Universal #1238

Legacy number: 1238

 Number  1234
 Original  If a language provides intransitive verbs that take patients as their theme (as in English ‘These wine glasses break easily, so be careful with them’), these will normally be used for the description of spontaneous events. But if there is no such intransitive verb, then the agent-defocusing forms will be used (‘These boys are/get discouraged easily, so be careful with them’).
 Standardized  IF there are intransitive verbs that take patients as their theme, THEN these will normally be used for the description of spontaneous events.
IF there are no such intransitive verbs, THEN agent-defocusing forms will be used for this purpose.
 Keywords  defocusing, intransitive verb, patient, agent
 Domain  syntax, semantics
 Type  no genuine implication; rather: provided that
 Status  achronic
 Quality  absolute
 Basis  a range of Indo-European, American Indian and Altaic languages
 Source  Shibatani 1985: 838

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Discussion
Notes
Shibatani 1985: 837: prototypical passive constructions have the following features: a) Primary pragmatic function: defocusing of agent; b) Semantic properties: (i) Semantic valence: Predicate (agent, patient); (ii) Subject is affected; c) Syntactic properties: (i) Syntactic encoding: agent => Ø (not encoded), patient => subject; (ii) Valence of Predicate: Active = P/n, Passive = P/n-1; d) Morphological property: Active = P, Passive = P [+ passive].
Comment
Frans Plank · 3 Aug 2006
Shibatani 1985: 837: prototypical passive constructions have the following features:
<table class= "textTable">
<tr>
<td> a)</td>
<td colspan = "2"> Primary pragmatic function: defocusing of agent;</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> b)</td>
<td> Semantic properties:</td>
<td> </td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> </td>
<td> (i)</td>
<td colspan = "2"> Semantic valence: Predicate (agent, patient);</td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> </td>
<td> (ii)</td>
<td> Subject is affected;</td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> c)</td>
<td> Syntactic properties:</td>
<td> </td>
<td> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> </td>
<td> (i)</td>
<td> Syntactic encoding: agent ⇒ ∅ (not encoded),</td>
<td> patient ⇒ subject;</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> </td>
<td> (ii)</td>
<td> Valence of Predicate: Active = P/n,</td>
<td> Passive = P/n-1;</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> d)</td>
<td colspan = "2"> Morphological property:</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> </td>
<td> </td>
<td> Active = P,</td>
<td> Passive = P [+ passive].</td>
</tr>
</table>