Abstract
AbstractThe middle voice is a notoriously controversial typological notion. Building on previous work (e.g. Kemmer, Suzanne. 1993.The middle voice. Amsterdam & Philadelphia: John Benjamins), in this paper I propose a new working definition of middle markers as inherently polyfunctional constructions which are partly associated with valency change in opposition to bivalent (or more) verbs and partly lexically obligatory with monovalent verbs. Based on this definition, the paper undertakes a systematic survey of 149 middle voice constructions in a sample of 129 middle-marking languages. Evidence from the sample shows that middle voice systems display a much richer variation in forms and functions than is reported in the literature. This richer empirical evidence challenges some of the mainstream views on middle marking, especially its purported connection with reflexivity and grooming-type events, and calls for an overall rethinking of the typology of the middle voice.
Highlights
Verbal voice is a core aspect of clausal morphosyntax, and for good reasons, as it deals with the complex interaction between lexical semantics, valency, and transitivity and their realization in verbal systems
This richer empirical evidence challenges some of the mainstream views on middle marking, especially its purported connection with reflexivity and groomingtype events, and calls for an overall rethinking of the typology of the middle voice
I follow the definition of grammatical voice proposed by Zúñiga and Kittilä (2019: 4) as “a grammatical category whose values correspond to particular diatheses marked on the form of predicates”, with diathesis being “any specific mapping of semantic roles onto grammatical roles”
Summary
Verbal voice is a core aspect of clausal morphosyntax, and for good reasons, as it deals with the complex interaction between lexical semantics, valency, and transitivity and their realization in verbal systems. Existing comprehensive works on the middle (Geniušienė 1987; Kemmer 1993) are nowadays in part outdated in at least two respects The typological study of valency operations, including those commonly connected to the middle such as passive and reflexive, has witnessed significant advances. These facts call for a general reassessment of the middle voice in a typological perspective. I analyze MMs in a sample of 129 middle-marking languages This more solid empirical basis, coupled with the more up-to-date typological knowledge of voice operations, will allow me to improve the existing typology of MVSs in several crucial respects.
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