Explaining Siewierska's generalization

Area of Science:

• Linguistics
• Syntax
• Cross-linguistic studies

Background:

• Anna Siewierska observed a cross-linguistic gap regarding indirect object marking.
• Indirect objects in ditransitive constructions can be morphologically unmarked or use prepositions, but not dative case.
• Dative case, when alternating with accusative, is expressed via prepositions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explain the observed cross-linguistic gap in indirect object marking.
• To analyze the double object alternation in ditransitive frames.
• To reconcile German's dative case system with Siewierska's generalization.

Main Methods:

• Syntactic analysis of ditransitive constructions.
• Examination of indirect object generation as either a DP (Dative/Accusative) or PP.
• Comparative analysis across languages, including German and symmetric passive languages.

Main Results:

• The indirect object can be generated as a DP or a PP in the same theta position.
• This analysis prohibits alternation between dative and accusative case on the indirect object, supporting Siewierska's generalization.
• The proposed analysis accounts for symmetric passive languages without treating them as exceptions.

Conclusions:

• The double object alternation is consistently realized with prepositional phrases, not dative case marking.
• The analysis provides a unified account for indirect object marking across diverse languages.
• This research clarifies a persistent puzzle in cross-linguistic syntax.