Indonesian Verbal Predicates #
@cite{sneddon-1996} @cite{beavers-udayana-2022}
Indonesian verb entries with voice paradigm forms (meN-, ber-, ter-, di-), root class annotations from @cite{beavers-udayana-2022}, and ter- semantic classification (stative, accidental, abilitative) from @cite{sneddon-1996} §1.265–1.275.
Root classes #
The paper distinguishes three root classes that determine the default interpretation of the suppressed variable z in ber- middles:
- Reflexive roots (body care/grooming): the conventional expectation is self-action, so the default reading of z is coreferent with the surface subject. Examples: dandan 'dress', cukur 'shave'.
- Obviative roots (all others): the conventional expectation is disjoint reference, so the default reading is dispositional/passive. Examples: jual 'sell', masak 'cook'.
- Causer-unspecified roots (change-of-state without entailed external cause): the verb does not entail an external causer, and ber- surfaces as ter- with an anticausative reading. Examples: buka 'open', pecah 'break'.
ter- classification (@cite{sneddon-1996} §1.265–1.275) #
The prefix ter- has three semantic categories:
- Stative (§1.266): result state, no agent (terbuka 'open', tertulis 'written')
- Accidental (§1.267–1.270): unintended action (terbawa 'accidentally carried')
- Abilitative (§1.272): ability (terdengar 'audible', tidak terbeli 'unaffordable')
These connect to linglib's semantic infrastructure: accidental ter- maps to
Volitionality.nonvolitional, abilitative ter- expresses circumstantial
modality, and stative ter- is agentless.
Incorporation #
Some verbs additionally license noun incorporation (ber-V=NP), where the incorporated NP classifies the patient. Body-part nouns are the most productive class. When diri 'self' is incorporated, a reflexive reading arises even for obviative roots.
Root class of Indonesian verbs, determining the default interpretation of the suppressed variable in ber- middles (@cite{beavers-udayana-2022}, §3.5, table (58)).
- reflexive : RootClass
Body care/grooming verbs: default coreferent (z = surface subject).
- obviative : RootClass
All other transitive verbs: default disjoint (z ≠ surface subject).
- causerUnspecified : RootClass
Change-of-state verbs without entailed external cause: anticausative via ter-. The causer is left unspecified in the verb root.
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- Fragments.Indonesian.Predicates.instBEqRootClass.beq x✝ y✝ = (x✝.ctorIdx == y✝.ctorIdx)
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The root class predicts the default reading of the suppressed variable in non-incorporation ber- forms.
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- Fragments.Indonesian.Predicates.RootClass.reflexive.defaultReading = Semantics.Events.ArgumentRealization.SuppressedVarReading.coreferent
- Fragments.Indonesian.Predicates.RootClass.obviative.defaultReading = Semantics.Events.ArgumentRealization.SuppressedVarReading.disjoint
- Fragments.Indonesian.Predicates.RootClass.causerUnspecified.defaultReading = Semantics.Events.ArgumentRealization.SuppressedVarReading.disjoint
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The three semantic categories of ter- verbs, following @cite{sneddon-1996} §1.265–1.275.
- Stative (§1.266): refers to a resulting state, not an action. No agent is possible. Corresponds to di- passives but describes the state rather than the action: tertulis 'written (in a state)' vs ditulis 'written (by someone)'.
- Accidental (§1.267–1.270): unintended, involuntary action. Contrasts with deliberate di-: tertinggal 'left accidentally' vs ditinggalkan 'left deliberately'. Can be intransitive or transitive. Suffixes (-kan, -i) are usually dropped.
- Abilitative (§1.272): indicates ability to perform the action. Almost always negated: tidak terbeli 'can't afford'. Suffixes (-kan, -i) are regularly retained. Expresses circumstantial possibility (Kratzer's modal flavor).
Some verbs are ambiguous across categories (§1.273): terbuka is
primarily stative ('open') but can be accidental ('opened by accident')
or abilitative ('managed to open'). The terClass field records the
primary/default reading.
- stative : TerClass
Result state: no agent, no action — the state following an event.
- accidental : TerClass
Unintended/involuntary action: the agent exists but did not intend the action. Suffixes usually dropped.
- abilitative : TerClass
Ability: the agent can (or usually cannot) perform the action. Suffixes retained. Expresses circumstantial modality.
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- Fragments.Indonesian.Predicates.instBEqTerClass.beq x✝ y✝ = (x✝.ctorIdx == y✝.ctorIdx)
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Whether the ter- reading entails the existence of an agent. Stative ter- is agentless (no oleh 'by' phrase possible); accidental and abilitative ter- allow an (often pronoun) agent (@cite{sneddon-1996} §1.266 vs §1.269, §1.272).
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The volitionality entailed by a ter- reading. Accidental ter- explicitly encodes nonvolitional action; stative and abilitative are neutral (stative has no agent, abilitative is about capacity not intention).
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Whether transitive suffixes (-kan, -i) are retained in the ter- form. Abilitative ter- regularly retains suffixes: terpecahkan 'can be solved', terhindarkan 'can be avoided' (§1.272, §1.274). Accidental ter- usually drops them: terpikir not terpikirkan for the accidental reading (§1.270, §1.274). Stative ter- has no suffix to retain (§1.266).
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An Indonesian verb entry extending VerbCore with voice paradigm forms.
Voice prefixes follow @cite{sneddon-1996} (§1.167–177 for ber-, §1.265–275 for ter-, §3.26–40 for active/passive voice):
- meN-: agent voice / active (@cite{sneddon-1996} §3.26)
- di-: patient voice / passive (@cite{sneddon-1996} §3.27–28)
- ber-: middle voice — reflexive, dispositional, incorporation (@cite{beavers-udayana-2022})
- ter-: stative / accidental / abilitative (@cite{sneddon-1996} §1.265–275); analyzed as anticausative for causer-unspecified roots by @cite{beavers-udayana-2022}
Active voice meN- form (with allomorph selection).
Middle voice ber- form.
Anticausative / stative / accidental / abilitative ter- form.
Semantic class of the ter- form (@cite{sneddon-1996} §1.265–1.275).
Passive voice di- form.
- rootClass : RootClass
Root class determining default middle reading.
Body-part or lexical NPs that can incorporate with ber-.
- incorporatesDiri : Bool
Whether diri 'self' can incorporate to force reflexive reading.
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- Fragments.Indonesian.Predicates.instBEqIndonesianVerbEntry.beq x✝¹ x✝ = false
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jual 'sell': core example of dispositional/passive ber- middle. Active: Dia men-jual mobil itu. 'S/he sold the car.' (the paper's (6a)) Middle: Mobil itu ber-jual dengan mudah. 'The car sells easily.' ((2b)) Also licenses: incorporation (ber-jual=baju (18b)), reflexive incorporation (ber-jual=diri (26b)).
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masak 'cook': dispositional middle. Active: Dia me-masak. Middle: ber-masak. (the paper's table (4)).
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cuci 'wash': both dispositional and reflexive readings. Active: Dia men-cuci. Middle: ber-cuci. Also licenses body-part incorporation: ber-cuci=mata (18a). (the paper's table (4) and (18)).
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tambat 'tie': dispositional middle. Active: Dia men-(t)ambat kapal itu. 'S/he moored the boat.' ((5a)) Middle: Kapal itu ber-tambat dengan mudah. 'The boat moors easily.' ((5b)) (the paper's table (4)).
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dandan 'dress': canonical natural reflexive. Active: Tono men-dandan Ali. 'Tono dressed Ali.' ((3a)) Middle: Ali ber-dandan. 'Ali dressed.' ((2a)) Body care verb — default coreferent reading. (the paper's table (15)).
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cukur 'shave': natural reflexive. Active: men-cukur. Middle: ber-cukur. (the paper's table (15)).
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jemur 'sunbathe': natural reflexive. Active: men-jemur. Middle: ber-jemur. Optionally takes diri 'self': ber-jemur (diri) (@cite{sneddon-1996} §1.168; the paper's table (15)).
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sisir 'comb': natural reflexive. Active: meny-(s)isir. Middle: ber-sisir. (the paper's table (15)).
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buka 'open': anticausative via ter-. Active: Dia mem-buka pintu. 'S/he opened the door.' Anticausative: Pintu itu ter-buka. 'The door opened.' ((2d)) Change-of-state verb without entailed external cause.
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pecah 'break': anticausative via ter-. Active: Dia mem-(p)ecah jendela. 'S/he broke the window.' Anticausative: Jendela itu ter-pecah. 'The window broke.' ((68)) (the paper's §5, (67)–(68)).
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tulis 'write': stative ter-. Active: Surat itu di-tulis(nya) dalam bahasa Inggris. 'That letter was written (by him) in English.' Stative: Surat itu ter-tulis dalam bahasa Inggris. 'That letter is written in English.' The ter- form describes the resulting state; the di- form describes the action. No agent (oleh) possible with stative ter-. (@cite{sneddon-1996} §1.266).
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bawa 'carry, bring': accidental ter-. Active: Dia mem-bawa koran saudara. 'He carried your newspaper.' Accidental: Maaf, koran saudara ter-bawa oleh saya. 'Sorry, I took your newspaper by mistake.' The accidental ter- form explicitly marks the action as unintended. Contrasts with deliberate di-bawa. Agent expressed with oleh (§1.269). (@cite{sneddon-1996} §1.269, §1.273).
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dengar 'hear': abilitative ter-. Active: Dia men-dengar suara dosen. 'He heard the lecturer's voice.' Abilitative: Suara dosen tidak ter-dengar dari sini. 'The lecturer can't be heard from here.' Abilitative ter- is usually negated, expressing inability. The negated form tidak terdengar corresponds to English 'inaudible'. (@cite{sneddon-1996} §1.272).
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Reflexive roots predict coreferent default reading.
Obviative roots predict disjoint default reading.
jual licenses diri incorporation → reflexive incorporation middle.
cuci has the richest incorporation paradigm: body parts + diri.
jemur 'sunbathe' optionally incorporates diri 'self' (@cite{sneddon-1996} §1.168: berjemur (diri)).
Reflexive-root verbs (dandan, cukur) do not incorporate lexical NPs by default — their ber- forms are already reflexive.
Obviative verbs predict dispositional/passive middles (disjoint).
Reflexive verbs predict inherent reflexive middles (coreferent).
pecah is a break-class verb → participates in middle alternation (change-of-state) and causative/inchoative alternation.
Stative ter- has no agent — the oleh 'by' phrase is impossible (@cite{sneddon-1996} §1.266).
Accidental ter- entails the agent acted nonvolitionally (@cite{sneddon-1996} §1.267: "unintended, unexpected, sudden").
Accidental ter- has an agent (expressed or implied) — unlike stative, which is agentless. Maaf, koran saudara terbawa oleh saya. 'Sorry, I took your newspaper by mistake.' (§1.269).
Abilitative ter- retains transitive suffixes (-kan, -i) from the base verb, unlike accidental ter-, which drops them (@cite{sneddon-1996} §1.272, §1.274).
The causer-unspecified roots from @cite{beavers-udayana-2022} have stative ter- — their ter- forms describe resulting states, not unintended actions or abilities. This connects B&U's root class analysis to Sneddon's ter- classification.
Denominal root class: relational nouns (body parts, kin terms, clothing) that form ber- middles with stative possessional readings. The root names a relational noun, not a verbal action.
Examples: ber-topi 'have a hat on', ber-kaki 'have legs', ber-istri 'have a wife'.
These combine incorporation (the noun head-adjoins to ber-) with object promotion (the possessor surfaces as subject). The reading derives from the relational noun's possession relation π' (@cite{barker-1995}; @cite{beavers-udayana-2022} §4).
- bodyPart : DenominalNounClass
Body part nouns: inalienable possession.
- kinTerm : DenominalNounClass
Kin terms: social/familial relation.
- clothing : DenominalNounClass
Clothing nouns: wearing relation.
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A denominal ber- entry: a relational noun that forms a stative possessional middle via ber- + incorporation.
- root : String
The noun root.
- formBer : String
The ber- form.
- nounClass : DenominalNounClass
The noun class determining the possession relation.
- gloss : String
English gloss.
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- Fragments.Indonesian.Predicates.instBEqDenominalBerEntry.beq x✝¹ x✝ = false
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- Fragments.Indonesian.Predicates.kaki = { root := "kaki", formBer := "ber-kaki", nounClass := Fragments.Indonesian.Predicates.DenominalNounClass.bodyPart, gloss := "have legs" }
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- Fragments.Indonesian.Predicates.mulut = { root := "mulut", formBer := "ber-mulut", nounClass := Fragments.Indonesian.Predicates.DenominalNounClass.bodyPart, gloss := "have a mouth" }
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- Fragments.Indonesian.Predicates.tangan = { root := "tangan", formBer := "ber-tangan", nounClass := Fragments.Indonesian.Predicates.DenominalNounClass.bodyPart, gloss := "have hands" }
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- Fragments.Indonesian.Predicates.istri = { root := "istri", formBer := "ber-istri", nounClass := Fragments.Indonesian.Predicates.DenominalNounClass.kinTerm, gloss := "have a wife" }
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- Fragments.Indonesian.Predicates.suami = { root := "suami", formBer := "ber-suami", nounClass := Fragments.Indonesian.Predicates.DenominalNounClass.kinTerm, gloss := "have a husband" }
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- Fragments.Indonesian.Predicates.adik = { root := "adik", formBer := "ber-adik", nounClass := Fragments.Indonesian.Predicates.DenominalNounClass.kinTerm, gloss := "have a younger sibling" }
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- Fragments.Indonesian.Predicates.topi = { root := "topi", formBer := "ber-topi", nounClass := Fragments.Indonesian.Predicates.DenominalNounClass.clothing, gloss := "have a hat on" }
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- Fragments.Indonesian.Predicates.sepatu = { root := "sepatu", formBer := "ber-sepatu", nounClass := Fragments.Indonesian.Predicates.DenominalNounClass.clothing, gloss := "have shoes on" }
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- Fragments.Indonesian.Predicates.baju = { root := "baju", formBer := "ber-baju", nounClass := Fragments.Indonesian.Predicates.DenominalNounClass.clothing, gloss := "have a dress on" }
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All denominal ber- entries.
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All three noun classes are covered in the fragment.
All 13 verbs in the fragment.
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Every verb has an active meN- form.
Every verb has a passive di- form.
No verb has BOTH ber- and ter-. For B&U verbs this follows from root class (ber- for reflexive/obviative, ter- for causer-unspecified). For Sneddon verbs, ter- serves stative/accidental/abilitative functions on roots that lack ber- forms.
The five ter- verbs in the fragment.
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Every ter- verb has a ter- class assigned — no unclassified ter- forms.
The fragment covers all three ter- classes from @cite{sneddon-1996}.
Every verb's stored meN- form matches the phonologically derived form from @cite{sneddon-1996} §1.5. This proves the stipulated forms are not arbitrary — they follow the regular nasal assimilation rules. If a root or meN- form is changed incorrectly, this breaks.