dativelocativeinstrumental

Dativelocativeinstrumental is a term used in linguistic typology to describe patterns in which the semantic domains of the dative, locative, and instrumental cases overlap or are expressed by closely related morphological markers, clitics, or syntactic configurations. The phrase is not a universally standardized category and does not denote a single, widely agreed-upon grammar type. Instead, it points to cross-linguistic situations where recipient/beneficiary (dative), location (locative), and means or instrument (instrumental) interact in linked ways within the noun phrase or with the governing verb.

In terms of morphology and syntax, languages exhibiting a dativelocativeinstrumental configuration may show three related markers that are used across contexts, or a single marker whose interpretation shifts with function, position, or accompanying elements such as postpositions or possessive markers. Some descriptions emphasize a tendency for a single oblique form to carry multiple near-synonymous readings, while others describe a triadic system in which dative, locative, and instrumental endings co-occur or are stacked under specific syntactic conditions.

The functional domain involves typical oblique arguments: dative for recipient or beneficiary, locative for place or position, and instrumental for means or associated instrument. When a language approaches a dativelocativeinstrumental pattern, there is often a close interaction with the verb’s valency, with preverbs, light verbs, or postpositional phrases helping to disambiguate readings. Cross-linguistic evidence for a clean, uniform “DLI” system is scarce; rather, what is observed are overlapping patterns, cross-cutting markers, or constructions where these three case functions are merged conceptually or morphologically in restricted contexts.

See also: case marking, oblique arguments, instrumental case, locative case, dative case.