SYNTAX

SEMANTIC ROLES OF CLAUSE ELEMENTS

GROUP 5
A G U N G M A H A D I PA ( 1 2 0 1 3 0 5 0 9 6 )
K H R I S N A N A R AYAN A ( 1 2 0 1 3 0 5 0 9 7 )
N I L U H N O V I TA S A R I J ( 1 2 0 1 3 0 5 0 9 8 )
FAC U LTY O F L E T T E R S A N D C U LTU R E
U D AYAN A U N I V E R S I T Y
2015

SEMANTIC ROLES/ THEMATIC

RELATIONS/ ARGUMENT TYPES
PARTICIPANTS
AGENTIVE, AFFECTED AND RECIPIENT ROLES
ATTRIBUTE
SUBJECT AS EXTERNAL CAUSER, INSTRUMENT, AND

AFFECTED
RECIPIENT SUBJECT
POSITIONER SUBJECT
LOCATIVE, TEMPORAL, AND EVENTIVE SUBJECT
PROP IT SUBJECT

PARTICIPANTS
Participant is subject or object, noun or pronoun, argument types that

involved in a clause whether it is concrete or abstract.

We can draw what participant means by looking in the example
below:
Example:
I hit him with the ball
Analysis:
I as an agent/ subject
Him as recipient-experience/ object-pronoun
The ball as affected/NP
Thus there are 3 participants in that clause.

AGENTIVE, AFFECTED AND RECIPIENT ROLES

a.

Agentive
The animate (person) cause the happening to direct object and it is
denoted/marked by the verb. The role of agentive is as a subject.
Example: Dewayu broke the plate.
Analysis: Dewayu made the plate broken.

b.

Affected
It can be animate/ inanimate that does not cause the happening.
The role of affected is as a direct object.
Example: We do the homework.

c.

Recipient
The animate that receive something beneficial or experience
or the animate that receive direct object.
Example: My mom gave me a new mobile phone yesterday.
Analysis: Me as recipient (indirect object- got beneficial) got a
mobile phone (direct object) by My Mom (agentive).
Example: We understand what the lecturer said.
Analysis: We as an recipient-experience/Subject/ pronoun.

ATTRIBUTE
The most typical of attribute is that the attribute can be subject and
object complement. Formally expressed by predicative NPs or
adjective phrases
Attribute can be classified into 2:
1. identification vs. characterization.
2. current vs. resulting attributes.

The distinctions of Identification

and Characterization

a. reversal of subject and complement without affecting the meaning of

the resultant clauses if the copula is be- only IDENTIFICATION
attributes
Ex: Gopa is my friend -> My friend is Gopa
b. only CHARACTERIZATION Attributes can also be realized by
adjective phrases.
c. IDENTIFICATION attributes are normally associated with definite
NPs. NPs used as characterization attributes are normally indefinite.
Example of Characterization:
The chicken broth soup is too hot (ADJ Phrase)
Example of Identification:
Indry became my secretary. (NOUN Phrase)

Current attribute indicates a state of the subject or object used stative

verbs.
Resulting attribute marks a change in the subject or object and usually
appear with dynamic verbs.
Example:
Analysis:

Mr. Sedeng is my syntax teacher.

my syntax teacher is object complement-current.

Example:
Analysis:

Indonesian people elected Jokowi president.

President is object complement-result.

Example:
Analysis:
NP.

A good student in the class is Dewayu.

A good student in the class is subject complement-current/

SUBJECT AS EXTERNAL CAUSER,

INSTRUMENT, AND AFFECTED (part of Agentive)
a.

b.

External Causer
The inanimate cause the happening/ event unwittingly or
accidently.
Example: The tsunami destroyed several buildings.
Instrument
The instrument of subject is the inanimate that has role as a
subject or agent uses to perform an action or cause a process
Example: The key has opened the door.

c. Affected
-Affected can be act as a subject with intransitive verbs.
Example: The pencil fell down.
The fish is frying.
-Affected can be act as a subject with copular verbs.
Example: The book is on the table.
- Affected can be act as subject in passive construction.
Example: The fish is being fried.

RECIPIENT SUBJECT
The recipient can also act as a subject, if there are verbs such as

have, own, possess, benefit (from).

Example: He tasted the soup
Analysis: He as a recipient-experiencer.
His father bought a bicycle for Gopa.
=So now, Gopa has a bicycle.
Analysis: Gopa is a recipient-beneficial, because his father
bought it for him.

POSITIONER SUBJECT
The subject may have role as a positioner, if it is with intransitive (no need

object) stance verbs and with transitive (need object) stance verbs.
- Intransitive stance verbs are: sit, stand, lie, live, stay, remain.
-Transitive stance verbs are: carry, hold, keep, wear.
Example:
I have lived in Bali since I was born.
Analysis: lived is a intransitive stance verbs, so I act as positioner subject.
Example:
I am lying on the bed (I acts as positioner subject)
The book is lying on the bed (The book acts as affected, because the
book can not stand by itself).

LOCATIVE, TEMPORAL, AND

EVENTIVE SUBJECT
The subject may be locative, temporal, or eventive.
a.

b.
c.

Locative is designating the place of the state (location), source, track.

path, etc.
Example: Bali is a beautiful island.
Bedugul is foggy.
This jar contains butter.
Temporal is designating its time.
Example: 2 Days ago is silent day.
Eventive is an important role of subject. Eventive is a derived words of
noun (event). It means that the subject is about event.
Example: Indonesian Independence Day took place in 1945.

PROP IT SUBJECT
Prop it can be called ambient or empty it., because does not have reference to

something or object.
Prop it usually occurs in time, atmospheric conditions, distance.
Example:
Time: Its already 8 am
Atmospheric conditions: Its getting rain.
Distance: Its not very far.
There are some exceptions for prop it subject has reference, when prop it subject
corresponds or adapts or refers to a period of time and adverbial in noun phrase, and also
when the verb is not a copula (for example: rain or snow).
Example: a. Its our presentation today (Today is our presentation).
It refers to today (adverb).
b. It was raining in Nusa Dua. (Nusa Dua was raining)
It refers to Nusa Dua (adverb)

Conclusion
Participant is the argument-types that involved in clause. Agentive is
the animate (person) cause the happening to direct object. Affected
can be animate/ inanimate that does not cause the happening.
Recipient is the animate that receive something beneficial or
experience. The attribute can be subject or object complement.
Attribute has 2 terms, current and result. External Causer is the
inanimate cause the happening accidently. The instrument of subject
is the inanimate that has role as a subject or agent uses to perform an
action or cause a process. The subject may be locative, temporal, or
eventive. Prop it can be called ambient or empty it., because
does not have reference to something or object. Prop it usually
occurs in time, atmospheric conditions, distance.

Question?