Locative Alternation

Definition:

The locative alternation is a syntactic pattern in which certain verbs allow two different argument structures for expressing a transfer of a substance to/from a location. The two variants are the theme-object frame (“spray [paint] on [the wall]”) and the locative-object (or goal-object) frame (“spray [the wall] with [paint]”). The choice between them affects which argument is most affected.

In-Depth Explanation

The locative alternation is the spatial counterpart to the dative alternation:

Theme-object frame (location is oblique):

• “She loaded [boxes] onto [the truck].”
• “He sprayed [paint] on [the wall].”
• Focus: the theme (boxes, paint) and its path of motion

Locative-object frame (location is direct object):

• “She loaded [the truck] with [boxes].”
• “He sprayed [the wall] with [paint].”
• Focus: the location (truck, wall) as completely affected — the holistic effect

The locative-object frame implies completeness: “load the truck with boxes” suggests the truck is fully loaded; “load boxes onto the truck” doesn’t imply completeness.

Not all verbs allow both frames:

• “Fill the glass with water” ✓ / *”Fill water into the glass” ✗ (only locative-object)
• “Pour water into the glass” ✓ / *”Pour the glass with water” ✗ (only theme-object)

Cross-linguistic relevance:

Japanese doesn’t have this alternation in the same form. Japanese uses particles to mark locations (に, で) and themes (を), and the choice of particle plus verb determines the frame without syntactic alternation:

• トラックに箱を積んだ (loaded boxes onto the truck) — に marks goal, を marks theme
• トラックに箱を積み込んだ (loaded boxes into the truck) — compound verb adjusts meaning

The Japanese approach is verb-specific rather than construction-based: different compound verbs or different particle choices express the distinctions that English handles through syntactic alternation.

Related Terms

• Dative Alternation
• Argument Structure
• Theta Role
• Transitivity

See Also

• Japanese Particles
• Sakubo

Research

• Levin, B. (1993). English Verb Classes and Alternations: A Preliminary Investigation. University of Chicago Press. — Comprehensive catalog of argument structure alternations in English, including the locative alternation.
• Rappaport Hovav, M., & Levin, B. (1998). Building verb meanings. In M. Butt & W. Geuder (Eds.), The Projection of Arguments (pp. 97–134). CSLI Publications. — Theoretical analysis of how verb meaning constrains alternation possibilities.