Verb – Leluka medio-passive plural

ObjectivesLearning objectives

• The morphology of the Leluka medio-passive (pl)
• Middle voice verbs taking an affected subject

VocabularyVocabulary

MorphologyMorphology: Verb – Perfect/Leluka medio-passive plural

• The pl med-psv Leluka forms have all the characteristics of the sg forms (see 23.2.3.1)
• Reduplicated stem
• Same endings as med-psv Luo
• No theme vowels

SemanticsSemantics: Verb – Middle (2 – Affected subject)

Verb – Middle: all 4 parts on one page →Also in Lesson 23.1, Lesson 31.1, Lesson 33.2

Besides a reflexive interpretation, the middle voice can also be used when the subject of the verb is affected by the action in some way:

The verb δέχομαι ‘receive’ involves someone now in possession of something they were not in possession of before (though that possession may be metaphorical, as it is in our verse when people receive the word). While middle verbs often have affected subjects, it is not the case that every verb with an affected subject will be in the middle. A verb like λαμβάνω ‘take’ also has a meaning where the subject ends up with something they did not begin with, but it is in active voice. There is a slight difference in meaning between these two verbs, though. Whereas λαμβάνω may refer to someone who is actively taking something, δέχομαι refers to the act of receiving something that is offered. In other words, the subject in λαμβάνω plays a more active role in coming into possession of the object. Although we cannot assume that a verb with an affected subject is in the middle voice, some verbs with an affected subject do appear in the middle voice, especially when the subject plays less of an active role in the event.