earticle

영어

This study proposes that the genericity of English middle constructions comes from the speaker's indirect judgement about implicit comparisons of the inherent properties of subjects to function as causers. It is widely agreed that middles typically involve an implicit agent argument, which is interpreted as arbitrary in reference and usually appear in the present tense with a generic reading. Despite the general tendency of middles to favor the present tense, some middles do appear in the past tense and with progressive aspect. This study aims to show that only if we suppose the genericity of English middle constructions comes from the speaker's indirect judgement about implicit comparisons of the inherent properties of subjects to function as causes, the generic reading from English middles can be explained not only in the present tense but also in the past tense, progressive aspect, and future tense.