3. Passivisation in Northeastern Neo-Aramaic

This chapter provides an overview of the valency reducing devices in Northeastern Neo-Aramaic (NENA) dialects, spoken by Jewish and Christian communities of southeastern Turkey, northern Iraq and western Iran. This study highlights the loss of historical voice morphology and the emergence of innovative passive-like constructions. ​ It discusses the extension of inchoative constructions to the passive, the use of auxiliaries (become, be, come), and the influence of neighbouring Iranian languages on passive constructions and valency alternations, particularly in the patient orientation of the infinitive and the use of complex predicates (also known as light verb constructions). ​ The chapter also discusses ergative-like patterns and agentless constructions, offering insights into the typological and areal dimensions of NENA agentless verbal forms and the oblique case-marking of agents.