What is agent as a semantic role?

Definition
	Agent is the semantic role of a person or thing who is the doer of an event.

Discussion
	An agent is usually the grammatical subject of the verb in an active clause. A prototypical agent is conscious, acts with volition (on purpose), and performs an action that has a physical, visible effect.

Examples (English)
	The boy ran down the street. He was chased by the dog.

Generic
	Agent is a kind of
	What is a semantic role?

See also
	See the following to contrast agent with force:
	What is force as a semantic role?

Sources
	Larson 1984 199–203
	Longacre 1983 156–157

Context for this page:

Concept module: agent
In overview module: Glossary (Linguistics): A
In modular book: Glossary of linguistic terms, by Eugene E. Loos (general editor), Susan Anderson (editor), Dwight H., Day, Jr. (editor), Paul C. Jordan (editor), and J. Douglas Wingate (editor)
In bookshelf: Linguistics

This page is an extract from the LinguaLinks Library, Version 5.0 published on CD-ROM by SIL International, 2003. [Ordering information.]

Page content last modified: 5 January 2004

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