In Section 2.3 we discussed how speakers can present situations in different “argument structure frames.” In Chapter 2, the emphasis was on the relationship between the meanings of individual verbs and the frames in which they may occur. Every verb evokes one or more idealized “scenes” in the discourse world, and conventionally occurs in a certain limited number of argument structure frames. Sometimes two or more verbs evoke essentially the same scene but differ in the set of frames in which they may couch the scene. Some pairs of verbs that vary according to the frames in which they present an event include buy/sell, borrow/lend, comprise/consist of, own/belong, rob/steal, and many more. In terms of communication, argument structure frames are ways speakers impart different perspectives on situations in the discourse world.

In this chapter we will discuss several grammatical means of accomplishing perspectivizing functions. Some such grammatical constructions are referred to as voices. For example, a typical active voice construction is a frame in which an AGENT-like participant is the Subject of the clause and a PATIENT-like participant is the Object. The passivevoice is a construction that realigns the AGENT and PATIENT roles, placing the PATIENT in the Subject position and the AGENT in an oblique role.