GIVE and its arguments in Bohairic Coptic

The subject of this chapter is the competition between two prepositional markers of the Recipient, n- (the dedicated ‘dative’ marker) and e- (basically a marker of the allative), as used with the verb ti ‘give’ and some of its derivates, especially performative verbs, in Bohairic Coptic.
The preposition n-/na= appears to be appropriate when the Agent obtains control over the Recipient’s personal sphere (potency, volition, awareness or face) by a transfer of material or symbolic goods or by communicative acts. The preposition e-/ero= can appear when the Recipient’s personal sphere is not accessible for the Agent’s control or when the Agent provokes externally observable reactions of the Recipient without necessarily controlling his or her personal sphere.