On the "Adversative" Passive

1971 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony Alfonso
Keyword(s):  
Adversative Passive

scholarly journals The Establishment of the Neutral Passive and the Persistence of the Adversative Passive in Thai

MANUSYA ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 77-88
Author(s):  
Amara Prasithrathsint
Keyword(s):  
Transitive Verbs ◽  
Adversative Passive

This study traces the development of the adversative and neutral passives in Thai to draw inferences about their establishment and change. It shows how the word/thùuk/, which used to occur with only a verb with unfavorable meaning to form an adversative passive, is now used with virtually all transitive verbs in Thai. This suggests that the neutral passive has been established in Thai syntax. However, /thùuk/ is ambivalent because it marks both adversative and neutral passives . This means that the adversative passive still persists in Thai, but it is now likely to be marked by /doon/, which has a clear adversative meaning. This passive marker seems to have developed in the track of /thùuk/ and is replacing the equivocal /thùuk/ marker.

The Passive of Bodily Effect in Chinese

1986 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 271-296 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hilary Chappell
Keyword(s):  
Body Part ◽  
The Body ◽  
Semantic Constraint ◽  
Complex Predicate ◽  
Lasting Effect ◽  
Standard Chinese ◽  
Adversative Passive ◽  
Relational Nouns

In standard Chinese (pŭtōnghuà), besides the regular passive form NP (undergoer) - BEI - NP (agent) - VP, there is a second syntactically related passive with a complex predicate containing a postverbal or 'retained object' : NP (undergoer) - BEI - NP (agent) - V - LE - N (part of the body). This second construction serves as the topic of discussion of this paper. It is shown to be restricted to expressing an inalienable relationship between a person and a part of the body, other relational nouns such as kinship or material possessions being excluded from postverbal position. It is argued that the postverbal NP is not a case of a 'retained object' in Jespersen's sense (1933) as the body part term neither acts as the true semantic undergoer nor can be considered as a kind of second object. This argument is supported by the additional evidence of the postverbal NP not permitting any modification by adjectives or demonstratives. The interpretation of lasting effect on the undergoer (the affected per son) resulting from an adversative passive event is claimed to be a main semantic constraint of this construction.

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