Ditransitivity in Linguistics

Overview

Ditransitivity describes a linguistic phenomenon where a verb can take two distinct objects. These verbs are often called ditransitive verbs. Typically, these objects are a direct object and an indirect object, each playing a specific role in the event described by the verb.

Key Concepts

The core idea is the presence of two arguments that are objects of the verb. Consider the sentence: “She gave him a book.” Here, ‘gave’ is the ditransitive verb, ‘him’ is the indirect object (recipient), and ‘a book’ is the direct object (thing given).

Semantic Roles

The indirect object often represents the recipient, beneficiary, or source of the direct object. The direct object is usually the entity that is transferred, affected, or caused to exist.

Deep Dive

Ditransitive constructions exhibit interesting syntactic properties. The order of the indirect and direct object can sometimes be swapped, often with changes in prepositional marking. For instance, “She gave a book to him” is also grammatical.

The Ditransitive Alternation

Many ditransitive verbs can undergo an alternation, allowing the indirect object to be expressed as a prepositional phrase. This is known as the ditransitive alternation. Not all verbs that appear ditransitive can undergo this alternation.

Applications

Understanding ditransitivity is crucial for:

• Natural Language Processing (NLP): Parsing sentences and identifying grammatical relations.
• Language Acquisition: How children learn complex verb structures.
• Cross-linguistic studies: Comparing how different languages express these relationships.

Challenges & Misconceptions

A common misconception is that any verb with two noun phrases following it is ditransitive. However, the relationship between the verb and its arguments is key. The objects must bear specific semantic roles related to transfer or causation. Argument structure is central here.

FAQs

What is an indirect object?

The indirect object typically indicates the recipient or beneficiary of the action, or the source from which something is taken.

Are all verbs with two objects ditransitive?

No. The verb must inherently allow for two distinct object arguments with specific semantic roles, often related to transfer or communication.

What is the difference between ditransitive and transitive verbs?

Transitive verbs take one direct object, while ditransitive verbs take both a direct and an indirect object.