Double object constructions: active verbs

Abstract

In the ScanDiaSyn­survey, certain aspects of double object constructions were investigated. For double object verbs in the active diathesis, the focus was on non­selected or "free" indirect objects. More specifically, the question focused on was to which extent non­prototypical ditransitive verbs can take a recipient arguments realized as noun phrases in a position before the direct object. The general syntax of double object constructions was however not investigated in a great detail. I will therefore first give a short overview of possible word orders in double object constructions in North Germanic, before moving on to the results concerning the non­selected indirect objects in section 2. In Mainland Scandinavian, the indirect object in general precedes the direct object in the verb phrase. The indirect object can also be realized as a prepositional phrase, following the direct object. [1]