With this paper I want to give a survey about middles in English, verbs which form middles, general characteristics, make obvious the relationship between middles and passives and middles and ergatives and in the end compare German and English middles. I dedicated this paper also to the question: Are verbs which form middles transitive or intransitive? Some experts claim, that middle verbs can be both, transitive or intransitive (cf. Dixon), others try to prove that verbs which form middles are always transitive and that with middle formation the transitivity is lost.
Table of Contents
0. Introduction
1. Middle constructions in English
1.1 What are middles?
1.2 Examples
1.3 General characteristics
1.4 Middle formation and its circumstances
1.5 Verbs which form middles
1.6 Middles and passives
1.7 Middles and ergatives
1.71 Transitivity of middles and ergatives
1.8 Sources of confusion
2. Middle constructions in German
3. Conclusions
Objectives and Topics
This academic paper provides a survey of middle constructions in the English language, examining their definitions, general characteristics, and formation circumstances. The primary research objective is to analyze whether verbs that form middle constructions function as transitive or intransitive, while also exploring the relationship between middles, passives, and ergative structures, culminating in a comparative analysis with German middle constructions.
- Definitions and grammatical terminology for middle constructions
- Syntactic and semantic characteristics of middle voice
- Conditions and markers for middle formation (adverbs, modals, negation)
- Transitivity differences between middle constructions and ergative pairs
- Comparative study: English middle voice versus German reflexive-like constructions
Excerpt from the Book
1.2 Examples
(1) Mary washes the woolens well. active
(1a) The woolens are washed well (by Mary). passive
(1b) The woolens wash well. middle
(2) Hugo sells sports cars quickly. active
(2a) The sports cars are sold quickly (by Hugo). passive
(2b) Sports cars sell quickly. middle
In the change from active to passive according to grammatical functions the active object takes the place of the passive subject (see 1-1a, 2-2a). This change of focus is stressed by the change of verb form in passive. In middles the change of the subject- object focus is the same as in passive (compare 1a-1b, 2a-2b). Only there is no change in verbal morphology. The verb remains active. Instead, middle constructions need markers like adverbs or modals, as shall be presented in the following.
Summary of Chapters
0. Introduction: Outlines the scope of the study regarding English middle constructions and sets the research question concerning the transitivity of these verbs.
1. Middle constructions in English: Provides a theoretical framework, defining middle voice and identifying the syntactic conditions, such as the use of adverbs or modals, required for their formation.
1.1 What are middles?: Reviews various linguistic designations for the phenomenon and identifies "middle" as the most established term in the paper.
1.2 Examples: Illustrates the structural transition from active to middle constructions through specific sentences.
1.3 General characteristics: Explains the generalization of the subject and the absence of a "deep subject" in middle constructions.
1.4 Middle formation and its circumstances: Details specific linguistic markers—adverbs, negation, modals, and emphatic "do"—that facilitate middle formation.
1.5 Verbs which form middles: Discusses the semantic constraints on verbs, noting that only those with affected objects typically participate in these constructions.
1.6 Middles and passives: Contrasts the two constructions, highlighting that while they share semantic similarities, they differ in agentive possibilities.
1.7 Middles and ergatives: Examines the derivation of these pairs, noting that middle verbs are syntactically generated while ergatives are lexically derived.
1.71 Transitivity of middles and ergatives: Uses prenominal position tests to argue that ergative verbs are syntactically intransitive, whereas middle verbs function as transitive.
1.8 Sources of confusion: Addresses ambiguities that arise when distinguishing between promotion-to-subject constructions and plain intransitive sentences.
2. Middle constructions in German: Compares English structures with German, revealing that German uses the particle "sich" to translate middle constructions.
3. Conclusions: Summarizes the key findings, reiterating the syntactic nature of middle formation and the semantic role of personification.
Keywords
Middle constructions, middle voice, active, passive, ergative verbs, transitivity, verb alternations, affected objects, German syntax, reflexive constructions, grammatical markers, personification, syntax, semantics, verb morphology.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this paper?
The paper provides a comprehensive survey of middle constructions in English, specifically examining how they function, how they are formed, and their relationship to other grammatical structures like passives and ergatives.
What are the central thematic fields addressed?
The work covers terminology, the grammatical conditions for forming middles, the semantic constraints on verbs, and a comparative analysis between English and German middle voice usage.
What is the core research question?
The paper investigates whether verbs that form middle constructions are fundamentally transitive or intransitive, and how this transitivity changes during the formation process.
Which scientific methodology is utilized?
The author employs a comparative linguistic analysis, relying on established grammatical theories (e.g., Dixon, Keyser, Roeper, Levin) and empirical observation of sentence structures to categorize and differentiate verb behaviors.
What is covered in the main body?
The main body systematically breaks down the definition of middles, the role of adverbs and modals in their formation, the semantic requirement of "affected objects," and the formal differences between middle, passive, and ergative constructions.
How is the paper concluded?
The conclusion synthesizes the findings, confirming that middle constructions involve a syntactic transformation where active objects become subjects, and it notes the prevalence of these structures in advertisement and poetic language due to their personifying effect.
How does German handle middle constructions differently than English?
While English typically relies on adverbs or modals for middle formation, German frequently utilizes the reflexive particle "sich" to translate these concepts, though the author argues this is a surface characteristic rather than a true reflexive pronoun.
Why are middle constructions often used in advertising?
They are used because they emphasize the properties of the object rather than the agent, creating a personification effect that is linguistically efficient and appealing for describing products.
- Quote paper
- Claudia Haase (Author), 2000, Middle Constructions in English, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/36907
