687:
included these qualities in his definition of a Proto-Agent, and proposed that the nominal with the most elements of the Proto-Agent and the fewest elements of the Proto-Patient tends to be treated as the agent in a sentence. This solves problems that most semanticists have with deciding on the
696:
is the agent, even though it does not have most of the typical agent-like qualities such as perception, movement, or volition. Even Dowty's solution fails for verbs expressing relationships in time:
1462:
588:. While the subject is determined syntactically, primarily through word order, the agent is determined through its relationship to the action expressed by the
551:
760:
denoting strictly reciprocal events may involve a conflation of agent and subject. In the sentence "John met Sylvia", for example, though both
899:
1775:
668:
does not mark the agentive grammatical role of a noun in a sentence. Although certain nouns do have a permanent trait of agency (
827:
679:
is easy to grasp intuitively but difficult to define: typical qualities that a grammatical agent often has are that it has
544:
892:
872:
1765:
537:
1734:
1552:
672:: runner, kicker, etc.), an agent noun is not necessarily an agent of a sentence: "Jack kicked the runner".
1544:
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8:
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53:
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78:
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1341:
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1019:
757:
726:
702:
Here what is agent and what is patient must be specified for each individual verb.
665:
399:
263:
48:
1526:
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115:
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68:
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is based explicitly on its relationship to the action or event expressed by the
1708:
1666:
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1259:
1249:
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63:
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1139:
1119:
791:
738:
683:, is sentient or perceives, causes a change of state, or moves. The linguist
223:
1722:
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1521:
1254:
1219:
1194:
1149:
970:
473:
308:
122:
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58:
772:
is downgraded to patient because it is the direct object of the sentence.
729:(e.g. "Jack kicked the ball"). In the sentence "The boy kicked the ball",
1379:
1189:
1068:
1029:
994:
985:
684:
642:
565:
592:. For example, in the sentence "The little girl was bitten by the dog",
1739:
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1572:
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1199:
1053:
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243:
149:
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20:
1729:
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1471:
1288:
1043:
989:
965:
768:
would equally meet Dowty's definition of a Proto-Agent, the co-agent
577:
213:
110:
1718:
1713:
842:
Dowty, David. 1991. "Thematic proto-roles and argument selection",
688:
number and quality of thematic roles. For example, in the sentence
238:
1703:
1419:
1024:
940:
43:
1681:
1366:
1058:
1038:
170:
699:(1) April precedes May. vs: (2) May follows April.
1004:
917:
737:
the subject. However, when the sentence is rendered in the
714:
638:
589:
907:
749:
is still the agent. Many sentences in
English and other
664:
or otherwise marked to indicate its grammatical role.
576:
of the cause or initiator to an event. The agent is a
822:. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 54.
648:
For example, in the sentence "Jack kicked the ball",
705:The grammatical agent is often confused with the
1752:
709:, but the two notions are quite distinct: the
893:
717:(e.g. "He who kicked the ball"), whereas the
545:
859:. John Benjamins Publishing Company. p. 131.
620:
614:
608:
900:
886:
552:
538:
633:Typically, the situation is denoted by a
815:
1753:
881:
660:. In certain languages, the agent is
741:, "The ball was kicked by the boy",
641:in the sentence, and the agent by a
619:('the one doing') of the Latin verb
13:
819:Analyzing Grammar: An Introduction
607:comes from the present participle
584:of a sentence as well as from the
14:
1787:
866:
857:Syntax: An Introduction. Volume 1
745:is the grammatical subject, but
179:Singulative-Collective-Plurative
675:For many people, the notion of
849:
836:
809:
143:Suffixaufnahme (case stacking)
16:Cause or initiator of an event
1:
802:
690:His energy surprised everyone
7:
775:
753:have the agent as subject.
259:Lexical aspect (Aktionsart)
10:
1792:
1776:Syntax–semantics interface
1735:Syntax–semantics interface
580:concept distinct from the
18:
1647:
1609:
1571:
1543:
1418:
1365:
1287:
1077:
1012:
1003:
916:
628:
1155:Exceptional case-marking
725:using the theory of the
382:Serial verb construction
19:Not to be confused with
782:Active–stative language
751:Indo-European languages
320:Honorifics (politeness)
1766:Grammatical categories
961:Initial-stress-derived
816:Kroeger, Paul (2005).
621:
615:
609:
497:Polypersonal agreement
1472:Inclusive / Exclusive
787:English passive voice
625:, to 'do' or 'make'.
133:Genitive construction
596:is the subject, but
386:Traditional grammar
354:Syntax relationships
30:Grammatical features
1352:Relative subsective
1245:Regular / Irregular
1090:Andative / Venitive
926:Abstract / Concrete
721:is based on a more
304:Comparison (degree)
54:Dative construction
911:and their features
909:Lexical categories
855:GivĂłm, Tom. 2001.
637:, the action by a
254:Grammatical aspect
1748:
1747:
1553:Casally modulated
1458:Formal / Informal
1347:Pure intersective
1297:Anti-intersective
1283:
1282:
1230:Preterite-present
829:978-0-521-01653-7
797:Patient (grammar)
652:is the agent and
574:thematic relation
570:grammatical agent
562:
561:
457:Topic and Comment
440:Thematic relation
335:Reflexive pronoun
249:Tense–aspect–mood
209:Associated motion
191:Universal grinder
1783:
1327:Non-intersective
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1009:
902:
895:
888:
879:
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853:
847:
840:
834:
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813:
758:transitive verbs
756:The use of some
727:information flow
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554:
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540:
288:General features
203:Related to verbs
38:Related to nouns
26:
25:
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1467:Gender-specific
1414:
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1279:
1165:Germanic strong
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906:
873:agent (grammar)
869:
864:
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316:(verbal number)
314:Pluractionality
289:
281:
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196:
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116:Collective noun
98:Construct state
39:
24:
17:
12:
11:
5:
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1761:Thematic roles
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1709:Procedure word
1706:
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1667:Complementizer
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1519:
1514:
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1463:Gender-neutral
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1428:Bound variable
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1137:
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1127:
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1102:
1097:
1092:
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1085:Ambitransitive
1081:
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867:External links
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846:, 67.3:547-619
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666:Modern English
630:
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600:is the agent.
560:
559:
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531:
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509:Empty category
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340:Reflexive verb
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64:Quirky subject
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1624:Interrogative
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1591:Interrogative
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1586:Demonstrative
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1535:Prepositional
1532:
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1522:Strong / Weak
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1487:Interrogative
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1433:Demonstrative
1431:
1429:
1426:
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1423:
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1408:
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1400:Prepositional
1398:
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1390:Interrogative
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1376:
1373:
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1338:
1335:
1333:
1330:
1328:
1325:
1323:
1320:
1318:
1315:
1313:
1312:Demonstrative
1310:
1308:
1305:
1303:
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1201:
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1196:
1193:
1191:
1188:
1186:
1183:
1181:
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1173:
1171:
1170:Germanic weak
1168:
1166:
1163:
1161:
1160:Frequentative
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1100:Autocausative
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1095:Anticausative
1093:
1091:
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1064:Transgressive
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1002:
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987:
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982:
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792:Passive voice
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733:is the agent
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514:Incorporation
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224:Evidentiality
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102:Countability
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1723:Pro-sentence
1697:Onomatopoeia
1687:Interjection
1660:Measure word
1443:Distributive
1337:Postpositive
1317:Intersective
1270:Unaccusative
1215:Performative
1185:Intransitive
1145:Ditransitive
971:Noun adjunct
856:
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723:formal title
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474:Veridicality
444:
365:Transitivity
309:Egophoricity
123:Definiteness
91:Measure word
79:Instrumental
59:Dative shift
1672:Conjunction
1438:Disjunctive
1375:Conjunctive
1322:Nominalized
1225:Predicative
1069:Verbal noun
1020:Attributive
685:David Dowty
643:noun phrase
566:linguistics
410:Predicative
330:Reciprocity
299:Boundedness
219:Conjugation
186:Specificity
1755:Categories
1740:Yes and no
1655:Classifier
1639:Possessive
1601:Quantifier
1596:Possessive
1573:Determiner
1545:Adposition
1517:Resumptive
1502:Reciprocal
1497:Possessive
1477:Indefinite
1405:Pronominal
1357:Subsective
1332:Possessive
1302:Collateral
1275:Unergative
1265:Transitive
1180:Inchoative
1175:Impersonal
1115:Catenative
1054:Participle
1049:Infinitive
981:Relational
951:Collective
931:Adjectival
803:References
694:His energy
670:agent noun
524:Markedness
519:Inflection
504:Declension
435:Mirativity
244:Mirativity
150:Noun class
138:Possession
106:Count noun
86:Classifier
74:Comitative
69:Nominative
21:Agent noun
1771:Semantics
1730:Prop-word
1692:Ideophone
1619:Discourse
1558:Inflected
1507:Reflexive
1482:Intensive
1289:Adjective
1260:Stretched
1250:Separable
1240:Reflexive
1135:Denominal
1130:Defective
1110:Captative
1105:Auxiliary
1044:Gerundive
1034:Nonfinite
956:Countable
603:The word
492:Agreement
486:Phenomena
424:Semantics
390:Predicate
377:Branching
214:Clusivity
111:Mass noun
1719:Pro-verb
1714:Pro-form
1611:Particle
1563:Stranded
1512:Relative
1492:Personal
1410:Relative
1395:Locative
1385:Genitive
1210:Negative
1140:Deponent
1120:Compound
844:Language
776:See also
743:the ball
681:volition
662:declined
654:the ball
635:sentence
578:semantic
469:Volition
430:Contrast
360:Argument
325:Polarity
239:Telicity
229:Modality
162:Singular
1704:Preverb
1581:Article
1527:Subject
1420:Pronoun
1255:Stative
1220:Phrasal
1195:Lexical
1150:Dynamic
1125:Copular
1025:Converb
941:Animacy
747:the boy
731:the boy
719:subject
707:subject
658:patient
656:is the
616:agentis
582:subject
572:is the
450:Patient
405:Adjunct
395:Subject
370:Valency
44:Animacy
1682:Coverb
1677:Copula
1531:Object
1448:Donkey
1367:Adverb
1342:Proper
1307:Common
1190:Labile
1059:Supine
1039:Gerund
1030:Finite
995:Verbal
986:Strong
976:Proper
826:
770:Sylvia
766:Sylvia
677:agency
629:Theory
400:Object
294:Affect
234:Person
171:Plural
155:Number
128:Gender
1648:Other
1629:Modal
1453:Dummy
1205:Modal
1200:Light
1078:Types
1013:Forms
936:Agent
711:agent
622:agere
610:agens
605:agent
586:topic
462:Focus
445:Agent
276:Voice
269:Tense
1634:Noun
1380:Flat
1235:Pure
1005:Verb
990:Weak
966:Mass
946:Bare
918:Noun
824:ISBN
764:and
762:John
715:verb
650:Jack
639:verb
594:girl
590:verb
568:, a
264:Mood
166:Dual
49:Case
735:and
598:dog
564:In
1757::
1721:/
1533:/
1529:/
1465:/
1032:/
988:/
692:,
645:.
613:,
901:e
894:t
887:v
832:.
553:e
546:t
539:v
23:.
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