Sementics (Participent role)

1. Participant Role
UNIT NO: 20

2. Participant Role:
 Definition: Participant roles indicate relations
between a verb and possibly other predicator and the
referring expression in a sentence
 Structure:
verb (predicators)
Participant role
referring expression

3. EXAMPLE:
 John opened the door with a key
verb Open
Participant role
John
Referring expression Door
Key

4. Types of participant role:
AGENT AFFECTED
INSTRUMET LOCATION
Participant
role

5. Agent:
 Definition: The AGENT of a sentence is the person
deliberately carrying out the action describe.
 Example:
1: John opened the door with a key.
2: Mark kill a man by his gun.
Agent:
1: John
2: Mark

6. Affected:
 Definition: The AFFECTED participant is the thing
(not usually a person, although it may be) upon which
the action is carried out .
 Example:
1: John opened the door with a key.
2: Mark kill a man by his gun.
Affected Participant:
1: The Door
2: Man

7. Instrument:
 Definition: The INSTRUMENT is the thing by mean
of which the action carried out.
 Example:
1: John opened the door with a key.
2: Mark kill a man by his gun.
 Instrument:
1: Key
2: Gun

8. LOCATION:
 Definition: The role of LOCATION is played by an
expression referring to the place where the action describe
by a sentence takes place.
 Example:
1: I met with Aslam at railway station
2: Mark kill a man by his gun near police station
 Location:
1: Railway Station.
2: Police station.

9. Examples:
1: Ahmad hit a man by a stick in the playground.
Q: Find out the AGENT, AFFECTED, INSTRUMENT, and
LOCATION in the above sentence?
Agent: Ahmad
Affected: Man
Instrument: Stick
Location: Playground

10. Prepared by:
HAMID
M.Sc Linguistics
1st semester
QUAID-I-AZAM UNIVERSITY
ISLAMABAD