objecttaking

Objecttaking is a term found in linguistics used to describe a class of predications in which the direct object plays a central, required role in the meaning and syntax of the verb. In this perspective, the predicate’s valency is organized around the object as the core argument, often coding a patient, theme, or affected participant. The subject is typically the initiator or agent, but the object remains the pivotal element that licenses or grounds the event described by the verb.

The concept is chiefly discussed in discussions of transitivity, valency, and argument structure. In languages with a strong transitive system, many common verbs are object-taking, requiring a direct object to form a complete clause (for example, a verb meaning “to eat” or “to read” that normally takes an object like “eat an apple” or “read a book”). Some languages extend object-taking to ditransitives, where two object-like arguments (a direct object and an indirect object) are licensed, or to constructions where object marking is overt on the verb or case-marked on the noun phrase.

Objecttaking is often contrasted with subject-taking or ambivalent predicates where the role of the object is less central or the event can be described without a specific object. It is a theoretical tool used to analyze how different languages assign valency, how objects interact with agreement and case marking, and how semantic roles influence syntax.

See also: transitivity, valency, ditransitive constructions, argument structure, object marking.