Semiimpersonal

Semiimpersonal is a term used in linguistics to describe a class of constructions that lie between personal and impersonal sentences. In semiimpersonal clauses, the main verb does not express a concrete, agentive subject in the usual way, yet some agent-like information remains available either in an embedded clause or through a beguiling subject such as a dummy pronoun (it, there) or a generic indefinite subject.

Distinguishing features

- Partial agency: the event or state is described in a general or non-agentive way, while a potential agent may be referenced indirectly.

- Mixed syntactic signals: the surface form may resemble impersonal structures (such as dummy subjects) but can carry subject information in subordinate elements.

- Function and use: commonly employed to state general truths, weather, appearances, or phenomena, or to introduce information without naming a specific actor.

Typology and variation

- Expletive construction: languages may use a dummy subject like it or there, with the main meaning conveyed without a specific agent (it seems, there appears to be).

- Generic subject: an indefinite or generic subject (one, people) participates in the sense of the clause without a definite person performing the action.

- Embedded content: a semiimpersonal main clause can host a content clause in which a more explicit agent appears.

Cross-linguistic notes

- Some Romance and Germanic languages have constructions that grammars label semiimpersonal, often overlapping with impersonal and generic constructions.

- Not all grammars recognize semiimpersonal as a distinct category; in many analyses these forms are treated as impersonal, generic, or periphrastic.

In usage, semiimpersonal constructions provide a balance between reporting general information and signaling a lack of specific agency, offering stylistic and referential flexibility in discourse.