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8. The diachrony of ditransitives in Vedic Sanskrit

  • Eystein Dahl
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The Diachrony of Ditransitives
This chapter is in the book The Diachrony of Ditransitives

Abstract

This chapter explores the diachronic behavior of ditransitive predicates in Vedic Sanskrit, the language of the so-called Vedas and their ancillary texts, the Brāhmaṇas. Vedic Sanskrit has a relatively consistent nominative-accusative alignment system, allowing for a broad range of object (P) alternation patterns but being more restrictive as regards subject (A/S) realization (cf. e.g. Dahl 2009, 2014a, 2014b, 2019). Ditransitive predicates show three morphosyntactically distinct argument realization patterns. Certain verbs have an indirective pattern, where P selects accusative case and R dative case, a secundative pattern, where P has locative case marking and R accusative, and a neutral pattern, where both P and R receive accusative case marking. Among these, the indirective pattern is predominant, because it attracts a larger number of verbs than the other two patterns. Diachronically, ditransitive predicates remain stable in their argument realization options throughout the history of Vedic Sanskrit. This fact may suggest that lexical semantic factors play a more important role than general linking rules in argument realization in Vedic Sanskrit, at least as regards ditransitive constructions.

Abstract

This chapter explores the diachronic behavior of ditransitive predicates in Vedic Sanskrit, the language of the so-called Vedas and their ancillary texts, the Brāhmaṇas. Vedic Sanskrit has a relatively consistent nominative-accusative alignment system, allowing for a broad range of object (P) alternation patterns but being more restrictive as regards subject (A/S) realization (cf. e.g. Dahl 2009, 2014a, 2014b, 2019). Ditransitive predicates show three morphosyntactically distinct argument realization patterns. Certain verbs have an indirective pattern, where P selects accusative case and R dative case, a secundative pattern, where P has locative case marking and R accusative, and a neutral pattern, where both P and R receive accusative case marking. Among these, the indirective pattern is predominant, because it attracts a larger number of verbs than the other two patterns. Diachronically, ditransitive predicates remain stable in their argument realization options throughout the history of Vedic Sanskrit. This fact may suggest that lexical semantic factors play a more important role than general linking rules in argument realization in Vedic Sanskrit, at least as regards ditransitive constructions.

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter I
  2. Preface V
  3. Contents VII
  4. List of abbreviations IX
  5. Part 1: The nature of ditransitive arguments: the contribution of diachrony
  6. 1. How do ditransitives change? 1
  7. 2. Roles and grammatical relations in synchrony and diachrony: the case of the indirect object 19
  8. Part 2: Ditransitive verbs and construction alternation
  9. 3. The spread of the ad construction in Merovingian Latin: identifying semantic paths in the domain of ditransitives 61
  10. 4. Old Italian ditransitive constructions: between alternation and change 97
  11. 5. The emergence of the dative alternation in Dutch: towards the establishment of a horizontal link 137
  12. 6. Attraction and differentiation in the history of the English dative and benefactive alternations 169
  13. 7. The ditransitive alternation in the history of German: the case of verkaufen (‘sell’) 197
  14. Part 3: Ditransitives between stability and further developments
  15. 8. The diachrony of ditransitives in Vedic Sanskrit 231
  16. 9. Passives of ditransitives: the gradual rise of a Recipient passive in Italian 259
  17. 10. ‘Hit’ semantics and physical sensations: on the development of spontaneous event constructions with Spanish dar ‘give’ 285
  18. Subject Index 313
https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110701371-008

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter I
  2. Preface V
  3. Contents VII
  4. List of abbreviations IX
  5. Part 1: The nature of ditransitive arguments: the contribution of diachrony
  6. 1. How do ditransitives change? 1
  7. 2. Roles and grammatical relations in synchrony and diachrony: the case of the indirect object 19
  8. Part 2: Ditransitive verbs and construction alternation
  9. 3. The spread of the ad construction in Merovingian Latin: identifying semantic paths in the domain of ditransitives 61
  10. 4. Old Italian ditransitive constructions: between alternation and change 97
  11. 5. The emergence of the dative alternation in Dutch: towards the establishment of a horizontal link 137
  12. 6. Attraction and differentiation in the history of the English dative and benefactive alternations 169
  13. 7. The ditransitive alternation in the history of German: the case of verkaufen (‘sell’) 197
  14. Part 3: Ditransitives between stability and further developments
  15. 8. The diachrony of ditransitives in Vedic Sanskrit 231
  16. 9. Passives of ditransitives: the gradual rise of a Recipient passive in Italian 259
  17. 10. ‘Hit’ semantics and physical sensations: on the development of spontaneous event constructions with Spanish dar ‘give’ 285
  18. Subject Index 313
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