On the Hungarian verbal paradigm with -ik. A functional approach

Abstract

In this paper I would like to discuss the -ik paradigm (associated prototypically with passive, reflexive, reciprocal and middle voice in Hungarian) in the framework of functional semantics based on Langacker’s meaning and composite structure model and the prototype theory. After summarizing the theories of traditional historical linguistics, I propose a new possible explanation of the paradigm by concentrating on the procedure of attention shift. By focusing on the starting point of the paradigm, the 3 rd person singular -ik element, I highlight the causes of the semantic changes of the paradigm, its appearance in new verbal
groups as compared to its original function, on the basis of the hypothesis that the -ik element has not only inflectional but also derivational properties. I conclude my study by outlining possible directions of future research, including questions and problems
about the afore-mentioned hypothesis; the relationship between the -ik element and other derivatives; the concerns of aspectuality; and particularly the question of the middle voice, as developed in Suzanne Kemmer’s monography (1993).