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An ambitransitive verb is a verb which can be used either as a transitive verb or intransitive verb without any morphological marking of its valence alternation.
Semantic groups
The main semantic groups of verbs which tend to be labile cross-linguistically are:
| 1. motion verbs
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| 2. destruction verbs
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| 3. phasal verbs (Bulgarian zapochvam 'begin')
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| 4. sound emission verbs (Russian igrat' 'play', Bulgarian svirja 'play', German spielen 'play', French sonner 'sound, play'
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Examples
English
Malcolm is reading a book. (read is transitive)
Malcolm is reading. (read is intransitive)
Subtypes
S/A aligned ambitransitive verbs
German
| Inge liest ein Buch. |
(transitive lesen has A and P)
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| ‘Inge is reading a book.’ |
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| Inge liest |
(intransitive lesen has an agent-like S)
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| ‘Inge is reading.’ |
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| *Ein Buch liest. |
(intransitive lesen cannot take a patient-like S)
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| *‘A book is reading.’ |
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S/P aligned ambitransitive verbs
English
Carl opens the door. (transitive open has A and P)
The door opens. (intransitive open has a patient-like S)
*Carl opens. (intransitive open cannot have an agent-like' S)
Unaligned ambitransitive verbs
German
| Dietlind kocht eine Suppe. |
(transitive kochen has A and P)
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| ‘Dietlind is cooking a soup.’ |
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| Dietlind kocht. |
(intransitive kochen can have an agent-like S)
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| ‘Dietlind is cooking (something).’ |
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| Die Suppe kocht. |
(intransitive kochen can have a patient-like S)
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| ‘The soup is being cooked (by somebody).’ |
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