agentiveevent

An agentive event is a type of event in semantics and syntax in which an agent actively initiates or causes the central change described by the verb. The agent is typically a volitional, capable actor, often realized as the subject of an active clause, though analyses vary on whether intention is required. Agentive events contrast with non-agentive or patientive events, where a change occurs without a deliberate initiator, such as changes caused by natural forces or incidental circumstances.

In linguistic analysis, agentivity is closely linked to the Agent thematic role, which characterizes the entity responsible for initiating an action. The agent is usually distinguished from other participants like the theme, which undergoes or is affected by the action, and the patient, which experiences the result. The notion of agentive events helps account for why certain verbs encode control, intention, and effort, and why some languages prefer active constructions or employ specific grammatical devices to mark agency.

Cross-linguistic variation shows that agentivity interacts with voice, morphology, and alignment. Some languages mark agentive causation with distinct morphological forms, causative constructions, or verb-class distinctions; others rely on syntax and word order rather than dedicated morphology. In many languages, agentive interpretations are robust for volitional actions (for example, kicking, building, writing) but may be extended to controlled but non-conscious causes (such as a machine operating to turn on a light), depending on the verb’s semantics and the discourse context.