SENTENCE SEMANTICS: PARTICIPANTS

SENTENCE SEMANTICS: PARTICIPANTS

1. Semantic choices

   • Speaker seeking to describe a situation concerns how to portray the roles of any entities involved

2. Thematic Roles

   • Agent: the initiator of some action, capable of acting with volition
     • Patient
       • The entity undergoing the effect of some action often undergoing some change in state
         • Beneficiary
           • The entity for whose benefit the action was performed
             • Location
               • The place in which something is situated or takes place
         • Instrument
           • The means by which an action is performed or something comes about
             • Action tier roles
               • Actor, gent, experiencer, patient, beneficiary, instrument
             • Thematic tier roles
               • Theme, goal, source, location
         • Goal
           • The entity towards which something moves either literally or metaphorically
     • Theme
       • The entity which is moved by an action, or whose location is described
     • Experiencer
       • The entity which is aware of the action or state described by the predicate but which is not in control of the action or state
         • Source
           • The entity from which something mover either literally or metaphorically