Impersonal passives in icelandic

Abstract

This paper argues that /celandic impersonal passives have a constructional property that expresses generic events. After having demonstrated their basic characteristics, it is shown that the notion of 'activity' is inadequate for the explanation of why the construction is licensed. The behaviour of the adverbial ser moovitandi is diagnosed to show indefiniteness tied up with the construction.

Keywords

• Impersonal passives in icelandic