antipassive (adj./n.)

In GRAMMAR, a term used primarily to characterize a type of VOICE in ERGATIVE languages (e.g. Dyirbal) which is the functional equivalent of the PASSIVE in non-ergative languages. In these languages, the TOPIC of a clause is usually the PATIENT, not (as in English) the ACTOR, and the antipassive construction handles cases where the actor is chosen as topic. Antipassive forms are formally more complex than the corresponding ergative forms, with the VERB marked by a derivational SUFFIX. The use of an antipassive does not exclude the possibility that passive or passive-like constructions may also occur in the same language (as in Maasai). The term is also sometimes used with reference to non-ergative languages, such as English, for certain types of apparently INTRANSITIVE construction – for example, verbs such as cook or paint when used without their object.