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A Study on the Passive Sentences of Sinitic Languages

  • Journal of Chinese Language and Literature
  • 2022, (89), pp.231-262
  • DOI : 10.15792/clsyn..89.202204.231
  • Publisher : Chinese Literary Society Of Yeong Nam
  • Research Area : Humanities > Chinese Language and Literature
  • Received : March 10, 2022
  • Accepted : April 13, 2022
  • Published : April 30, 2022

PARK, EUN SOK 1

1서울대학교 인문학연구원

Accredited

ABSTRACT

This paper studies the characteristics of passive sentences of Sinitic languages. As the characteristic elements of the passive sentence, the passive implementation method, the predicate, the subject, the agent, and the passive semantic elements were analyzed. As a passive implementation method of Sinitic languages, there are word order, preposition, and patient particle. Most Sinitic languages ​​use word order and preposition to express the meaning of passive, and there is one language ​​that use word order and patient particle. Transitive verbs and dynamic verbs are generally used as predicates in passive sentences, showing the appearance of canonical passive predicates. The subject usually has the role of an patient, appears at the beginning of a sentence, and is a definite noun in passive sentences, showing the appearance of canonical passive subject. Agents are generally manifest, semantically ‘agent’, ‘human’ agents, and definite noun (or pronoun) in passive sentences, and all were downgraded from core argument to non-core argument. Therefore, in general, they show the appearance of canonical passive agent. Regarding the semantic characteristics of passive, passive sentences in Sinitic languages mainly expressed the adversative meaning.

Citation status

* References for papers published after 2023 are currently being built.

This paper was written with support from the National Research Foundation of Korea.