The book describes the results of a research over the semantic value and the functions of the Syriac verbal prefix et- and of the et- conjugations. A relevant portion of Syriac verbal syntax and semantics is studied in the light of modern linguistic theories. The author proposes a unified account of the different values that are traditionally attributed to the Syriac et-stems, which are studied as being part of a system of interactions of different syntactical and semantic parameters. These parameters are related to the linguistic category of unaccusativity, which has proven cross-linguistically to be a prominent feature of middle conjugations. The system includes also inner passive participles and pronominal reflexives that are considered both in their opposition and in their contiguity to the et- stems.

Such account descends from a detailed analysis of a number of early Syriac texts, based on the interaction of different parameters, such as voice, aspect, aktionsart and a study of the phenomenon of coreferential dative. The latter is examined with special focus on its combination with the et- stems, in the light of modern theories over the syntax-semantics interface. The Syriac data are set into a broader typological comparative frame, and the study partly follows the path traced by Kemmer’s capital work on middle voice, offering also new material for general linguistic research.