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Glite Dictionary
🗣️ Two verb arguments ⚖️ Two logical values 🧪 Two chemical bonds
bivalence

bivalence

9.9
A verb that needs a subject and an object
  • noun
  • /ˌbaɪˈveɪləns/
  • Specialized
translation icon : bivalencia
  • The verb 'give' demonstrates bivalence because it requires both a subject and an object.

Examples

  • Some verbs lose their bivalence in passive constructions, needing only a subject.

  • In linguistic analysis, bivalence helps classify verbs based on the number of arguments they take.

  • The verb's bivalence is crucial in understanding its structure.

  • Many languages exhibit bivalence in their verbs.

  • The verb 'give' demonstrates bivalence because it requires both a subject and an object.

  • In linguistic analysis, bivalence helps classify verbs based on the number of arguments they take.

  • Some verbs lose their bivalence in passive constructions, needing only a subject.

Synonyms

transitiveness
vsbivalence
  • Specialized
9.8

Whether a verb can take an object, for example 'eat an apple'

requires the verb to have both a subject and an object
transitivity
vsbivalence
  • Specialized
8.5

A quality of a verb that shows if it can have a direct object

specifies need for both subject and object rather than merely marking object use

Surface Forms

bivalence singular
bivalences plural

Morphology

bivalence = valence (semi-transparent) = bi + valence

Formed by the productive prefix 'bi-' + the noun 'valence'; the general 'two-ness' is clear but the application to verbs (linguistic technical sense) is specialized.

Etymology

Bivalence has bi- 'two' (like in bicycle) and valence 'capacity' or 'power to hold' (think 'value'), so it describes verbs that need two 'places' — for example, give needs both someone who gives and something given.