This paper investigates the origin of the causative-passive ambiguity. Based on the homophonous nature between causative morphology and passive morphology, there have been claims that the causative-passive ambiguity is pragmatic rather than syntactic....
This paper investigates the origin of the causative-passive ambiguity. Based on the homophonous nature between causative morphology and passive morphology, there have been claims that the causative-passive ambiguity is pragmatic rather than syntactic. The current research, however, reveals that the distinction between a causative and a passive interpretation is purely syntactic.