come from where it go
Ziggy-Zaggy it fly high

Not if its a Marked Nominative lang, which is attested in real-life.

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Banami bhjaddhos rafi mau cy vyaja cecerror.
Fools do not see the sun nor sail the seas
-Azenti Proverb

Please read what I wrote in its entirety. Also, don't stab anyone.

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Up in blue sky silly blimp goes by
Where it come from where it go
Ziggy-Zaggy it fly high

Like Krov and Chagen have said, this sounds like a (peculiar) tripartite system. Typically, your case names would be:

"Ergative" for the agent-of-transitive-clause case;

"Accusative" for the patient-of-transitive-clause case;

"Intransitive" for the subject-of-intransitive-clause case.

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任何事物的发展都是物极必反，否极泰来。

I use Absolutive for Trailsend's Intransitive case in Snowfall(which is now undergoing a major reform).

But I thought that the ergative case was marked, or can it not be?

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Magnae clunes mihi placent, nec possum de hac re mentiri. -Multomixtor

A case is just a case. If some cases are marked by the presence of a morpheme while one case is marked by the absence of any morphemes, it's still a case—you just say "The ergative case is unmarked." I'm unaware of any case that is necessarily marked on a theoretical level. However, certain cases are certainly more likely to be unmarked than others in terms of what is attested in natural languages. Typically, in languages that have them, the ergative case is marked while the absolutive (or in tripartite languages, the intransitive) is unmarked.

This is why I said that your system is a peculiar tripartite system. But on a theoretical level, there's no reason I know of that the ergative case couldn't be the unmarked one.

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任何事物的发展都是物极必反，否极泰来。

I think that Nias has a Marked-Absolutive system.

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"Wait for the starvation of glaciers, chicken hamburger Noel Weber Arthur."

= | = | =

One of the few ergative langs in Africa too has ergative as the unmarked case, and in fact also uses it as the citation form.

So the why is the subject of a transitive verb (in my system) called ergative? Why isn't it nominative?

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Magnae clunes mihi placent, nec possum de hac re mentiri. -Multomixtor

Because "nominative" is a case used for the agents of transitive verbs and the subjects of intransitive verbs. "Ergative" is a case used for the agents of transitive verbs but not the subjects of intransitive verbs. Your case is used for the agents of transitive verbs but not the subjects of intransitive verbs. Therefore, it is an ergative case.

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任何事物的发展都是物极必反，否极泰来。

Hi, Wake.

As someone whose conlang underwent exactly the same change some time ago, can I ask what sparked your decision to go tripartite? From what you've said so far, I'm guessing our reasons were similar.

Also, just to stick my oar in, the font of knowledge that is Wikipedia claims that 'intransitive' or 'absolutive' is the correct term for the case that inflects the subject of an intransitive verb. I use absolutive, because I think it sounds cooler.

As a side-note concerning the distinction between nominative and ergative, I found the images about halfway down this Wikipedia page very useful in coming to better understand the distinctions between absolutive, ergative, nominative, and accusative; maybe you'll find them useful.

I'd be interested to compare tripartite-related notes when you're done.

Dan

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Valar morghulis.

Zidhgebzhail Orthography

This thread is also helpful for understanding Morpho-Syntactic Alignment.

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I am not responsible for the accuracy of my sources; they're responsible for their own mistakes, if any, and also responsible for defending their own statements if you disagree with them.

Well, I didn't know what a tripartite system was until 2 days ago, so I kind of made it without knowing it. I also understood only a little bit about ergativity, but I thought it would make my language cool and unique, so I accidently ended up making an absolutive case and turned the nominative into an ergative case in an unintended tripartite system. But I like it. :)

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Magnae clunes mihi placent, nec possum de hac re mentiri. -Multomixtor

Then my conclusions were wildly inaccurate.

I wonder if such a process would be likely to take place as a result of the natural evolution of a natlang. I'd not be surprised.

Dan

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Valar morghulis.

Zidhgebzhail Orthography

What were your reasons for switching to a tripartite system?

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Magnae clunes mihi placent, nec possum de hac re mentiri. -Multomixtor