Re: Middle voice

>From: JOEL MATTHEW PEARSON <mpearson@...>
>Subject:      Re: Middle voice
>
>
>In generative syntax, the term "middle" refers to constructions
>like those in the (c) sentences below:
>
>        (c)  This fruit sells well at the farmer's market.
>
>        (c)  These fields drain quickly.
>
>        MIDDLE:    This kind of vase breaks easily
>
 The former must appear in the present
>tense, and refer to properties of objects rather than events.  Also,
>middle constructions sound best when the verb is modified in some
>way ("This fruit sells well" sounds better to me than "This fruit
>sells").
>
>Matt.
The interesting thing to me about middle voice is that it is classified
as a voice. To me it looks like a tense. I notice these features about
the examples:
1. The duration of action is variable. A kind of imperfect tense whose
beginning and end are unknown, or variable.
2.The action occurs past, present, or future.
3. It looks repetitive or at least there are multiple instances implied.

As a first approximation I called it an aorist indefinite to myself,
without really fully comprehending the aorist tense.

In any case I can easily put it into my vector tense system, but since
response to it has been less than overwhelming, I'll spare the details.
My main point is that it comes out as pure time relationships, a classic
tense. Thanks for explaining middle voice, I had no clue before your
post.

Jerry