passive / locative

[Frans Plank]

Dear David,

although this may not be exactly what you have in mind, further examples of
an affinity of passive and locative are the passive agent prepositions in
Germanic (English BY, German VON), Latin (A(B)), and I assume elsewhere in
Indo-European, which are typically of local (locative, ablative) origin.
(But then, as some might say, what isn't?)

A good source to consult might be Hans Conon von der Gabelentz's book Ueber
das Passivum, whose main thesis is that passive marking is always derived
("grammaticalized") from something else.  If you don't find it in your
bookstore, let me know and I'll check this for you in my copy.  Come to
think of it, it was an Abhandlung of the Saechsische Akademie der
Wissenschaften, so you might soon have a chance to consult it in situ.

Best
Frans