causativeparticipial

Causativeparticipial is a term used in linguistic theory to refer to non-finite clauses in which a participial form encodes a causative relation between events. In such constructions, the action described by the participle participates as the cause, or as the result of the cause, of the action in the main clause. The exact realization varies across languages and analyses, and the label is used differently by authors.

In English, causative semantics are most often expressed with periphrastic devices rather than a dedicated causative participle. For example, have or make plus a past participle: The manager had the report written. This construction expresses that someone caused the action to be performed. Another use involves present participles in non-finite clauses to indicate related events: The door being opened, we entered. While not always strictly causative, such participial clauses can be analyzed as bearing a causal or contextual relationship between events.

Cross-linguistically, many languages mark causation on the verb via a dedicated causative form or auxiliary, and some analyses describe interactions with participial morphology to yield a causative participial construction in non-finite clauses. Such forms may express that one entity caused another event to occur, or that an event occurred as a consequence of a previous action. These realizations are often positioned within the broader causative voice system of a language, alongside finite causatives, resultatives, and standard participial clauses.

Notes: The term causativeparticipial is not universally standardized and is used differently across analyses. See also causative construction; participle; non-finite clause.