Syntactic, semantic and FSP aspects of ditransitive complementation: a study of give, lend, send, offer and show
Abstract
The subject of the present study is an analysis of five ditransitive verbs: give, lend, send, offer and show. The study focuses on the position of the two objects and on the factors that have an impact on the object ordering.
The study also attempts to provide a systematic overview of the position of the two objects with respect to their realization. The position of the objects is assumed to be associated with the distribution of communicative dynamism or in other words with the principle of end-focus.
The second principle that operates in the ordering the two objects is the principle of end-weight. Of the three (or four, including intonation) factors whose interplay determines the FSP function of a clause element, in the case of ditransitive complementation the most important role is played by the contextual factor.
Therefore, particular attention is paid to the context-dependence / independence of the two objects. The study attempts to demonstrate whether the position of the two objects is in accordance with these principles and whether there are other potential factors that might play their roles.