jeff_l
(Jeff_L)
#1
584 9 Verb phrases and other predications
9.4 Possessive predications
With the possessum as point of departure ('X belong to Υ', 'X be Y's'), we get
a predicate genitive construction involving either a possessive PP (with
Possessor preposition an plus NP) or a pronominal possessive suffix, following
one of the reduced demonstrative forms in (628), which specify the gender-
number of the possessum.
(628) Reduced Demonstratives in Possessive Predication
MaSg MaPl FeSg = FePl
Ί w-1 t-1
For lSg possessor 'is/are mine' the forms are therefore 1-nin, w-i-nin, and
t-i-nin. The latter can mean 'it-Fe is mine' or 'they-Fe are mine'. The full set
of pronominal endings with the MaSg form ι is in (629). The forms are from
T-k, but several were verified for K-d.
(629) Paradigm of MaSg Possessive Predication
person/gender Sg PI
1st 1-nin i-nasnasr
2nd Ma 1-nnaek i-naewaen
2nd Fe Ί-nnaem i-naekmaet
3rd Ma l-nnes,l-nnet i-naesaen
3rd Fe " i-naesnaet
One could argue that the first η in 1-nin and the other forms is
segmentable, and specifically identifiable with Possessor preposition an 'of.
However, the same pronominal forms are also used as ordinary possessor
clitics (§5.2.2), and the segmentability of -n- is questionable.
With both possessed and possessor taking the form of nouns, we get
examples like (630).
(630) e-haen [i η abba-nin]
Sg-house [Dem Poss father-my]
'The house belongs to my father.'
It is also possible to put the possessor in subject position with transitive
verb -νΐυ- 'have' (§9.1.3, and for the irregular morphology §7.3.2.13). One
can further extract the object of this verb, e.g. as a 'what?' interrogative, the
effect being to approximate a predicate genitive ('what does X have?' = 'what
belongs to X?').
