allativedativelike

Allativedativelike is a linguistic descriptor used to refer to a case or case-like marking that combines allative (motion toward a goal) and dative (indirect recipient or beneficiary) meanings in a single grammatical element. The term is used primarily in typological and historical studies to discuss markers that encode both destination and recipient in contexts such as transfer verbs (give, send, show) or benefactive constructions. In a language with an allativedativelike marker, a noun or pronoun may bear one morpheme that signals “toward X” and “for X,” or a postposed clitic that is licensed by ditransitive verbs.

Realization and distribution: The marker may be suffixal on the noun, attached to the verb as a clitic, or appear as a postposition. Its exact semantics can vary: some grammars analyze it as a fused allative-dative case, others as a polyfunctional case that alternates with separate allative and dative forms depending on aspect, mood, or animacy. Its use is typically conditioned by ditransitive constructions, motion toward a beneficiary, or directional events with a recipient.

Typology and development: Allativedativelike markers are relatively rare and often emerge through grammaticalization, where a fossilized allative marker broadens to include recipient semantics, or where a dative marker acquires directional force. In many languages, what could be described as allativedativelike is instead realized via a combination of a separate allative marker plus a dative marker, or with case-like postpositions and preverbs.

See also: allative case, dative case, directional case, locative, ditransitive constructions.