Klallam Grammar

44.2. Middle with both agent and patient

c̓áʔkʷ cn ʔaʔ cə nətán.‘I got washed by my mother.’
c̓áʔkʷt cn cə nəŋə́naʔ.‘I washed my child.’
c̓aʔkʷátəŋ cn ʔaʔ cə nətán. ‘I was washed by my mother.’
c̓áʔkʷəŋ cn ʔaʔ cə nəŋə́naʔ.‘I washed my child.’

1 Before studying the models here in §44.2, look at the models from §44.1 again. Notice that, although there is only one participant mentioned specifically in each sentence there, two are implied. That is, in each sentence something got ‘washed’ and something did the ‘washing.’ Each sentence in the models in §44.1 mentions one participant specifically and implies another.
2 Here, in §44.2, you will see how to specify the other participant implied in §44.1. Compare these models with those in §44.1. Notice that these are the same as the models in §44.1, with the addition one specific participant.
3 With the bare root, as in the first model, c̓áʔkʷ cn ʔaʔ cə nətán, the extra participant is the agent. The agent here is the object of the preposition ʔaʔ.
4 With the transitive verb in the second model, c̓áʔkʷt cn cə nəŋə́naʔ, the specific participant (cə nəŋə́naʔ) is the patient. This sentence is in the active voice. Since the patient is the direct object of the sentence here, there is no preposition ʔaʔ.
5 The third model shows the familiar passive voice construction. If the passive is not yet familiar to you, you should review §31 again.
6 In the passive model, c̓aʔkʷátəŋ cn ʔaʔ cə nətán, the subject is the patient (cn), and the object of the preposition ʔaʔ is the agent (cə nətán). Note that in this passive, the stressed vowel shifts to the right (§31).
7 The fourth model is in the middle voice. In c̓áʔkʷəŋ cn ʔaʔ cə nəŋə́naʔ, the subject is the agent, and the object of the preposition ʔaʔ is the patient.
8 Here is a summary:
               c̓áʔkʷ     cn         ʔaʔ  cə nətán.                    ‘I got washed by my mother.’
               root    patient            agent

               c̓áʔkʷt            cn      cə nəŋə́naʔ.                  ‘I washed my child.’
               root-trans    agent     patient

               c̓áʔkʷt‑əŋ             cn        ʔaʔ  cə nətán.        ‘I was washed by my mother.’
               roottrans‑psv  patient            agent

               c̓áʔkʷəŋ            cn        ʔaʔ  cə nəŋə́naʔ.        ‘I washed my child.’
               rootmiddle    agent              patient
9 Here is a very good question you may be asking yourself: So, what’s the difference in meaning between the first and third model? And what’s the difference between the second and fourth model? They’re translated the same!
10 Let’s look at the first (bare root) and third (passive voice) models first. Note that the passive has the ‑t transitive suffix. Remember that this suffix is the control transitive (see §7.1 to refresh your memory). This suffix adds the idea that the agent is in control. The bare root in the first model does not contain the idea added by this suffix.
11 The difference in meaning between the bare root form and the passive form is control. The passive model with the ‑t suffix implies that the washing was done on purpose. The bare root model does not imply this:
               c̓áʔkʷ cn ʔaʔ cə nətán.        ‘I got washed by my mother.’
               c̓aʔkʷátəŋ cn ʔaʔ cə nətán.   ‘I was washed by my mother (on purpose).’
12 Now let’s look at the second (active voice) and the fourth (middle voice) models. These both have the same translation, but there is a subtle difference in meaning and use that fluent speakers of Klallam notice.
13 The active voice model indicates a specific incident of ‘washing.’ The middle voice, on the other hand, implies that the action is usual or more general. The active could be also translated ‘I gave the child a washing,’ implying a specific action. The middle could also be translated ‘I did some washing of my child,’ implying that the action is regular and expected or even habitual:
               c̓áʔkʷt cn cə nəŋə́naʔ.          ‘I washed my child (in a specific action).’
               c̓áʔkʷəŋ cn ʔaʔ cə nəŋə́naʔ.  ‘I washed my child (as usual).’
ʔəx̣ín ʔay̓ tsə ʔən̓séʔyaʔ.‘Where is your grandmother?’
ɬə́m̓c̓əŋ ʔaʔ cə syə́wiʔ.‘She’s gathering cedar bark.’
ƛ̓kʷə́təŋ u yaʔ ʔaʔ cə ʔən̓sčaʔkʷaʔyúɬ.‘Did she take your car?’
ʔáa. štə́ŋ caʔ st.‘Yes. We’ll walk.’

 

This page has paths:

Contents of this tag:

This page references: