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Article published In: Studies in Language
Vol. 44:2 (2020) ► pp.363–406

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Independent and dependent possessive person forms

Three universals

ORCiD logo with link | Universität Leipzig
Published online: 10 June 2020
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/sl.19020.ye
Abstract
This study explores the coding asymmetry between independent and dependent possessive person forms (as in English mine/my) from a cross-linguistic perspective. On the basis of a typological survey of 70 geographically and genealogically diverse languages, this paper identifies three universal tendencies: the length universal, the constituent order universal and the alienability universal. First, the length universal claims that independent possessive person forms are either longer or as long as the dependent possessive person forms. Second, the constituent order universal claims that the internal constituent order of the person form and the substantivizer correlates with the constituent order of the possessor and the possessum. In addition, in languages where both a composite possessive marker and a composite substantivizer are used, the possessive marker is always closer to the person root. Finally, the alienability universal claims that the possessive person forms in the alienable possessive constructions are more likely to be used as independent possessive person forms than those in the inalienable possessive constructions. These universal tendencies are instances of form-frequency correspondence, which is shown by corpus evidence from three languages.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Comparative concepts and first observations
    • 2.1Main comparative concepts
    • 2.2Main types of independent possessive person forms
  • 3.The length universal
  • 4.The constituent order universal
  • 5.The alienability universal
  • 6.Towards functional explanations
    • 6.1The length universal as an instance of form-frequency correspondence
    • 6.2The grammaticalization cline
    • 6.3Bound and free person forms
  • 7.Conclusions
  • Notes
  • Abbreviations
  • References
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