ON THE PASSIVE VOICE IN BULGARIAN AND ENGLISH

Abstract

In the focus of the comparative research is the marked member (Passive Voice) of the verbal category of voice in Bulgarian and English. The study has two main objectives: to describe the current state of the category of voice in Bulgarian and English, and to identify the instances of inter-language symmetry and asymmetry as regards the forms of passive and the expression of passive in both languages. The article discusses the potentiality for a third member of the grammatical category of voice in the Bulgarian language. The discussion is about the possibility for the passive forms such as (stroen e) and the so-called reflexive passive forms (stroi se) to establish result-action oppositions within the paradigm of Passive Voice. The similarity in the expressed semantic action of the Bulgarian se-constructions and the forms of the English Passive in Present Progressive (are being mended – se popraviyat/ bivat popraviyani) is pointed out. The expression of Passive is presented from a new perspective highlighting the functions of the participles in passive structures.