flip-flop predicates

[Dianne K. Patterson]

How about itch? ....as in...."that thing itched me"...at least children
used to say that here in Arizona...perhaps it is a little different
because it has gone from being an intransitive verb...to being
transitive...but I wonder if these things share some feature like shifting
toward a more "normal"?? (for English) thematic relation.  The "learn" (He
learned me to read) sort of structure seems similar...it is a simple agent-
verb-patient sort of structure, whereas our standard use of the word
"learn" is a bit more abstract (the object of the verb is not always a
good example of a patient)...

Just a thought.

Humbly yours,

Dianne Patterson