ENGLISH SEMANTICS

Participant Roles
Kinds of Participant Roles
Participant Roles and Grammatical Position
Derivations
 The semantic analysis of a simple sentence

A sentence is a string of words that contains certain information. The information which is presented by the
different sentences, in parts of sentences, is called proposition. Proposition is the referring expression which is
abstract but meaningful.

In semantic analysis, every proposition contains one predicate and a number of expressions called arguments.
The use of predicate is to make the specific relation with the arguments. Here, predicate is a verb, an
adjective, a preposition, or a noun phrase. While argument is a role that is referring to the person, things, etc.

Kreidler (1998: 68) states, the arguments that accompany the predicate have different semantic functions, or
roles, in the proposition. The semantic function which is the role of arguments depends on the predicate in
producing meaning.

The semantic roles have the same name with semantic cases, thematic cases, thematic roles, participant
roles, or thematic functions by other linguists.
 PAR T I C I PAN T R O L E

• Participant roles indicate relationships between a verb/ predicate (and

possibly other predicators) and the referring expressions in a sentence.”
(Hurford, et.al. 2007, p. 257)

• Participant roles: roles associated with a sense of a verb/ predicate: It is

the semantic relation between the arguments of the verb and the
situation described by the verb (Jackendoff 1972)

• Participant role can be defined as a role or position that is associated

with argument, or the roles that argument has.
 K I N D S O F PAR T I C I PAN T R O L E S

Agent

Affected

Instrument

Location

Beneficiary

Experiencer

Theme
 Agent

The Agent of a sentence is the person deliberately carrying out the action described. (Hurford et al.,
2007:245)
Ex:
1. John opened the door with the key
2. My mother’s bowl was broken by a thief

Affected

The Affected participant is the thingupon which the action is carried out. (Hurford et al., 2007:245-
246). Some semantics refer to the affected participant as the patient (2007:246)

Ex:
1. John opened the door with the key
2. Muriel dealt the cards carefully to each player
3. The tree was felled by a single blow from Paul’s axe
 Instrument

The Instrument is the thing (hardly ever a person) by means of which the action is carried out.” (Hurford et
al., 2007:246) “preposition which is typically used to express instrument is “with” (2007:250)
Ex:
1. John opened the door with the key
2. Sally sliced the onion with a knife
3. Hamish used a screwdriver to open the tin

Location

The role of Location is played by any expression referring to the place where the action described by a
sentence takes place.” (Hurford et al., 2007:249)
Ex:
1. Caesar was assassinated in Rome
2. I’m meeting Dereck at Waverley Station
 Beneficiary

The Beneficiary is the person for whose benefit or to whose detriment the action described by the sentence
is carried out. (Hurford et al., 2007:249)
Ex:
1. Keith gave Gill a replica of the Eiffel Tower
2. Alan was sent a special offer from the book store
3. Glenn bought a micro-computer for his son

Experiencer

The Experiencer is typically a person who is mentally aware of, perceives, or experiences the action or state
described by the sentence”. (Hurford et al., 2007:251).
Experience means = you experience something, it happens to you, or you feel it ” (Cambridge Dictionary) Ex:
1. The children heard the loud noise
2. Jane saw a movie last night
3. Janice became sick when she heard the news
 Theme

The theme participant is a thing or person whose location is described or that is perceived by an
Experiencer. “ (Hurford et al., 2007:251)
Ex:
1. The children heard the loud noise
2. Jack saw a play last week
3. The Honda belongs to Jim

Note: Experiencer and Theme roles are correlated to Subject and object position
 PAR T I C I PAN T R O L E S AN D G R AM M AT I C AL P O S I T I O N

According to Soekemi (2000: 114) there are three different grammatical position of referring expression

in sentences.
a. Subject position: preceding a main verb
b. Object position: immediately following a main verb
c. Complement position: after a verb, but not immediately, often after a preposition.

For example: The gardener opened the gate with the key

S V O Prep. Complement
The following table is used to make it easier to understand about the position role
and grammatical position.

The position role and grammatical position

Subject Object Complement

Agent The gardener

Affected The gate

Instrument With the key

PRACTICE

1. Floyd Smashed the glass with the hammer

2. The hammer smashed the glass

3. Chris dissolved the body with the acid

4. The acid dissolved the body

5. The body dissolved

6. It is windy in Edinburgh

7. The Prime Minister was sent a letter bomb from the terrorists

8. Diana knitted a sweater for Bryan