Kohdanneille

Kohdanneille is a hypothetical linguistic concept used to discuss how languages might encode the target or beneficiary of an action separate from the direct object. The term, built from elements associated with a target (kohde) and a directional or recipient function, is employed in typological discussions to explore alternative argument-marking strategies beyond the familiar subject–verb–object pattern. It is not widely attested as a real-world feature of natural languages, but it serves as a thought experiment in theoretical linguistics.

In the kohdanneille framework, the recipient or goal of an action is marked with a dedicated clitic or suffix that signals direction toward the target. This marking is distinct from the object that receives the action and from standard case marking. The idea allows researchers to consider how languages might distinguish multiple participants in transitive and ditransitive events, and how such distinctions could affect word order, agreement, and discourse structure.

Example (hypothetical): in a language that uses kohdanneille, a sentence meaning “I give the book to Maria” might place a recipient marker on Maria or attach a marker to Maria to indicate the target role, in addition to a verb that selects a direct object. The exact realization—suffix, postposition, or clitic—varies by theoretical model, but the key idea is explicit marking of the target separate from the direct object.

Kohdanneille is used primarily as a tool in linguistic theory for examining possible otherwise undemonstrated ways languages could encode beneficiary or directional arguments. It is discussed in contrast to dative constructions, prepositional marking, and alternative ditransitive alignments. See also: dative case, ditransitives, beneficiary marking, object marking.

Note: as a hypothetical concept, kohdanneille is not established as a universal feature of any specific language.