dativetoward

Dativetoward is a theoretical label used in linguistics to describe a function of the dative case in which a dative-marked argument encodes towardness—the direction or target of an action. This includes readings such as the recipient, beneficiary, or goal toward which an event is oriented. The concept appears in typological and constructionist discussions of case systems rather than as a universal grammatical category.

Usage and analysis: In languages with a productive dative, the same argument can bear dative marking in contexts of giving or benefaction and in contexts where an action is directed toward a goal. The label dativetoward helps distinguish a directional or target-oriented reading from other dative functions, such as experiencer or benefiactive. Analyses of this function are often theory-dependent; some treat the dative as containing a nested goal structure, while others analyze dative as multifunctional or as a marker that interacts with word order and motion semantics.

Cross-linguistic evidence: Some European and other language families exhibit recipient- or goal-oriented readings associated with dative-like markers in ditransitives or in certain motion expressions. However, since the dative frequently encodes several functions, the toward reading is not universal and may be reanalyzed as a different case, a prepositional phrase, or a separate directional marker in other languages.

Relation to related concepts: Dative case, indirect object, benefactive, recipient, and directional or motion semantics are closely related. The term dativetoward remains descriptive and is not universally standardized; its use varies across linguistic traditions and theoretical frameworks.