Abstract The article addresses the basic valency orientation of Gothic. The data is analyzed mainly qualitatively, but, differently from previous similar studies, an insight is given into a quantitative model further supporting the findings of the first analysis. Whereas the only transitivizing strategy found is causativization through Go. -ja- (< PIE *-éi̯e/o-), three detransitivizing strategies are employed: voice alternation, reflexivization, and na-derivation. The last-mentioned strategy pairs with ja-derivation to make up one of the two non-oriented means of encoding the anticausative alternation, the other being suppletion. A summary of the key findings is as follows. The passive voice appears to play a role, albeit marginal, as the noncausal element of the anticausative alternation. Out of the other two detransitivizing strategies, na-verbs are productive in East and North Germanic. Based on the Gothic evidence, na-verbs with specialized nonagentive meaning are formed primarily to roots whose semantics preferably selects for inanimate S/O’s. Following the extension to verbal roots of opposite alignment, the formation becomes a competitor to the reflexive construction. As a result of rise in productivity, na-verbs are selected to encode the noncausal end of the anticausative alternation, eventually ousting the reflexive construction as a competitor to the middle.
Tarsi et al. (Fri,) studied this question.