Talk:Antipassive voice

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Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion. (January 2007)

[edit] Request for expansion

This article needs real-world examples. I'm not sure whether these ergative languages have an antipassive voice, but suggestions would be: Euskera (Basque language), Hindi language, Georgian language, and Dyirbal language. The first is a language isolate, the second is Indo-European, and the last two have a very curious split ergativity. Also, it would be interesting to have statistics on how frequent this voice actually is, and what are its usages and connotations (pragmatics). --Pablo D. Flores 20:58, 7 Apr 2005 (UTC)

Basque does have an antipassive voice. It changes the ergative subject to a absolutive one, but it does not delete the absolutive object, yet (so that both "logical" subject and object are in the same case).
  • Normal ergative construction:
Gauza miragarriak ikhusi ditut (nik)
thing wonderful-PL-ABS see-PERF have-PRES-PL-I (I-ERG)
I have seen wonderful things
  • Normal antipassive:
Gauza miragarriak ikhusirik nago / ikhusia naiz
thing wonderful-PL-ABS see-PERF-STAT am / see-PERF-ACT am
  • I am seen wonderful things
In fact, virtually every Basque perfective participle (-i, -n, -tu) can be used both in ergative and antipassive constructions: active filma ikhusi dut / antipassive filma ikhusirik nago (both of them meaning "I have seen the film"), active Anhitzetan lagundu dut aita lanean / antipassive Aita lanean anhitzetan lagundua naiz ("I have often helped my father at work").

Theo, 2005-4-16

I don't get it: what's it for? What difference does it make semantically? 82.10.98.240 11:21, 10 September 2006 (UTC)
I have added some Dyirbal examples to illustrate the function of the antipassive.83.76.168.75 05:47, 11 June 2007 (UTC)
I have tried to incorporate your example into the article. Let me know if I got it wrong. --Jim Henry | Talk 20:16, 22 August 2005 (UTC)