Pasivizacija kao strategija subjektivizacije/topikalizacije
Passivization as a subjectivization/topicalization strategy

Summary/Abstract: This paper argues that the subjectivization of the Patient, its marking by the nominative case and agreement with the verb are not necessary features of the passive cross-linguistically, and that therefore these features should not be made a necessary condition on the passive in Croatian. From a functional point of view, which takes the passivization to be primarily a process of Agent suppression with the concomitant topicalization of the Patient, Croatian can be argued to have three passive constructions, each of which has its functional motivation. The cannonical passive cannot be used to refer to an event taking place at the moment of speaking, and the sentences with the subjectivized Patient and reflexive passive morphology are often ambiguous. The functional gap left by these two constructions is filled by the construction with the accusatively marked Patient, reflexive verb morphology and lack of agreement. This construction type enables unambiguous expression of an action in which the Patient is being acted upon by an (un)known Agent.

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