Ditransitives in British English Dialects

by Johanna Gerwin

What determines whether we say She gave him a book instead of She gave a book to him? The author views this 'dative alternation' as a sociolinguistic variable and explores its distribution across different British English dialects, registers and time frames. It thereby offers a novel, language-external explanation of the choice of one construction over the other and sheds new light on British dialect syntax.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 3110352141
• ISBN13: 9783110352146
• Release Date: May 2014
• Publisher: de Gruyter Mouton
• Length: 251 Pages
• Weight: 1.17 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.1" x 9.2"
• Grade Range: Postsecondary