====== Grammatical Voice ====== The **//voice//** of the [[grammar_verb|verb]] describes relationship between the verb and the roles ([[syntax_agent|agent]] or [[syntax_patient|patient]]) of it's //arguments// ([[syntax_subject|subject]] and [[syntax_object|object]]). [[Nûrlâm]] has two distinct voices: //Active// and //Passive//. ------------------------ ===== Active voice ===== **Active** voice is used most frequently. In active voice the agent of action is the subject of the sentence. The verb is not specially marked for active voice. ------------------------- ===== Passive voice ===== In **Passive** voice the patient (receiver, underdoer) of an action expressed by verb becomes the subject of the sentence. There are 4 ways of expressing passive voice in Nûrlâm: - by adding passive voice marker //-âk-// before markers of verb's tense; this is mostly done with passive past tense. - use the [[grammar_participle|participles]] for present and past tenses, this way should be used for so-called //stative// passive, describing the state or characteristic. - using [[grammar_gerundive|gerundive]] for future tense similarly to participles. However direct translation of gerundives back from Nûrlâm to English will be passive infinitives with tone of intention or purpose. - //active// [[syntax_impersonal|impersonal constructions]], used when agent of an action is not specified or is unknown, thus not a passive strictly speaking. The patient is usually put into [[case_dative|Dative case]] in such sentences. It can be rather said, that sometimes passive voice is expressed syntactically by impersonal clauses instead of special grammatical forms. In first three variants the subject (= patient) is not marked with case ending (remains in Nominative case), the agent of action is put in [[case_instrumental|Instrumental case]] and thus strictly speaking becomes an [[syntax_adverbials|adverbial]] instead of object. -------------------- ===== Examples ===== ^ Tense ^ Active ^ Passive with verb suffix ^ Passive with nonfinite verb forms ^ Impersonal ^ ^ Past | Orc killed an elf | Elf was killed by an orc || Elf was killed | | ::: | Uruk doguzâ ash golug | Golug dogâkuzâ urukirzi | Golug kuzâ dogaga urukirzi | Doguzâ golug | ^ Present | Orc is killing an elf | Elf is being killed by an orc || Elf is being killed | | ::: | Uruk dogâ ash golug | Golug dogâkâ urukirzi | Golug kulâ dogag urukirzi | Dogâ golug | ^ Future | Orc will kill an elf | Elf will be killed by an orc || Elf will be killed | | ::: | Uruk dogubâ ash golug | Golug dogâkubâ urukirzi | Golug (kulâ/kubâ) dogat urukirzi | Dogubâ golug | ^ English ^ Nûrlâm ^ Explanation ^ | This ring is stolen | Za nazg kulâ orskaga | here passive means that "stolen" is ring's attribute, so verb "kul-" (to be) with participle is used | | The ring was stolen by orcs | Nazgum orskâkuzâ urukirzi | here passive swaps the role of subject and object, it may be refrased to "orcs stole the ring", so verb's passive suffix was used | | The ring was stolen | Orskuzû nazgum | as agent of action is unknown, impersonal sentence without grammatical passive was used; "the ring" was subject in English sentence, but became an object in Nûrlâm's translation, therefore it was placed after verb, archaic accusative suffix //-ish// may be added to leave word order the same: "Nazgumish orskuzû". | ------------------------ ===== Other ===== When reflexive [[pronouns#reflexive_and_reciprocal_pronouns|pronoun]] //-îm// (self) is added to the verb as [[clitics|clitic]] it may be treated as //Reflexive// voice. Similarly, postposition "-sha" (with) may be added as clitic adverb (together), thus //Cooperative// voice (attested in real-world Manchu, Classical Mongolian, probably Old Japanese, and mixed with //reciprocal// in Turkmen). Due to their rarity in majority of real-world languages, and little impact on grammar and syntax, these terms are almost never used in Nûrlâm. -------------------- ===== See also ===== * [[wp>Voice_(grammar)|Grammatical voice at Wikipedia]] * [[grammar_participle|Participles]] - have some examples * [[syntax_possession|Expressions of possession]] - have some examples on using the passive voice and how the roles of subject and object are changed * [[grammar_verb#suffix_chain|Verb's suffix chain]]