Abstract
The verbal suffix -ta constitutes a constraint over the overt expression of the agent argument in Mandinka passive sentences. According to the Universal Grammar theta criterion, each argument is assigned one theta role; likewise, each theta role is also assigned to only one argument (Andrew Carnie, 1969). Unlike English, Mandinka constructs its passive sentences by only implying the agent argument (AA) because its overt expression obligatorily renders the sentence ungrammatical. While Denis Creissels (2010) argues that the AA simply remains unexpressed in Mandinka, this study attempts at explaining why the AA cannot be overtly expressed in Mandinka and provide a detailed account for this constraint. In conducting this research, this paper has explored ergativity, intransitivity, and passivity highlighting their main differences in Mandinka. The result shows that the agent argument is demoted instead of being deleted. Functioning as the antecedent of PRO, the AA controls PRO when it is not overtly expressed. The verbal suffix -ta absorbs the agent role as well as the accusative case due to the intransitive value it assigns to the verb, hence the constraint over the agent argument overt expression.
In progress for publication