The semantic effects of the object/oblique alternation in French

This study focuses on French verb alternations in which a direct object can alternate with an oblique argument, as in goûter qqch vs. goûter à qqch. First a syntactic definition of these alternations is provided and a sample of verbs with alternating direct and oblique arguments is collected. Possible semantic counterparts are then envisaged. Finally, cases of semantic identity between alternants are examined and the motivation for their existence in the linguistic system is discussed.