Theme-goal ditransitives and spatiality: the Black Country

Abstract

Haddican’s (2010) study of speakers of Manchester English suggests that theme-goal ditransitives (e.g. she gave it me; hereafter TGDs) are underlyingly double-object constructions, and that these are most acceptable with pronominal objects. This study assesses whether these judgements hold for an area of the English West Midlands whose exact geographical location is not defined, and which only exists in the minds of those who perceive it: the Black Country. To aid this investigation, I test the significance of sociolinguistic variables alongside a measurement of perceived space, and ultimately show that perceived space, while closely linked to social space, is the most significant indicator of a respondent’s acceptance of TGDs in this area of the English West Midlands.