Passivisation in Semitic, Iranian, Armenian and beyond edited by Paul M. Noorlander and Hiwa Asadpour

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Noorlander, Paul M., editor.

Asadpour, Hiwa, editor.

Series:

Cambridge Semitic languages and cultures

Cambridge Semitic languages and cultures 2632-6914

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Grammar, Comparative and general--Passive voice.

Grammar, Comparative and general.

Physical Description:

1 online resource

Place of Publication:

[Cambridge, United Kingdom] Open Book Publishers [2026]

Summary:

"This volume brings together research on passive voice constructions in low-resource languages of Western Asia, a region marked by extraordinary linguistic diversity as well as a long history of cultural suppression and marginalisation. The contributions showcase the passive voice in Semitic, Iranian, Armenian, Greek, and Turkic languages, many of which are endangered, understudied, or confined to diaspora communities and disappearing language islands. Education and cultural expression in these languages remained heavily restricted across parts of Turkey, Syria, Iraq, and Iran, underscoring the urgent need for documentation and revitalisation. The chapters explore the rich typological variation of passive voice constructions, examining their typological traits, synchronic microvariation and diachronic developments. Drawing on Siewierska’s definition, the studies investigate processes of agent demotion and patient promotion, reductions in transitivity, and the fuzzy boundaries between passive and other detransitivisation strategies such as middles, anticausatives, statives and light verbs as well as impersonal subjects and agent omission. They also shed light on the impact of text genre, verbal aspect, and language contact on passivisation.By integrating theoretical, typological, historical, and areal perspectives, the volume discusses the internal stability of detransitivisation strategies, their evolution from earlier source constructions, and their position in voice systems more broadly. It raises fundamental questions about whether cross-linguistic tendencies in passives reflect universal patterns or area-specific historical contingencies. This collection thus provides an essential resource for scholars of all theoretical persuasions that are interested in voice and valency and/or in Western Asia’s linguistic diversity, while foregrounding the pressing need to support communities whose linguistic heritage is at risk"-- Open Book Publishers

Contents:

Passivisation in Semitic : Case studies from Hebrew, Aramaic and Arabic / Paul M. Noorlander

Passive voice in Ṭuroyo / Nikita Kuzin

Passivisation in Northeastern Neo-Aramaic / Paul M. Noorlander

A contact-induced structural change with a lexcial-functional asymmetry : A passive construction in Nayini / Roohollah Mofidi and Hiwa Asadpour

Passive constructions in Garrusi Kurdish / Hiwa Asadpour and Masoumeh Zarei

Passive in Armenian / Katherine Hodgson

Passives in Asia Minor Greek / Nicolaos Neocleous

Passive formation in Turkic : Diachronic developments and synchronic patterns with a focus on Azeri / Murad Suleymanov

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index

Online resource; title from PDF title page (Open Book Publishers, viewed February 23, 2026)

Other Format:

Print version Passivisation in Semitic, Iranian, Armenian and beyond

ISBN:

9781805118282

1805118285

OCLC:

1568989837

Access Restriction:

Open access Unrestricted online access