Arabic Linguistics

differentiates passive verbs from their active counterparts. More accurately, ―the
marker for the passive is tonal‖ (Vincent 1986: 77). As can be seen in examples
(47) and (48) below, in the active form of the verb the tonal pattern is high high
low (HHL), whereas in its passive counterpart it is low low high (LLH):
(47) Wánì áyínù bágárà. (Vincent 1986: 77)
H H L
Wani see cow
‗Wani saw the cow.‘
(48) Bágárà àyìnú má Wánì. (Vincent 1986: 1986)
L L H
cow see with Wani
‗The cow was seen by Wani.‘
In a similar way, passive verbs are formed in N ―by a shift in stress relative
to the active‖ (Owens 1990; see also Miller 1993, 1994 and 2002: 32). Note that
in N the stress falls on the first high syllable in the word (Miller 1993 and 1994).
Compare the following examples:
(49) Úwo ásurubu móya de. (Miller 2002: 32)
H L L L
he drink water DET
‗He drinks the water.‘
(50) Móya de yaú kán asurubú. (Miller 2002: 32)
L L L H
water DET FOC 5 PAST drink
‗This water has been drunk.‘
This mechanism of passive formation is certainly productive, given that it
applies, as shown by Kaye and Tosco (2001: 82), even to loanwords. Consider
e.g. túnda ‗sell‘ < Luganda okutunda (Pasch and Thelwall 1987: 142) 6 . The tonal
pattern of the active form of the verb is HL, while that of its passive counterpart is
LH:
(51) túnda (Kaye and Tosco 2001: 82)
H L
‗sell‘
(52) tundá (Kaye and Tosco 2001: 82)
L H
‗be sold‘
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