How does the verb’s theta grid change? How is antipassive voice similar to, but different from, the passive voice in English?

Question

4. Inupiaq, a language of Canada, has a construction called Antipassive voice. When an active

transitive verb changes to the antipassive form, it changes the verb’s theta grid. Look at the two

pieces of data below and describe what happens in the antipassive. How does the verb’s theta grid

change? How is antipassive voice similar to, but different from, the passive voice in English?

(Note: Active transitive verbs agree with both the subject and the object: 3subj.3obj means that the verb agrees withboth a 3rd person subject and a 3rd person object. Erg stands for Ergative case, and Abs stands for Absolutive case,which act a bit differently from Nominative and Accusative cases.)

a. Anuti-m umiaq qinig-aa tirrag-mi (Active)

man-Erg boat-Abs see-3subj.3obj beach-at

‘The man sees the boat at the beach.’

b. Anun qinig-tuq tirrag-mi (Antipassive)

man-Abs see-3subj beach-at

‘The man sees (the boat) at the beach.’

Answer 1

a. Anuti-m umiaq qinig-aa tirrag-mi (Active)

man-Erg boat-Abs see-3subj.3obj beach-at

'The man sees the boat at the beach.'

 

b. Anun qinig-tuq tirrag-mi (Antipassive)

man-Abs see-3subj beach-at

'The man sees (the boat) at the beach.'

Describe what happens in the antipassive..

 

Active

Agent(subject)	transitive verb	Theme (+determiner)	Goal (Prepositional phrase)
The man	sees	the boat	at the beach

- In this sentence, intransitive verb acts.

 

 

Antipassive

Agent(subject)	transitive verb	Goal (Prepositional phrase)
The man	sees	at the beach

Agent + Verb + Goal (the object can be omitted)

The man + sees + at the beach

 

How does the verb's theta grid change?

In the sentence, deleting the direct object "the boat" can change the subject from ergative case to absolutive case. 

 

 

How is antipassive voice similar to, but different from, the passive voice in English?

The passive voice is used to emphasize the action or the verb and the object of a sentence rather than subject. 

Antipassive is a verb voice that works on transitive verbs by deleting the object. It highlights the agent and makes the object optional.

Therefore, the differences is the emphasis of the arguments.