Dativegoal

Dativegoal is a term used in linguistic theory to describe a function of the dative case in some languages, where the noun phrase that denotes the goal of an action—often the recipient or endpoint of a transfer—carries the dative marking. In this use, the dative marks not just a beneficiary but the directional endpoint of the event, aligning with the semantic notion of a goal.

In languages with rich case systems, the dative can encode recipient, beneficiary, or goal in ditransitive clauses. This can contrast with the direct object, which is typically in the accusative, and with spatial or directional constructions that use prepositions. The dative-goal analysis treats the recipient or goal as a semantic participant associated with a particular case marking.

Examples help illustrate the idea. In German, Ich gebe dem Mann das Buch, the recipient of the book bears the dative form dem Mann, which can be interpreted as the goal or recipient of the transfer. In Russian, Я дал книгу другу, the noun in the dative case другy marks the recipient/goal of giving.

Notes and scholarly reception: The term is primarily used in typological or functional descriptions and is not universally adopted in all grammars. Some analyses prefer labeling such participants as the dative of recipient or as indirect objects, arguing that the dative’s primary role is beneficiary rather than goal in many languages. The exact cross-linguistic distribution of dative-goal marking varies and remains a topic of ongoing research.

See also: Dative case, Indirect object, Benefactive, Dative of recipient, Transitivity.