An Algorithm Defining the Choice of ‘Active~Passive’ Formal Paradigms in Georgian

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• 关键词：Georgian ; Active~passive opposition ; Medial verbs ; Continuum of active~passive opposition ; Algorithmic rules in grammar
• 刊名：Lecture Notes in Computer Science
• 出版年：2017
• 出版时间：2017
• 年：2017
• 卷：10148
• 期：1
• 页码：3-17
• 丛书名：Logic, Language, and Computation
• ISBN：978-3-662-54332-0
• 卷排序：10148

文摘

Two different formal paradigms traditionally referred to as ‘Active’ and ‘Passive’ are clearly distinguished in Georgian; however, there are many cases in which a simple semantic-functional interpretation of the paradigms cannot be given inasmuch as the constructions pointed out as ‘Active’ or ‘Passive’ can actually represent a variety of verb semantics: non-conversive passives (both dynamic and static), active intransitive processes, reflexives, reciprocals, potentials, deponents, etc. Thus, the problem with these paradigms is that it is difficult to predict the meaning from the form and, to such an extent, traditional terms ‘Active’ and ‘Passive’ actually have a conventional character. This paper suggests a cognitive model based on certain semantic features that define the choice of either the passive or the active formal paradigms for grammatical representations of so-called ‘medial’ verbs. The process of choice is organized as an algorithm with four stages of implicational rules and mirrors the hierarchically organized optimal dynamic process of linguistic structuring of an active~passive continuum.