Re: German voice: dative -> nominative: name?

In French, there is something like that too, I
believe:

Jean a refuse l'entree a Pierre (active)
L'entree a ete refusee a Pierre par Jean (passive, but
heavy)
Pierre s'est vu refuser l'entree par Jean (false
passive ? much more common and elegant than the former
one, anyway)

But it doesn't work for all kinds of verbs:

Pierre s'est vu feliciter par Jean (Pierre was
congratulated by Jean, ok)
*??? Pierre s'est vu tuer par Jean (Pierre was killed
by Jean)

--- John Cowan <cowan@...> wrote:
> Henrik Theiling scripsit:
>
> > ? voice:
> >    Du       kriegst von mir den Text      erklärt.
> >    You-NOM  get     by me   the Text-ACC
> explained.
> >                \--------------------------/
> >                explain-??VOICE-PRES/IND/2s
> >    ?'You are explained the text by me.'
>
> This sounds like what traditionally was called the
> false passive
> in English:
>
> active:  John gave the boy the book.
> passive: The book was given to the boy (by John).
> false passive: The boy was given the book (by John).
>
> The term "false" of course means that it didn't fit
> Latin grammar:
> Latin can't passivize a ditransitive verb by
> promoting the IO.
>


=====
Philippe Caquant

"High thoughts must have high language." (Aristophanes, Frogs)


	
		
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