This paper focuses on the main verbs of change in Finnish — muuttaa, vaihtaa and korvata and their frequentative derivatives. The
verbs are analysed within the frame-based approach to lexical typology, which suggests that a semantic field can be divided into several
situation types, or frames. Lexemes map differently onto the frames in the world’s languages, which provides the foundation for the ty-
pological study of lexical systems. According to typological data, we distinguish four core frames for ‘change’: Modification, Replace-
ment, Substitution and Exchange. Modification implies that the Subject changes the Object’s intrinsic qualities (The cook modified the
recipe to make the dish less spicy). Replacement means that the Subject stops using the Object for a certain purpose and starts using an-
other Object instead (I replaced a burn-out lightbulb). Substitution is similar to Replacement but presupposes that the Subject and the
new Object have the same function (He is such a good player that nobody can substitute him). Exchange is a reciprocal act where the
Subject gives the Object to another Subject and receives another Object in return (We exchanged postcards).
We also analyse strategies of direct object coding for muuttaa and vaihtaa, which reveal some additional semantic oppositions.
In Finnish, the distinction between partitive and genitive direct object marking is primarily aspectual. However, we show that the direct
object marking of vaihtaa provides support for distinguishing a separate frame of Switching. This is also bolstered by evidence from
Serbian and Norwegian.