dative shift

noun
/ˈdeɪtɪv ʃɪft/

Definitions

  1. Relocation of the indirect object of a ditransitive verb from a prepositional phrase to a…

    Relocation of the indirect object of a ditransitive verb from a prepositional phrase to a core argument or vice versa.

    • The clauses "I'll throw you the ball" and "I'll throw the ball to you" are related by dative shift.
  2. Of a language, dialect, or specific verb, a feature where indirect objects can be given…

    Of a language, dialect, or specific verb, a feature where indirect objects can be given not only in prepositional phrases, but alternatively as core arguments.

    • English "to donate" exhibits dative shift only in some dialects; while "I donate clothes to them" is universally accepted, some dialects reject "I donate them clothes" as ungrammatical, or at least unnatural-sounding.

The neighborhood

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for dative shift. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA