Studies of Passive Clauses

Studies of Passive Clauses
Author: Paul Martin Postal
Publisher: SUNY Press
Total Pages: 290
Release: 1986-01-01
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 9780887060830

In this work, Paul M. Postal supports the universalist theory of language by examining passive clauses. Contrary to a skeptical tradition, Postal argues that passive clauses are cross-linguistically identifiable and characterizable. This study proposes refinements of the analysis of the natural language grammatical category Passive Clause. These refinements include an account of the notion 'dummy nominal,' central to the analysis of impersonal passive clauses; additions permitting a proper typology of the major known subtypes of Passive Clause; a generalization permitting application to clauses whose subjects are not earlier level direct objects; and, construction of precise rule concepts to represent restrictions on passive clauses. The passive domain supports the universalist approach in three distinguishable ways: (1) by permitting formulation of otherwise apparently unstatable lawful characteristics of all passive structures; (2) by facilitating statement of language-specific passive constraints holding in diverse languages; and, (3) by allowing uniform statement in grammars of recurrent constraints on passives. Each mode of support is applied to actual cases based on material from more than a dozen languages from English and French to Quiche (Mayan) and Chi-Mwi:ni (Bantu).

Passive and Voice

Passive and Voice
Author: Masayoshi Shibatani
Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing Company
Total Pages: 720
Release: 1988-01-01
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 9027286132

This volume brings together 18 original papers dealing with voice-related phenomena.The languages dealt with represent both typological and geographic diversity, ranging from accusative-type languages to ergative-type and Philippine-type languages, and from Australia to Africa and Siberia. The studies presented here open up many possibilities for theorizing and offer data inviting formal treatments, but the most important contribution they make is in terms of the insights they offer for a better understanding of the fundamentals of voice phenomena.

Passivization and Typology

Passivization and Typology
Author: Werner Abraham
Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing
Total Pages: 566
Release: 2006-01-01
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 9027229805

Is the passive a unified universal phenomenon? The claim derived from this volume is that the passive, if not universal, has become unified according to function. Language as a means of communication needs the passive, or passive-like constructions, and sooner or later develops them based on other voices (impersonal active, middle, reflexive), specific semantic meanings such as adversativity, or tense-aspect categories (stative, perfect, preterit). Certain contributors review the passives in various languages and language groups, including languages rarely discussed. Another group of contributors takes a novel theoretical approach toward passivization within a broad typological perspective. Among the languages discussed are Vedic, Irish, Mandarin Chinese, Thai, Lithuanian, Mordvin, and Nganasan, next to almost all European languages. Various theoretical frameworks such as Optimality Theory, modern structuralist approaches, Role and Reference Grammar, cognitive semantics, Distributed Morphology, and case grammar have been applied by the different authors.

Deconstructing the English Passive

Deconstructing the English Passive
Author: Anja Wanner
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter
Total Pages: 241
Release: 2009-07-14
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 3110199211

This book analyzes the form and function of the English passive from a verb-based point of view. It takes the position that the various surface forms of the passive (with or without thematic subject, with or without object, with or without by-phrase, with or without auxiliary) have a common source and are determined by the interplay of the syntactic properties of the verb and general syntactic principles. Each structural element of the passive construction is examined separately, and the participle is considered the only defining component of the passive. Special emphasis is put on the existence of an implicit argument (ususally an agent) and its representation in the passive. A review of data from syntax, language acquisition, and psycholinguistics shows that the implicit agent is not just a conceptually understood argument. It is argued that it is represented at the level of argument structure and that this is what sets the passive apart from other patient-subject constructions. A corpus-based case study on the use of the passive in academic writing analyzes the use of the passive in this particular register. One of the findings is that about 20-25% of passives occur in constructions that do not require an auxiliary, a result that challenges corpus studies on the use of the passive that only consider full be-passives. It is also shown that new active-voice constructions have emerged that compete with the passive without having a more visible agent. The emergence of these constructions (such as "This paper argues...") is discussed in the context of changes in the rhetoric of scientific discourse. The book is mainly of interest to linguists and graduate students in the areas of English syntax, semantics, and pragmatics.

Diachronic Change in the English Passive

Diachronic Change in the English Passive
Author: J. Toyota
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 305
Release: 2008-11-05
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 0230594654

In this coherent historical development of the passive voice in English, the main argument deals not only with the passive per se, but also with its related constructions, which can play vital parts in identifying both functional and structural motivations for creating the passive.

Voice syncretism

Voice syncretism
Author: Nicklas N. Bahrt
Publisher: Language Science Press
Total Pages: 340
Release:
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 3961103194

This book provides a comprehensive typological account of voice syncretism, focusing on resemblance in formal verbal marking between two or more of the following seven voices: passives, antipassives, reflexives, reciprocals, anticausatives, causatives, and applicatives. It covers voice syncretism from both synchronic and diachronic perspectives, and has been structured in a manner that facilitates convenient access to information about specific patterns of voice syncretism, their distribution and development. The book is based on a survey of voice syncretism in 222 geographically and genealogically diverse languages, but also thoroughly revisits previous research on the phenomenon. Voice syncretism is approached systematically by establishing and exploring patterns of voice syncretism that can logically be posited for the seven voices of focus in the book: 21 simplex patterns when one considers two of the seven voices sharing the same marking (e.g. reflexive-reciprocal syncretism), and 99 complex patterns when one considers more than two of the voices sharing the same marking (e.g. reflexive-reciprocal-anticausative syncretism). In a similar vein, 42 paths of development can logically be posited if it is assumed that voice marking in each of the seven voices can potentially develop one of the other six voice functions (e.g. reflexive voice marking developing a reciprocal function). This approach enables the discussion of both voice syncretism that has received considerable attention in the literature (notably middle syncretism involving the reflexive, reciprocal, anticausative and/or passive voices) and voice syncretism that has received little or not treatment in the past (including seemingly contradictory patterns such as causative-anticausative and passive-antipassive syncretism). In the survey almost all simplex patterns are attested in addition to seventeen complex patterns. In terms of diachrony, evidence is presented and discussed for twenty paths of development. The book strives to highlight the variation found in voice syncretism across the world’s languages and encourage further research into the phenomenon.

'Bare Passives' and 'relative Clauses' in Be-passive Form as Modifiers

'Bare Passives' and 'relative Clauses' in Be-passive Form as Modifiers
Author: Annika Onken
Publisher: GRIN Verlag
Total Pages: 33
Release: 2008
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 3638893340

Seminar paper from the year 2007 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Linguistics, grade: 1,3, University of Münster, 9 entries in the bibliography, language: English, abstract: 1Introduction In order to learn more about the English language and how it is actually used by the native speaker community I am going to investigate the occurrence of bare passives as modifiers and of relative clauses in be-passive form which can be compared to the former in its function as modifier. With help of the queries I will find out how many of these constructions exist in The Penn Treebank and then take a closer look at the beginning of sentences. Which of these two grammatical phenomenon is more frequent at the beginnings of sentences and why? Firstly in this term paper, I will introduce the grammatical phenomenon of the passive voice with its variants 'be-passive', 'get-passive' and 'bare passive' by contrasting it to the active voice. Furthermore I will explain the development of the different queries needed for the research whose findings will be discussed subsequent to that.

Interchange of Active and Passive Voice: Patterns and Examples

Interchange of Active and Passive Voice: Patterns and Examples
Author: Manik Joshi
Publisher: Manik Joshi
Total Pages: 61
Release: 2014-10-25
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN:

This Book Covers The Following Topics: Active and Passive Voice Interchange of Active and Passive Voice 1. First or Second Form of Verb 2. Auxiliary Verb ‘Be’ + -ING Form of Verb 3. Have/Has/Had + Past Participle 4. Present/Future Modals + Verb Word 5. Past Modals + Past Participle 6. Verb + Preposition 7. Main Verb + Object + Complement 8. Main Verb + Object + Object 9. Have/Has/Had + Infinitive (To + Verb) 10. Auxiliary Verb ‘Be’ + Infinitive (To + Verb) 11. Verb + Object + Infinitive (Without ‘To’) 12. There + Verb ‘Be’ + Noun + Infinitive 13. Interrogative Sentences 14. Imperative Sentences 15. Principal Clause + That + Noun Clause (Object) 16. Verb followed by --ING form or an Infinitive 17. Use of Prepositions 18. The Passive With GET 19. Middle Voice Exercise -- 01 Exercise -- 02 Exercise -- 03 Sample This: VOICE - Definition Voice refers to the form of a verb that shows whether the subject of a sentence performs the action or is affected by it. ACTIVE VOICE - Definition The form of a verb in which the subject is the person or thing that performs the action. Example: They finished the work. [subject -- “they”, verb -- “finished”, object -- “work”] In this sentence, the subject (they) acts on the object (work). Other Examples: The teacher praises him. She posted the letter. I buy new books. We will celebrate his birthday. PASSIVE VOICE - Definition The form of a verb in which the subject is affected by the action of the verb. Important Note -- The object of the active voice becomes the subject in the passive voice. Example: The work was finished by them. [subject -- “work”, passive verb -- “was finished”, object -- “them”] In this example, the subject (work) is not the doer; it is being acted upon by the doer ‘them’) Other Examples: He is praised by the teacher. The letter was posted by her New books are bought by me. His birthday will be celebrated by us. WHEN TO USE PASSIVE VOICE (1). You should use passive voice when you do not know the active subject. (2). When you want to make the active object more important. (3). When the active subject is obvious. (4). When you want to emphasize the action of the sentence rather than the doer of the action. (5). Passive voice is frequently used to describe scientific or mechanical processes (6). Passive voice is often used in news reports: (7). When active voice does not sound good. (8). When you want to make more polite or formal statements. (9). You can use passive voice to avoid responsibility. (10). You can also use passive voice for sentence variety in your writing. (11). You can also use passive voice when you want to avoid extra-long subjects. Changing Active Voice Into Passive Voice Rule 1: Move the object of the active voice into the position of the subject (front of the sentence) in the passive voice. And move the subject of the active voice into the position of the object in the passive voice. Rule 2: Passive voice needs a helping verb to express the action. Put the helping verb in the same tense as the original active sentence. The main verb of the active voice is always changed into a past participle (third form of the verb) in different ways. Rule 3: Place the active sentence's subject into a phrase beginning with the preposition ‘by’. Rule 4: If the object in an active voice sentence is a pronoun (me, us, you, him, her, they, it), it changes in a passive voice sentence as follows: me -- I; us -- we; you -- you; him -- he; her -- she; them -- they; it – it Rule 5: Subject- Verb Agreement Make the first verb agree with the new subject in a passive voice. Rule 6: When there are two objects (direct object and indirect object), only one object is interchanged. The second object remains unchanged. The following Tenses Cannot Be Changed Into Passive Voice: 1. Present Perfect Continuous Tense 2. Past Perfect Continuous Tense 3. Future Continuous Tense 4. Future Perfect Continuous Tense