Definition
Instrument is the semantic role of an inanimate thing that an agent uses to implement an event. It is the stimulus or immediate physical cause of an event.
Discussion
Instrument words are usually nouns occurring in the noun phrase of a clause:
- Someone cut the bread with a knife.
In some languages, the noun occurs in a second clause or serial verb construction:
- Someone took a knife (and) cut the bread.
Examples
(English)
- The cook cut the cake with a knife.
- She used a crayon to scribble a note.
- That window was broken by a hammer.
Sources 2
- Larson 1984, 199–203
- Longacre 1983, 159–161