An Outline of Middle Voice in Syriac (Perspectives on Syriac Linguistics)

This study presents a modern linguistic approach to the function of the Syriac et-verbal prefix. Based on a detailed analysis of a number of early Syriac texts, it proposes a unified account of the different values traditionally attributed to the Syriac et- stems. Farina views the data within a typologically comparative framework derived from a cross-linguistic study of middle conjugations. The Book Describes The Results Of A Research Over The Semantic Value And The Functions Of The Syriac Verbal Prefix Et- And Of The Et- Conjugations. A Relevant Portion Of Syriac Verbal Syntax And Semantics Is Studied In The Light Of Modern Linguistic Theories. The Author Proposes A Unified Account Of The Different Values That Are Traditionally Attributed To The Syriac Et-stems, Which Are Studied As Being Part Of A System Of Interactions Of Different Syntactical And Semantic Parameters. These Parameters Are Related To The Linguistic Category Of Unaccusativity, Which Has Proven Cross-linguistically To Be A Prominent Feature Of Middle Conjugations. The System Includes Also Inner Passive Participles And Pronominal Reflexives That Are Considered Both In Their Opposition And In Their Contiguity To The Et- Stems. Such Account Descends From A Detailed Analysis Of A Number Of Early Syriac Texts, Based On The Interaction Of Different Parameters, Such As Voice, Aspect, Aktionsart And A Study Of The Phenomenon Of Coreferential Dative. The Latter Is Examined With Special Focus On Its Combination With The Et- Stems, In The Light Of Modern Theories Over The Syntax-semantics Interface. The Syriac Data Are Set Into A Broader Typological Comparative Frame, And The Study Partly Follows The Path Traced By Kemmer’s Capital Work On Middle Voice, Offering Also New Material For General Linguistic Research.--publisher's Website. By Margherita Farina. Revised And Expanded From The Originally Presented As The Author's Doctoral Thesis In 2009. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 169-179). TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Tables and Charts Foreword Acknowledgments Abbreviations Note on Transliteration 1. Introduction to the Problem 2. Middle Voice and some Linguistic Correlations 3. Et- forms and Inner Passives in Semitic Studies 4. Textual Analysis 1: Middle Semantics 5. Textual Analysis 2: Coreferential Dative 6. Conclusions Appendix 1. Diathesis in Medieval Syriac Grammars Appendix 2 Bibliography