Constraints on the agentless passive
Constraints on the agentless passive
复制标题
对无代理被动的限制
作者：
E. J. Weiner;W. Labov
本文对英语使用者选择被动语态而非主动语态的因素进行了定量研究。通过研究自发言语中使用的大量被动语态，以及显示相反选择的句子，我们能够阐明环境的哪些句法和语义特征限制了选择，以及在这种情况下是句法还是语义因素占主导地位的关键问题。在分析的过程中，我们还将对已经报道的决定被动语态使用的社会因素进行一些讨论。
This paper is a quantitative study of the factors that determine the selection of passive constructions over active ones by English speakers. By examining a large body of passives used in spontaneous speech, together with the sentences that show an opposing choice, we are able to throw light on the crucial question of which syntactic and which semantic features of the environment act to constrain the choice and whether syntactic or semantic factors predominate in this case. In the course of the analysis, we will also have something to say about the social factors that have been reported to determine the use of the passive.