A Prototype Study Of The Passive Voice In English

The English passive has been the focus of controversy among various grammatical schools. There have been different views on the definition and classification of it. But problems exist. Quirk's classical classification of the passive does not specify the status of different passives and the relationships between them. Xiong Xueliang has analyzed the passive from a prototype perspective, but his conclusion does not sound very convincing.Taking the prototype theory as the theoretical foundation, this thesis probes into the passives from the perspective of prototype category and tries to give a reasonable account to the relationships between different passive sentences. This thesis points out that the passive voice is a prototype category of syntax as well as a prototype category of semantics. In the prototype category of syntax, there are members like the be-passive and the get-passive. The be-passive is the prototype and the get-passive is the non-prototype. In the prototype category of semantics, there are members like real passives, pseudo passives and semi-passives. Real passives are the prototype, and pseudo passives and semi-passives are the non-prototypes. The thesis also analyzes the semantic and syntactic features of the prototypical members and non-prototypical members in the two prototype categories. In the prototype category of semantics, the semantic features of the prototype passive are discussed in terms of canonical event model and action chain. In a passive sentence, there are participants of the event, transmission of energy and the change of the direction of force. A prototype passive profiles the whole process of the action chain with energy transmission through contact. What's more, this thesis also specifies the semantic feature of the prototype passive from the angle of causation and affectedness. Causation is, in fact, another way of expressing energy transmission. The prototype passive construes the causative event from the perspective of the affected entity. The semantic structure of a prototype passive is causative in nature. The non-prototype passives are analyzed and their features and their relationship with the prototype are also discussed.Studying the passive from the prototype perspective, we can provide reasonable explanations to the different forms and meanings of the passive voice. The result of a study of this kind can help people to understand and use the passive voice better.