Re: a grammar sketch...

On Fri, Sep 29, 2000 at 08:08:00PM -0700, Marcus Smith wrote:
[snip]
> Don't think of the dative as a "secondary" case.  Think of the accusative
> as the lowest-of-the-low.  That is, it is the case that goes to the *least*
> important object.  In a monotransitive that is the only object by
> default.  In a ditransitive, it is the direct object.  The dative goes to
> the "more important" indirect object.
[snip]

OK, perhaps "secondary" isn't the right word. What I was trying to say was
that I find it odd that the recipient of a verb like "to give" is in a
different case (dative) from the object of other verbs, such as "to hit".
To me, the gift isn't the one undergoing the act of giving; it is the
recipient who is the main "experiencer" (or whatever you care to call it)
of the act of giving. The gift is a side-issue that should at least be
treated differently from the "experiencer" of a verb like "to hit".


T