Outline • The Definition of Participant Role • The Type of Participant Role • The Relationship between The Roles and Grammatical Positions • Role Frame of A Verb Syifa’ Khuriyatuz Zahro
1. Outline The Definition of Participant Role The Type of
Participant Role The Relationship between The Roles and Grammatical
Positions Role Frame of A Verb
2. The semantic analysis of a simple sentence: Referring
expressions : Actual things, persons Predicate : Relationship
between the things, persons, To describe how the things and/or
people participate E.g: RE REREP John opened the door with the
key
3. John opened the door with the key S O Instrument affected S
affected The key opened the door The door opened S O C agent
affected Instrument
4. PARTICIPANT ROLES Participant roles indicate relationships
between a verb/ predicate (and possibly other predicators) and the
referring expressions in a sentence. (Hurford, et.al. 2007, p. 257)
Participant roles: roles associated with a sense of a verb/
predicate It is the semantic relation between the arguments of the
verb and the situation described by the verb (Jackendoff 1972)
5. TYPE OF PARTICIPANT ROLES: AGENT THEME INSTRUMENT
BENEFICIARY LOCATION EXPERIENCER AFFECTED
6. AGENT The AGENT of a sentence is the PERSON deliberately
carrying out the action described. (Hurford et al., 2007:245) e.g.
1. John opened the door with the key 2. A burglar ransacked my
house 3. My mothers bowl was broken by a thief
7. AFFECTED E.g. 1. John opened the door with the key 2. Muriel
dealt the cards carefully to each player 3. The tree was felled by
a single blow from Pauls axe The AFFECTED participant is THE THING
upon which the action is carried out. (Hurford et al.,
2007:245-246) Some semantics refer to the affected participant as
the PATIENT (2007:246)
8. INSTRUMENT The Instrument is THE THING (hardly ever a
person) by means of which the action is carried out. (Hurford et
al., 2007:246) preposition which is typically used to express
instrument is WITH (2007:250) E.g. 1. John opened the door with the
key 2. Seymour sliced the salami with a knife 3. Hamish used a
screwdriver to open the tin
9. Practice... Floyd Smashed the glass with the hammer The
hammer smashed the glass Crippen dissolved the body with the acid
The acid dissolved the body The body dissolved Agent Affected
Instrument Instrument Instrument Affected Affected Affected
Affected Agent Instrument
10. GRAMMATICAL POSITIONS OF REIN THE SENTENCE a. Subject
Position Preceding main verb E.g. 1. John opened the door with the
key. b. Object Position immediately following main verb E.g. 1.
John opened the door with the key. c. Complement Position after the
verb, but not immediately, often after preposition. E.g. 1. John
opened the door with the key. (Hurford et al., 2007:247)
11. Subject Object Complement Agent Affected Instrument THE
POSSIBLE COMBINATION OF ROLE& GRAMMATICALPOSITION (1) The
dynamite blew the safe open. (2) The hut was set alight by vandals.
(3) Alfred burnt the cakes. (4) Charles built Emily a mahogany
bookcase. (5) Sidney swatted the y with his hat. 1 1,2 3, 2 3, 4,
45 5 5 The most common combinations : Agent Subject and Affected
Object The rare combinations : Agent in Object position, and
Instrument in Object position The most versatile position : Subject
position and Complement position The least versatile : Object
position
12. LOCATION The role of Location is played by any expression
referring to the PLACE where the action described by a sentence
takes place. (Hurford et al., 2007:249) E.g. 1. Caesar was
assassinated in Rome 2. Im meeting Dick at Waverley Station 3.
Tallahassee is humid in summer
13. BENEFICIARY The Beneficiary is the PERSON for whose benet
or to whose detriment the action described by the sentence is
carried out. (Hurford et al., 2007:249) It is not always be
positively affected, but could be negatively affected (2007:249)
E.g. 1. Keith gave Gill a replica of the Venus de Milo 2. Alan was
sent a special offer from the Readers Digest 3. Glenn bought a
micro-computer for his son
14. Note Prepositions which are typically used in connection
with the expression of Location role are : in, at, on, under,
nearby, above (Hurford et al., 2007:250) Prepositions which are
typically used to express the Beneficiary role, with or without
paraphrasing, are : for, to (2007:250) E.g: Keith gave Gill a
replica of the Venus de Milo Keith gave a replica of the Venus de
Milo for Gill Alan was sent a special offer from the Readers Digest
The readers Digest sent a special offer to Alan
15. Practice... It is windy in Edinburgh The Prime Minister was
sent a letter bomb from the terrorists Ruth knitted a sweater for
Bryan Location Agent Agent Affected Affected Note Both roles are
found correlated with both Subject and Complement position.
Agent
16. EXPERIENCER The Experiencer is typically a PERSON who is
mentally aware of, perceives, or experiences the action or state
described by the sentence. (Hurford et al., 2007:251) Experience
means = you experience something, it happens to you, or you feel it
(Cambridge Dictionary) E.g. 1. The children heard the loud noise 2.
Jane saw a movie last night 3. Janice became sick when she heard
the news
17. THEME The THEME participant is a THING or PERSON whose
location is described or that is perceived by an Experiencer.
(Hurford et al., 2007:251) E.g. 1. The children heard the loud
noise 2. Jack saw a play last week 3. The Honda belongs to Jim
Note: Experiencer and Theme roles are correlated to Subject and
object position
18. E.g. 1. OPEN: (AGENT) AFFECTED (INSTRUMENT) John opened the
door The key opened the door The door opened ROLE FRAME OF A
VERB
19. ROLE FRAMEOF A VERB Participant roles can be included in
the dictionary In the dictionary entry for each verb in the
language there will be a role frame The parentheses indicate that
the roles are optional with this verb The role not enclosed by
parentheses is obligatory (Hurford et al., 2007:253).
20. BLOW UP: Vacek blew up the tank with a hand grenade The
hand grenade blew up the tank The tank blew up BLOW UP: (AGENT)
AFFECTED (INSTRUMENT) GIVE: John gave Mary a book Mary was given a
book A book was given to Mary GIVE: (AGENT) AFFECTED
BENEFICIARY
21. REFERENCE Hurford, James R., Heasley, Brendan, and Smith,
Michael B. 2007. Semantics A Coursebook. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press. Ray Jackendoff. 1972. Semantic interpretation in
generative grammar. The MIT Press, Cambridge, MA.