Was zu beschreiben ist: Towards a taxonomy of German non-canonical passives

German passive(-like) constructions differ from each other in various ways. They have different morphology, passive-subjects, and add certain ‘nuances’ to the interpretation of these constructions. Nevertheless, they are unified by the demotion of the logical subject. In this paper, I will argue that so-called non-canonical passives (NCP) and the core construction, the werdenpassive, share a vPPASS which is responsible for the demotion of the agent. Using criteria developed from both theoretical assumptions and descriptive evidence, I show that the sein-stative, the bekommen-passive and the modal sein zu-construction can be mapped on the core-periphery continuum.