Ditransitives, the Given Before New principle, and textual retrievability: a corpus-based study using ICECUP

Abstract

Ditransitive verbs in English occur in two patterns: a 'standard' verb-object-object form and an 'alternative' complementation pattern - a nominal complement followed by a prepositional phrase. The alternation between these two patterns gives rise to central questions in syntax, among them the distinction between complements and adjuncts and the notion of 'heaviness'. This paper consists of two experiments. Experiment one addresses the question of whether speakers' choice of construction is affected by the medium of delivery employed (spoken or written). Experiment two considers the possibility of applying the Given Before New (GBN) principle to the results from ICE-GB. The GBN principle predicts that (a) the first elements in both double object constructions and their prepositional paraphrases will be given, and that (b) the second NP in a double object construction, and the PP in the prepositional version, will constitute new information.