Studia Typologica [Sttyp] The Origin of Agent Markers

This study shows that Passive Agent markers and Ergative markers do not always realize an unified semantic category of an Agent. The syncretisms present in the semantics of these markers point to the existence of different ways in which we can construe reference to an Initial-Energizer. Certain family traits have been found throughout the book as to what construals are preferred over others. The book was intended as a way to understand the motivation behind the choice of a given marker to express an Agent within a well-defined grammatical context. Palancar believes that the introduction of a thematic category such as an Energizer can serve as a valuable contribution to linguistic theory. He shows throughout the book, the Energizer, together with its derivations and different applications, can help us account for the case-syncretisms of the markers of thestudy, but more importantly to understand the complex way energetic categories work within the human mind.