Gramática y cognición: el dativo de dirección

Abstract

Our aim in this essay is to analyze from a cognitive point of view the possibility, which verbs of direction present of identifying terms of movement both an a person and a place; that is to say, the question of the relationship between indirect and directional objects when they occur as objects of a verb of movement. A [+human]-featured element, i.e., a person, can be taken as the basis or benchmark after which the movement or path expressed by the verb may be positioned, since verbs of direction may well conceptualize their terms of movement both as a person or a place. Even though the element taken as benchmark is a person, it will be conceptualized with verbs of direction as a place —place occupied by the person itself—. So, in directive structures the person functions as a directional object. Thus, we consider that indirect and directional objects do not behave as two separate and distinct forms functionally, but rather they should be understood as two different notions of one and the same function: that of term of direction.