What is experiencer as a semantic role?

Definition
	Experiencer is the semantic role of an entity (or referent) which
	receives accepts experiences, or undergoes the effect of an action.

Discussion
	Normally an experiencer is an entity that receives a sensory impression, or in some other way is the locus of some event or activity that involves neither volition nor a change of state.

Examples (English)
	He was scared. Lucretia saw the bicycle. It was Bill who smelled the bacon first. The explosion was heard by everyone.

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

Sources
	Longacre 1983 155
	Payne, T. 1997a 50

Context for this page:

Concept module: experiencer
In overview module: Glossary (Linguistics): E
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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