dativeallativetype

Dativeallativetype is a proposed linguistic typology category describing systems in which a single grammatical marker or a closely related set of markers encodes both dative and allative functions. In such patterns, the dative (typically marking a recipient or indirect object) and the allative (marking motion toward a location or goal) are unified in form or meaning, so the same element can be interpreted as either dative or allative depending on context, semantics, or syntactic position.

Morphology and syntax in a dativeallativetype language often feature a multifunctional case marker or clitic that covers recipient- and destination-related roles. The marker may appear with verbs of giving or sending, or with verbs that express direction toward a goal, and its interpretation is aided by surrounding words, word order, or additional directional particles. Some languages maintain a purely polysemous marker with occasional disambiguation through context, while others use phonological alternations or complementary marking to signal a directional reading.

Typologically, the dativeallativetype is relatively uncommon and is discussed as one possible outcome among diverse cross-linguistic case systems. It is often associated with languages that have extensive case marking, agglutinative or fusional morphology, and flexible word order. Its appearance can reflect historical grammaticalization pathways in which separate dative and allative markers converge, or contact-induced changes that blur directional and recipient functions.

In analysis, scholars emphasize that dativeallativetype describes a pattern rather than a single language, and its boundaries may be gradual, forming a spectrum with more differentiated or more merged case systems. See also dative, allative, case marking, and grammaticalization.