Chapter 15 Voice and possibility
The passive se
Voice is the sentence's stagecraft: it decides who stands in the light. An active clause puts the actor there. se turns the light onto the patient instead and allows the actor to leave the stage.
mia womu lorima.
1SG home build.
womu se lorima.
home PASS build.
The house now occupies subject position. The builder is absent, and se marks the changed voice before the verb.
What the passive can do
The passive is useful when the actor is unknown, when the result is the current topic, or when the affected participant needs to remain at the centre of the account.
nophi se kealo. — The story is created.
lopia se naphe. — The child is helped.
Neither sentence says who acted. That omission is information, not courtesy. It may be harmless when no actor is known, or dangerous when a vague passive conceals who caused harm. Peace-oriented speech does not require an accusation before facts are established, but it also does not buy calm by erasing agency.
When responsibility matters, an active clause names the actor. When the actor is unknown, the clause states what is known without inventing one. se gives both choices a clear grammar; the choice remains with the speaker.
Position in Slot 1
Voice follows tense and aspect:
| Phi | English |
|---|---|
womu to se lorima. | The house was built. |
womu so se lorima. | The house will be built. |
womu to si se lorima. | The house was being built. |
womu so ki se lorima. | The house will have been built. |
The one permitted voice pair is se ka, the passive of a causative:
lopia se ka nulae. — The child is made to sleep.
The passive determines whose place becomes the subject. Tense and aspect retain their own work, and the social consequences wait for the fuller account.