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Semantic Roles from Linguistics for Students of Literature by Elizabeth Closs Traugott

Semantic Roles from Linguistics for Students of Literature by Elizabeth Closs Traugott and Mary Louise Pratt. Agent - the doer responsible for an action or event taking place. The “agent” must be acting of his/her/its own volition. Examples: I ran away. (“I” is the agent.)

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Semantic Roles from Linguistics for Students of Literature by Elizabeth Closs Traugott

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  1. Semantic Roles from Linguistics for Students of Literature by Elizabeth ClossTraugott and Mary Louise Pratt

  2. Agent - the doer responsible for an action or event taking place. The “agent” must be acting of his/her/its own volition. Examples: I ran away. (“I” is the agent.) Bill gave her a present. (“Bill” is the agent.) The mailman was bit by a dog. (“Dog” is the agent.)

  3. Patient - the being or thing that is affected by an action or event, or that is simply present in it. Examples: I have a car. (“Car” is the patient.) Ted sees Bill. Bill is seen by Ted. (In both cases, “Bill” is the patient.) Sarah eats her lunch. (“Lunch” is the patient.)

  4. Experiencer - the role of the animate being inwardly affected by an event or characterized by a state Examples: Ted is hungry. (“Ted” is the experiencer.) Bill loves Sarah. (“Bill” and “Sarah” are both experiencers.)

  5. Possessor - the being or thing that has something Examples: This book belongs to me. (“Me” is the possessor.) Ted has a car. (“Ted” is the possessor.) That idea is Bill’s. (“Bill’s” is the possessor.) Sarah watched his movie. (“His” is the possessor.)

  6. Force - the doer responsible for an action or event taking place, yet has no volition Examples: Lightning hit the tree. (“Lightning” is the force.) The car stopped on the side of the road. (“Car” is the force.) The music was on all night. (“Music” is the force.)

  7. Instrument - the thing used to achieve some end or result Examples: Ted cracked the coconut with a hammer. (“Hammer” is the instrument.) I used charcoal to sketch the picture. (“Charcoal” is the instrument.)

  8. Source - the place or direction from which something comes, usually a location Examples: I walked home from the market. (“Market” is the source.) She bought the apples from the farmer. (“Farmer” is the source.)

  9. Goal - the place or direction to which something goes, usually a location Examples: Bill walked to school. (“School” is the goal.) Ted drove home. (“Home” is the goal.) The airplane flew westward. (“Westward” is the goal.)

  10. Path - the route by which something comes or goes Examples: I walked home through the field. (“Field” is the path.) Sarah drove home on the freeway. (“Freeway” is the path.)

  11. Location - place in which an event or action occurs, a dimensional relation Examples: They sat at home. (“Home” is the location.) The classroom smells. (“Classroom” is the location.) Bill’s shoes are under the bed. (“Bed” is the location.)

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