Agentní

Agentní is a linguistic term used to describe phenomena related to the agent in an event. In linguistics, the agent is the participant that intentionally performs or initiates the action described by the verb. The adjective agentní (agentive) encompasses both the semantic notion of agency and the grammatical means by which that role is encoded.

Realizations of agentivity vary across languages. Some languages have explicit agentive morphology, such as agent nouns derived from verbs or adjectives that denote agents. Others rely on syntactic means to signal agency, such as the distinction between active and passive voice, or on case marking and other grammatical devices. In active constructions, the agent is typically the subject performing the action; in passive constructions, the agent may be omitted or expressed with a prepositional phrase or equivalent marker.

Cross-linguistic study shows that agentivity interacts with other grammatical systems, including voice, aspect, and argument structure. Researchers examine how languages encode the doer of an action, how flexible agents are within sentences, and how agentive forms participate in nominalizations or participial constructions that designate agency.

Etymology: agentní derives from Latin agens, agent- meaning “doing, acting,” and is cognate with terms in other languages that describe the agentive or agent-related aspects of verbs and noun formation.

See also: agent, agency, agentivity, active voice, passive voice, voice (linguistics).