surpassive

Surpassive refers to a grammatical construction found in some languages where the subject of a sentence is neither the agent of the action nor the recipient of the action, but rather something else entirely. This contrasts with typical active and passive voice constructions. In active voice, the subject performs the action, while in passive voice, the subject receives the action. The surpassive voice occupies a unique space where the subject is not directly involved in the verb's core semantic roles.

Examples of surpassive constructions can be observed in languages like Georgian. In Georgian, a surpassive verb form might be used to express a state of being or an event that happens to the subject without the subject being an active participant or a direct recipient of the action. The focus shifts from the agent or patient to a different entity or circumstance that is nonetheless grammatically the subject of the sentence.

The precise linguistic definition and recognition of surpassive voice can vary among different theoretical frameworks and analyses of specific languages. It is a concept that challenges traditional binary distinctions of voice and highlights the complex ways in which languages can encode the relationship between participants and the actions or states described. Understanding surpassive voice requires careful attention to the semantic roles of the subject and the nuances of verb conjugation in the language in question.