#Double object constructions with -kan and with no suffix


#This document presents transitive verbs that take two objects.
#The verb that takes only one object is called monotransitive, whereas
#the verb that takes two objects is called ditransitive. The document
#discusses verbal suffix -kan which changes a monotransitive verb into a 
#ditransitive verb. 

#Notes: We are not concerned here with suffix -i and the verbs that can take
#both suffix -i and suffix -kan. The discussion of the verbs that can take
#both suffixes is presented in files 25 to 29. 

#Monotransitive

#The monotransitive verbs take only one (direct) object.
#The verbs indicate that the subject performs the action very 
#likely for himself (Dardjowidjoyo, 1978:118).

#1

Ayah membeli mobil baru 

#father MEN-buy car new
#Father bought a new car

#2

Susan mencari kunci garasi 

#Susan MEN-look.for key garage
#Susan is looking for the garage key 

#3

Kami membawa kotak surat

#1PL.EXCL MEN-carry box letter
#We carried a letter box 

#4

Dia memilih kemeja putih

#3SG MEN-choose shirt white
#He chose a white shirt
 
#5

Hannah mencuci mobil ini

#Hannah MEN-wash car this  
#Hannah washed this car


#Ditransitive

#In ditransitive sentences the verbs have suffix -kan. 
#Suffix -kan indicates that the subject performs the action for 
#someone else. Thus, they can have the presence of
#another object which is called indirect object. 

#6

Saya membeli mobil itu

#1SG MEN-buy car that
#I bought the car

#7

Saya membelikan mobil itu untuk Susan

#1SG MEN-buy-kan car that for Susan
#I bought the car for Susan  

#The direct object is obligatory, whereas the indirect object is optional.
#The absence of an indirect object in (8) below still implies the benefactive
#effect. 
 
#8

Saya membelikan mobil itu  

#1SG MEN-buy-kan car that
#I bought the car  (not for myself but for someone else)


#Verbs having two objects as above are called ditransitive,meaning
#'having the possibility of two objects'. Most of ditransitive verbs
#in Indonesian are marked by suffix -kan.
#Sneddon suggests two basic functions of suffix -kan:
#marking the object as patient and
#marking the object as beneficiary


#The following verbs take benefactive suffix -kan. 


#beli 'to buy'
#buat 'to make'
#baca 'to read'
#cari 'to look for'
#bawa 'to take'
#buka 'to open'
#ambil 'to take'
#tulis 'to write'
#minta 'to request'
#tutup 'to close'
#pegang 'to hold'
#panggil 'to call'
#masak 'to cook'
#jual 'to sell'
#jahit 'to sew'
#isi 'to fill'
#tawar'to offer'
#ketik 'to type'
#bayar 'to pay'
#gambar 'to draw'
#cuci 'to wash'
#saji 'to serve someone with food or dirink'
#tunggu 'to wait for'


#In the benefactive construction there are two objects. The one immediately
#follow the verb is the Indirect object, which identifies the beneficiary;
#the second is the direct object, which indicates the patient.  


#The structure of the word order of bitransitive sentences is:
#SUBJECT PREDICATE (MEN-verb.base-kan) Indirect Object  Direct Object.


#The examples below illustrated simple transitive verbs and their 
#benefactive counterparts:

#9

Susan mengambil segelas anggur

#Susan MEN-take one-glass wine
#Susan took a glass of wine

#10

Susan mengambilkan tamunya segelas anggur

#Susan MEN-take guest-3SG one-glass wine
#Susan brought her guest a glass of wine
 
 
#11

Ibu menjahit kemeja

#mother MEN-sew shirt
#Mother sewed a shirt
 

#12

Mother menjahitkan saya kemeja

#mother MEN-sew 1SG shirt
#Mother sewed me a shirt
 

#Here are more examples:

#13

Saya membelikan Rudi buku

#1SG MEN-buy Rudi book
#I bought Rudi a book

#14

Mereka membuatkan saya teh

#3PL MEN-make 1SG tea
#They made me some tea

#15

Kami membacakan anak-anak itu cerita

#1PL.EXCL MEN-read child-REDUP story
#We read the children a story


#16

Pamannya mencarikan Tono pekerjaan

#uncle-3SG MEN-look.for-kan Tono PE-work-AN
#His uncle tried to find Tono a job


#17

Temannya membawakan saya buku

#friend-3SG MEN-carry-kan 1SG book
#His friend brought me some books 
 

#Note that when an indirect object follows a direct object,
#a preposition must precede the indirect object.


#18

Pamannya mencarikan pekerjaan untuk Tono 

#uncle-3SG MEN-look.for-kan PE-work-AN for Tono 
#His uncle tried to find a job for Tono 


#19

Temannya membawakan buku untuk saya 

#friend-3SG MEN-carry-kan book for 1SG 
#His friend carried some books for me

#The structure of the word order of bitransitive sentences (18) and (19) is:
#SUBJECT PREDICATE (MEN-verb.base-kan) Direct Object PREP Indirect Object.
 

#The sentences will be ungrammatical if the preposition is omitted.


#Ungrammatical:


#20

Pamannya mencarikan pekerjaan Tono (0! 0 0 0) 

#uncle-3SG MEN-look.for-kan PE-work-AN Tono 
#His uncle tried to find a job for Tono 


#Ungrammatical:


#21

Temannya membawakan buku saya (0! 0 0 0) 

#friend-3SG MEN-carry-kan book 1SG 
#His friend carried some books for me


#NO SUFFIX

#Sarumpaet (1977:69) suggests that the transitive verbs can have two objects
#without any suffixes attached to them. He proposed the following structure:

#Structure: Subject   me+verb.base    Direct Obj   prep  prepos.Obj


#Some of Sarumpaet's (1977) examples are presented below:

#22

Saya membeli buku untuk Ali

#1SG MEN-buy book for Ali
#I bought a book for Ali 

#23

Mereka membuat teh untuk saya

#3PL MEN-make tea for 1SG
#They made some tea for me

#24

Ayahnya membaca cerita untuk  anak itu

#father-3SG MEN-read story for child that 
#His father read a story to the boy 

#25

Pamannya mencari pekerjaan untuk -nya

#uncle-3SG MEN-look.for PE-work-an for-3SG
#His uncle tried to find a job for  him 


#We argue that the examples presented cannot support the structure
#that Sarumpaet proposed above. We consider the prepositional
#constructions in (22) to (25) as adjuncts.For the sentences
#to have two subjects, suffix -kan must be attached to the verbs.
#Without suffix -kan the verbs can only indicate that their subjects 
#perform the actions for themselves. Observe the examples below:


#26

Saya membeli buku  

#1SG MEN-buy book  
#I bought a book  


#27

Mereka membuat teh  

#3PL MEN-make tea  
#They made some tea  


#28

Ayahnya membaca cerita  

#father-3SG MEN-read story  
#His father read a story  


#29

Pamannya mencari pekerjaan 

#uncle-3SG MEN-look.for  
#His uncle tried to find a job  


#Now observe sentences (26) to (29) with the addition of suffix -kan
#to their verbs.


#30

Saya membelikan buku  

#1SG MEN-buy book  
#I bought a book (not for myself but for someone else) 


#31

Mereka membuatkan teh  

#3PL MEN-make tea  
#They made some tea  (not for themself but for other people) 


#32

Ayahnya membacakan cerita  

#father-3SG MEN-read story  
#His father read a story  (not for himself but for someone else) 


#33

Pamannya mencarikan pekerjaan 

#uncle-3SG MEN-look.for  
#His uncle tried to find a job (not for himself but for someone else)  

#These examples support Sneddon's arguments about two basic functions of
#suffix -kan (1) marking the object as patient and (2) marking the object 
#as beneficiary.

#There are two structures that can be used for ditransitive sentences:

#Structure 1:

#SUBJECT PREDICATE (MEN-verb.base-kan) Indirect Object  Direct Object.

#34

Mereka membuatkan saya teh 

#3PL MEN-make 1SG tea 
#They made me some tea  

#Structure 2:

#SUBJECT PREDICATE (MEN-verb.base-kan) Direct Object PREP Indirect Object  .

#35

Mereka membuatkan teh untuk saya   

#3PL MEN-make tea for 1SG
#They made some tea for me
 


#References: 
#Dardjowidjojo,Soenjono, Sentence patterns of Indonesian,
#University Press of Hawaii, Honolulu, 1978 (pp. 38, 39, 
#117-118, 368-369).   


#Sarumpaet, Jan,P. The Structure of Bahasa Indonesia,
#Sahata Publications, Melbourne, 1977 (pp.68-75).

#Sneddon, James, N.INDONESIAN: A Comprehensive Grammar, Roudledge, London,
#1966.