Noncausative

In linguistics, the term 'noncausative' refers to verbs or constructions that do not express a cause-and-effect relationship between actions or events. A noncausative verb neither implies that one event causes another nor denotes an agent that brings about a change. It typically denotes states or involuntary actions without external influence.

Noncausative meaning with examples

• In the sentence 'The glass broke', the verb 'broke' is noncausative as it does not imply an external agent causing the action; rather, it represents a spontaneous event that occurs without deliberate impetus.
• In the phrase 'The baby cried', the verb 'cried' is noncausative, indicating a natural expression of emotion rather than being caused by an external factor or agent.
• 'She was sleeping' contains the noncausative verb 'sleeping,' which describes a state of being rather than an action performed with intention or agency.
• Consider the noncausative usage in 'The car stalled', where the verb 'stalled' signifies an event that happened on its own, devoid of any causative agent.
• In 'The flowers wilted', the verb 'wilted' behaves noncausatively, showing the natural process of wilting that is not instigated by an external force but results from internal conditions.