In this unit, we will take a look at incorporated movement in Passive and Antipassive constructions.
Incorporated movement in passive and antipassive constructions
The incorporated movement always refers to the agent of a phrase, never to the patient. Agent and patient here refer to semantic roles, not grammatical ones. Agents are entities that DO THINGS. Patients are entities to which THINGS ARE DONE.
In K’iche the movement will always refer to an AGENT, even when the Agent is not expressed overtly in the verb, like in passive construction. In passive, we conventionally call the marked person in the verb the “subject,” semantically however, this “subject” is a PATIENT, because THINGS ARE DONE to it.| The bench | was taken | by the woman | |
| Grammatical | subject | passive verb | oblique object |
| Semantical | PATIENT | passive verb | AGENT |
In a passive constructions in K’iche; an “incorporated movement” may be expressed, but it will refer to the AGENT not to the subject.
In Antipassive constructions, the grammatical subject refers to the AGENT; in those cases, the incorporated movement refers to the subject.
Examples:
Xulk’ama le tem.
Xu’lelesaxoq.
Xu’lch’aya le taq tz’i’.
Xu’lelaq’axa k’u le e yo’xab’ chuwach ri kinan.
Xu’lch’aya le taq tz’i’ rumal le elaq’om.
Kulkunataja le yawab’.
Xojulloq’omana waral.
Kine’kamisaxa rumal le elaq’om.
Xe’k’ama ri tem.
Kine’t’uyuloq!
Kine’t’uyula pa le tem.
Are le ixoq ke’ilowoq.
Kine’kolowoq.
Kine’kanaja kan pa Xela
| ka’ | metate, grinding stone |
| q’atb’al tzij | government |
| warab’al | bedroom, room |
| ojer tzij | back then, in the past, back in the day |
| elaq’aj (vtr) | to steal |
| tzapij (vtr) | to close |
| toj(o) (vtr) | to pay |
For all of the following phrases, use passives or antipassives with incorporated movement:
- Someone came to pick up my book.
- Don Pedro came to cure.
- Mary came to invite.
- I am the one who is going to do the shopping.
- Diego will go to invite you (formal) to the party
- We came to make tamalitos
- You all go to look for the cat.
- Someone came to take me to dinner.
- I am going to go be be cured in Guatemala.
- Someone came to cure my daughter.
Answers
- K’o xulk’amowa le nuwuj
- Xulkunana le tat Lu
- Xulsik’ina le nan Mari’y
- In kine’b’anowa le loq’oj
- Ke’sik’ina le a Tek che la pa le nimaq’ij
- Xojulsub’anoq
- Kixe’tzukuna che le me’s
- K’o xinulelesana pa wa’im
- Kine’kunaxa pa Ixim Ulew
- K’o xulkunana le numi’al (wal)