The Category of
Voice
Different Approaches
The Category of Voice: General
InformationThe category of voice shows the information focus in the sentence.
Voice (from Latin vox-vocis ‘a faculty of speech’) is the grammatical category of the verb expressing parsing of the situation information structure as conceived by the speaker. It is a speaker-related category.
Different approaches to voice:
formal (traditional): two voices - H. Sweet, O. Jespersen, A.I. Smirnitsky, L.S. Barchudarov;
semantic: five voices - H. Poutsma, I.I. Ivanova;
V.Y. Plotkin’s: no voices.
Traditional Approach: Two
VoicesThe category of voice| Form(as well as aspect and phase) is based on the existence of analytical forms within the system of the English verb, which are opposed to the unmarked forms (L.S. Barchudarov).
It is the opposition of the categorial forms of active and passive voice.
The active voice is unmarked. The passive voice is marked, analytical, has a discontinuous morpheme {be + -ed/n, etc.}.
Some verbs are not used in forms of passive voice: be, seem, become, appear, go*, come*, belong, consist, or used rarely, with certain semantic and
contextual restrictions: sit, live, sleep, walk, jump, have, etc.
* is gone, is come are combinations of be + participle II.
Traditional Approach: Two
Voices | Meaning |
Passive Voice |
Active Voice |
extensive
active meaning (agent)
He opened the door.
non-active (not or not only the agent)
She broke her leg (passive).
The concert began (middle).
John shaved himself (reflexive).
intensive
the subject if the recipient of the action
(L.S. Barchudarov)
Semantic Approach: Five Voices
Active voice
I asked a question.
Passive voice
He was asked a question.
Middle voice
The door opened.
Arguments against the semantic approach
The subject of the active verb is the agent in an overwhelming majority of cases.
Almost all meanings of the active form have an active component.
Reflexive voice |
It is impossible to use an object with |
|
She dressed herself. |
the preposition by in sentences with the |
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active verb in passive meaning. |
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V.Y. Plotkin’s Approach: No
VoicesThere were no category of voice in OE and it did not appear in ModE due to the absence of synthetic forms.
According to V.Y. Plotkin, a grammatical category may only be distinguished
if it has the ‘synthetic basis’.
He is asked is an analytical combination with passive meaning.
