reflexiveintransitive

Reflexiveintransitive is a category used in grammatical theory to describe a class of verbs that are inherently intransitive but have a reflexive reading. The reflexive element marks the action as directed at the subject or as an auto-target; the structure lacks a separate patient argument. This sits with the general distinction between transitivity and diathesis. In languages with reflexive morphology, the reflexive meaning is encoded by a clitic or prefix or suffix attached to the verb, whereas in languages with analytic structures, a reflexive pronoun may accompany the verb.

In contrast to reflexive transitive constructions, where a direct object is co-referential with the subject (the subject acts on itself), reflexive intransitives do not assign a patient role to a syntactic object; the reflexive element substitutes for or marks the absence of a separate object. This distinction is important for analyses of voice and diathesis, including middle voice and antipassive constructions.

Cross-linguistic patterns show variability. Some languages merge reflexivity into an intransitive form, yielding a reflexive intransitive paradigm; others express reflexivity via clitics or dedicated inflections. In English, reflexivity is usually realized on transitive predicates or in periphrastic forms (to do something to oneself) rather than via a strictly intransitive reflexive. In other language families, reflexive morphemes may be used to instantiate a middle voice or to mark experiential states.

See also: reflexive pronouns, reflexive verbs, mid voice, antipassive, voice laxity.

Note: The term reflexiveintransitive is not universally adopted; the precise definition varies by theoretical orientation and language.