The syntactic construction of two non-active Voices: Passive and middle

• Published in: Journal of linguistics Vol. 48; no. 1; pp. 1 - 34
• Main Authors: ALEXIADOU, ARTEMIS, DORON, EDIT
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Cambridge University Press 01.03.2012
• Subjects: Comparative linguistics; Derivational morphology; Descriptive studies and applied theories; English; English language; Grammar; Grammatical constructions; Greek; Greek language; Hebrew; Hebrew language; Language teaching; Language use; Learning; Linguistic research; Linguistics; Morphology; Morphology Syntax Relationship; Passive Voice; Reflexive verbs; Reflexivity; Soups; Syntactic structures; Syntactics; Syntax; Theoretical linguistics; Transitive verbs; Verbs; Voice; Voice (Grammatical); Voices; Morphological variation; English; Syntactic construction; Verbal voice; Passive; Cross-linguistic variation; Hebrew; Greek; Theoretical syntax; Middle voice
• ISSN: 0022-2267; 1469-7742
• DOI: 10.1017/s0022226711000338

The paper offers a theoretical characterization of the middle Voice as distinct from the passive Voice, and addresses the cross-linguistic morphological variation in realizing these two non-active Voices in different classes of languages, represented by Hebrew, Greek and English. The two non-active Voices are the morphological realization of two distinct syntactic Voice heads generating middle and passive clauses respectively. The former are cross-linguistically interpreted as (i) anticausative, (ii) reflexive (and reciprocal), (iii) dispositional middle, and (iv) medio-passive, which is distinct from passive. This variation in the interpretation of the middle Voice reflects different properties of the root rather than the application of four different lexical rules postulated by lexicalist theories.