Latvian passives – personal, impersonal and evidential
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Axel Holvoet
Abstract
The present article discusses the nature of the Latvian passive and, more specifically, the impersonal passive. It is argued that Latvian has indeed an impersonal passive that shows no signs of turning into an active impersonal, a development that has occurred in the history of Polish and could be an ongoing process in contemporary Lithuanian. Several lexical restrictions on the derivation of the Latvian constructions under discussion shows that they are indeed impersonal passives rather than active impersonals. Conspicuously absent, however, is a ban on the passivization of unaccusatives, as we find it in a number of languages that have a typical impersonal passive. It is suggested that the rise of an evidential passive might have played a certain role in the lifting of the restrictions on the passivization of unaccusatives in Baltic.
Abstract
The present article discusses the nature of the Latvian passive and, more specifically, the impersonal passive. It is argued that Latvian has indeed an impersonal passive that shows no signs of turning into an active impersonal, a development that has occurred in the history of Polish and could be an ongoing process in contemporary Lithuanian. Several lexical restrictions on the derivation of the Latvian constructions under discussion shows that they are indeed impersonal passives rather than active impersonals. Conspicuously absent, however, is a ban on the passivization of unaccusatives, as we find it in a number of languages that have a typical impersonal passive. It is suggested that the rise of an evidential passive might have played a certain role in the lifting of the restrictions on the passivization of unaccusatives in Baltic.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Preface vii
- Voice in Baltic 1
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Part I. Causatives
- Lithuanian morphological causatives 39
- Morphological causatives in contemporary Latvian 99
- Extended uses of morphological causatives in Latvian 147
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Part II. Reflexives and middle voice
- Middle voice reflexives and argument structure in Baltic 181
- Converse relations with the reflexive marker in Lithuanian and Polish 211
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Part III. Passives
- Passivization and argument structure in Lithuanian 289
- Solving the puzzle of the Lithuanian passive 323
- Latvian passives – personal, impersonal and evidential 367
- Language index 395
- Name index 397
- Subject index 399
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Preface vii
- Voice in Baltic 1
-
Part I. Causatives
- Lithuanian morphological causatives 39
- Morphological causatives in contemporary Latvian 99
- Extended uses of morphological causatives in Latvian 147
-
Part II. Reflexives and middle voice
- Middle voice reflexives and argument structure in Baltic 181
- Converse relations with the reflexive marker in Lithuanian and Polish 211
-
Part III. Passives
- Passivization and argument structure in Lithuanian 289
- Solving the puzzle of the Lithuanian passive 323
- Latvian passives – personal, impersonal and evidential 367
- Language index 395
- Name index 397
- Subject index 399
