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Prepositional inanimates in Dutch: A paradigmatic case of Differential Object Marking

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Published/Copyright: March 13, 2014
Linguistics
From the journal Linguistics Volume 52 Issue 2

Abstract

In this paper I examine an animacy-related encoding alternation in Dutch generally observed with verbs denoting physical contact. This largely unnoticed pattern in Dutch is reminiscent of the phenomenon of Differential Object Marking (DOM) as attested in a large number of languages. I will argue that the Dutch pattern should indeed be interpreted as DOM albeit of a specific type. I claim Dutch DOM to be an instance of paradigmatic DOM used to signal a thematic difference between two groups of objects, that of animate and inanimate ones. Crucially, animate, but not inanimate, undergoers exhibit the property of sentience, a predicate entailment shown to be associated with the undergoer argument of physical contact verbs in Dutch.

Keywords: animacy; contact verbs; Dutch; Differential Object Marking; proto-roles
Published Online: 2014-3-13
Published in Print: 2014-3-1

©2014 by Walter de Gruyter Berlin/Boston

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Introduction
  3. A typological perspective on Differential Object Marking
  4. Differential Object Marking and identifiability of the referent: A study of Mandarin Chinese
  5. Differential object marking in Neo-Aramaic
  6. Differential Object Marking in Corsican: Regularities and triggering factors
  7. Pragmatic direct object Marking in Eastern Mansi
  8. Identifiability, givenness and zero-marked referential objects in Komi
  9. Prepositional inanimates in Dutch: A paradigmatic case of Differential Object Marking
  10. Cross-categorial scalar properties explaining Differential Object Marking
  11. Differential Object Marking in Ancient Greek
  12. Differential argument realization in Abui
https://doi.org/10.1515/ling-2013-0069
Keywords for this article
animacy; contact verbs; Dutch; Differential Object Marking; proto-roles

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Introduction
  3. A typological perspective on Differential Object Marking
  4. Differential Object Marking and identifiability of the referent: A study of Mandarin Chinese
  5. Differential object marking in Neo-Aramaic
  6. Differential Object Marking in Corsican: Regularities and triggering factors
  7. Pragmatic direct object Marking in Eastern Mansi
  8. Identifiability, givenness and zero-marked referential objects in Komi
  9. Prepositional inanimates in Dutch: A paradigmatic case of Differential Object Marking
  10. Cross-categorial scalar properties explaining Differential Object Marking
  11. Differential Object Marking in Ancient Greek
  12. Differential argument realization in Abui
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