dativecentered

Dativecentered is a term used in theoretical linguistics to describe an approach or analysis in which the dative case or a dative-marked argument is treated as the central organizing element of a clause, especially in ditransitive constructions. In this view, the recipient or beneficiary role encoded by the dative is foregrounded as the core argument that structures the event, with other arguments such as the theme or agent subordinate or mapped around it.

Key ideas in a dative-centered framework include the primacy of the dative argument in determining word order, agreement, and case marking, as well as the prominence of recipient/beneficiary semantics in shaping syntactic structure. Proponents may argue that many cross-linguistic patterns of connection between recipient roles and grammatical marking can be more naturally captured when the dative is taken as the central anchor of the event.

Languages with rich dative marking or syntactic configurations that highlight the recipient or beneficiary—such as certain Germanic languages, or languages with distinctive ditransitive constructions—are often discussed within this perspective. The framework is typically contrasted with accusative-centered or agent-centered analyses, which place the agent or the direct object as the primary structural focus.

Critics note that no single cross-linguistic pattern guarantees a universally dative-centered account, given variation across languages in case systems, ditransitive patterns, and historical change. Consequently, dativecentered is best viewed as a theoretical option within the broader debate on how ditransitives are structured and how recipient roles are integrated into syntax and semantics.

See also: dative case, ditransitive constructions, syntax, valency, argument structure.