Re: preferred voices?

Nicole Perrin wrote:
>Yesterday we were reviewing the passive voice in my French class, and
>one of the points the teacher made quite emphatically is that the active
>voice is preferred.  I know that this is also the case with English,
>although I could never understand it.  The only explanation I've ever
>gotten is that it's not as powerful as active but I don't really buy
>that.  Are any of your conlangs prejudiced against the passive voice?
>Or any other voice for that matter?  (Mine aren't)
Hmmm... how do I put this. How can anything be prejudiced against something
that does not exist?

The concept of voice is meaningless in Boreanesian -- it simply does not
exist. Many old-timers to this list should know this by now; Boreanesian
is a trigger language, rather than being like the more familiar languages
with voice systems. This is a system found in many West-Austronesian
languages like Tagalog (Filipino).

The peculiar thing about trigger languages (at least the way it is used in
Boreanesian) is the fact that predicates resemble noun phrases in structure.
I have taken this understanding all the way in Boreanesian. The net effect
of this is that all sentences are structured as nominal predicates, and that
it is useless to think in terms of subject/object since only monovalent
constructions exist. And here's the catch; no valency distinction means no
voice system. In fact, the main difference between voice and trigger systems
is that in trigger systems the valency of the verb never changes, while in
voice systems it does.



In another post H. S. Teoh wrote:
-----<snip>-----
>Interesting. Focus in my conlang is achieved by word order -- case
>markings remaing the same. For example:
-----<snip>-----

In trigger langs, focus is achieved through 'signposts' (like a trigger
article -- hence the name) identifying the argument in focus, while the
semantic role of this argument is indicated by the form of the verb. So this
is the entire opposite of yours; focus not by word order, and case markings
can change depending on the argument in focus.

-kristian- 8)