Contents

Preface

List of Figures

List of Tables

Abbreviations—Linguistic Terms

Abbreviations—Texts Cited

Chapter One Introduction

1.1 Prospectus—Voice and Sumerian

1.2 Preliminaries—Method and Structure

1.3 Previous Theories

Chapter Two Linguistic Background—Voice and Related Notions

2.1 Grammatical Case

2.2 The Nominal Hierarchy

2.3 Typological Prototypes

2.4 Scalar Transitivity

2.5 Viewpoint as a Deictic Notion

2.6 The Billiard-Ball Model and Macroroles

2.7 The Prototypical Transitive Event Conceptualized as a Vector

2.8 The Stage Model

2.9 Grammatical Voice as Alternative Perspectives on the Event

2.9.1 The Active and Passive Voices

2.9.2 The Antipassive Voice

2.9.3 The Inverse Voice

2.9.4 Focus Systems as a Pragmatic Voice Phenomenon

2.9.5 The Middle Voice

2.9.6 Granularity and the Relative Elaboration of Events

Chapter Three mu-

3.1 The Prototypical Transitive Event

3.2 Assimilations to the Transitivity Prototype

3.2.1 Other High Transitivity Events

3.2.2 Low Transitivity Events

3.3 Contexts in Which i- May Replace mu

3.4 Animacy, Empathy, and the Dative Case (I)

3.5 Verbs of Motion and the Relationship between mu- and im

Chapter Four imma-

4.1 Typical Middle-Marked Situations

4.1.1 Body-Action Events

4.1.2 Motion Events

4.1.3 Mental Events

4.1.4 Self-Benefactive Events

4.2 Spontaneous Events, the Passive, and Related Low Transitivity Situations

Chapter Five ba-

5.1 Typical Middle-Marked Situations

5.1.1 Body-Action Events

5.1.2 Motion Events

5.1.3 Emotion Events

5.1.4 Self-Benefactive Events

5.1.5 Spontaneous Events

5.2 The Passive and Related Agent Defocusing Functions

5.2.1 Backgrounding Functions

5.3 Animacy, Empathy, and the Dative Case (II)

5.4 Time and the Endpoint of the Event

Conclusion

Bibliography

Text Index

Verb Index