Under Construction

The Verb: Voice

Introduction

Basic Terminology

Voice: Active and Passive Meanings

The category of voice pertains to different ways in which the subject of a verb form is affected by the action. The Quenya voice-system derives from a basic two way distinction:

  • A voice which is traditionally called active: this voice may be considered semantically neutral, in that it does not inherently say anything about the affectedness of the subject. The precise way in which the subject is affected may vary, so that a range of different meanings may be expressed by this voice (some of them classically considered part of passive domain), for example:

    •  virta he changes (something);
    •  virya he changes (the subject performs the action on himself: autocausative);

  • The so-called passive voice, which expresses that the subject is affected by the action by someone else:

    a-ferya he is made ready, he is being prepared; a-cúna it bends (no agent: decausative);

Note

That the active voice is 'neutral' means that the subject of an active verb can be affected by the action: in fact, some active verbs express actions in which the subject is very clearly affected, e.g.  qualë he dies,  gwalë he suffers torment. The difference between causative, autocausative and decausative meanings is usually expressed lexically.

Active and Passive Forms

There are two ways to express passive voice in Quenya:

  • impersonal construction (active form), →36;
  • periphrasic construction (passive form).

Impersonal constructions are made of apersonal form of the verb with or without a marker a:

  • (a)-matë·s it is eaten;
  • a-esta i·nóre Valinor the land is called Valinor;
  • masse a-cimë aldar? where are the trees to be found?

Note

Such construction is purely impersonal, and no introduction of agent is allowed.

Periphrasic construction is formed with passive participle. This construction allows for agent to be optionally expressed in instrumental case (if inanimate) or introduced with preposition ló (if animate1):

  • i·nóre estaina Valinor the land called Valinor;
  • Túrin turúna ambartanen Túrin mastered by doom;
  • nahtana ló Túrin slain by Túrin.

  1. [VT49/24]: "ló as independent word was used only with person; [...] and usually in sense by agent. ↩