Following Who Does What

Level 2

Voice can select an actor, patient, beneficiary, location or instrument.

How It Works

Voice identifies the participant selected as grammatical subject, called the focused complement in Constantino’s description. Actor-focus verbs select the performer; patient-focus verbs select the affected item. Other licensed formations select beneficiaries, locations or instruments. Common-noun central participants commonly use ti / dagiti, and personal names use ni / da.

These markers alone do not determine semantic roles: a named noncentral actor can also use ni. Interpret the whole verb and its complements. Pronouns make the contrast clearer: gumatangkami selects ‘we’ as actor, whereas gatangenmi identifies ‘we’ as the noncentral actor of a patient-focus verb.

The first two examples both translate with English ‘we,’ but select different Ilocano participants. Benefactive igatangan extends the principle by selecting the beneficiary. Affix choice remains lexical: a voice label does not license attaching any affix to any base.

Examples (3)

  1. Gumatangkami iti balay.

    We, excluding you, will buy a house.

    Kami is the selected actor; the house is an oblique complement.

  2. Gatangenmi daytoy a balay.

    We, excluding you, will buy this house.

    The house is selected; mi identifies the actor.

  3. Igatanganmi ni Mila iti libro.

    We, excluding you, will buy a book for Mila.

    Mila is the selected beneficiary; mi identifies the actor.

How It Connects

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Following Who Does WhatLevel 2

Learn This First

Read the verb’s voice to identify its selected participant.

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Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

gumatang