XLVI. StuTS 

(Dative) Experiencer subjects in Indo-Aryan languages

Abstract:

In many languages, verbs assign cases to encode argument roles like agent or patient. Another argument role, which is often encoded in a different manner, is that of the experiencer. A prominent example of this is the dative or experiencer subject construction, where a subject-like argument is marked by the dative case. Dative subjects are very common among the Indo-Aryan languages, which are mostly spoken on the Indian subcontinent. Using examples from the Indo-Aryan languages Marathi, Sinhala, Sindhi and Oriya, this talk explores the various aspects of the behaviour of experiencer subjects, including case assignment and verb agreement, and discusses the contrasts between nominative and dative subjects.