nondative

Nondative is a term used in linguistics to describe grammatical constructions in which an indirect object or recipient is not expressed using a dative case or a dative-like relation. The concept is employed in discussions of case systems, valency, and ditransitive verbs to distinguish patterns where recipient arguments do not bear a dative marking.

In typological work, nondative patterns can arise in two broad ways. First, some languages lack a dedicated dative case altogether and mark recipient or beneficiary arguments through other means, such as postpositional phrases or alternate case markings. Second, languages that do have a dative case may still realize certain recipient arguments without invoking the dative, using alternative strategies like prepositional phrases, different grammatical roles, or verb-specific constructions. In such contexts, a verb class or construction might be described as nondative if a dative-marked indirect object is not required.

Nondative is not a universally standardized label; its precise definition and scope can vary among authors. Some researchers prefer to use non-dative or to describe the relevant constructions in terms of their specific case-marking strategy rather than applying a broad umbrella term.

See also: Dative case, Dative, Ditransitive construction, Case grammar.