Getting at the passive: Functions of passive-types in English

BF Psychology;P Philology. Linguistics

Thompson, Dominic ; Scheepers, Christoph

University:University of Glasgow

Department:Institute of Neuroscience and Psychology

关键词: passive, get, syntax, semantics, function, priming, paraphrasing, eye-tracking, behaviour;   

Others  :  http://theses.gla.ac.uk/4050/1/2013Thompson1PhD.pdf

来源: University of Glasgow

【 摘 要 】

To describe a transitive event, the English language allows a choice of two Voices. The canonical form is the active-voice, and the alternative is the passive-voice, which offers its own semantic and syntactic functions. The passive-voice can also be divided into two further variants: be-passives and get-passives. Though theories are numerous, literature from both Linguistics and Psychology falls short in describing the functions and uses of these two forms.In this thesis, I present a rethink of passive syntactic representation, simplifying its description under a single structural unit. The proposed pvP theory allows for the variation between the two passive-types, while accounting for the features that are shared by all passive forms.I also present several experiments that explore the differing semantics and syntax of be-passives and get-passives. The results of these studies show a clear preference for the be-passive over the get-passive, especially in self-reporting and tasks that allow self-correction. However, it is also clear that, though there is overlap between them, each form serves its own purposes and exhibits preference for use in specific contexts.