Everything about Labile verb
Verb that can be used transitively or intransitively
In general linguistics, a labile verb is a verb that undergoes causative alternation; that is, it can be used both transitively and intransitively, with the requirement that the direct object of its transitive use corresponds to the subject of its intransitive use, as in "I ring the bell" and "The bell rings". Labile verbs are a prominent feature of English, and also occur in many other languages. This behavior can be seen as evidence that the distribution of verb classes in that language does not depend on transitivity. In this respect, it is a phenomenon that is common to both active–stative languages and ergative–absolutive languages. In such languages it is often not possible to distinguish between transitive and intransitive verbs in terms of word formation or morphology. They have the same morphological form or suffix regardless of whether they are transitive or intransitive, and the transitivity or intransitivity of the verb is determined by the context. Wikipedia →
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- Read the overview: Labile verbA 5-minute orientation
- Pick up a classic book: Illo-Busa dictionaryThe most-reprinted book on the subject
- Read the landmark paper: Semantic parameters of the labile use of the verb freeze in EnglishCited 0 times
- Go sideways: Anticausative verbA closely related topic
- Go sideways: Ambitransitive verbA closely related topic
đź“– Definitions
Noun A transitive verb, such as break, burn, boil, open, start, change, or assimilate, which may be used intransitively with the object of the action as the subject.
🗂️ The subject at a glance
🏆 Landmark papers (most cited)
đź“š Books worth reading
- 📕Illo-Busa dictionaryRoss McCallum Jones · 2017
- 📕Shanga dictionaryRoss McCallum Jones · 2017
- 📕Als käme noch jemandFrancisca Ricinski · 2013
Ranked by number of editions on Open Library, a rough measure of how lasting a book is.
đź”— Related topics
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