(Komi-Permyak)
DefArt=Aff
DefArt=Aff: Definite articles are nominal affixes or clitics.
| (1) | nyvka | mun-ö | gortö. |
|---|
| girl | go‑PRS.3SG | home |
| ’A/The girl goes home.’ (L. P.) |
| (2) | nyvka-ys | mun-ö | gortö. |
|---|
| girl‑3SG | go‑PRS.3SG | home |
| ’The girl goes home.’ (L. P.) |
| (3) | kytön | kudymkar-ys? |
|---|
| where | Kudymkar‑3SG |
| ’Where is (that) Kudymkar?’ (V. E.) |
| (4) | talun | pogoďďa | öďďön | bur, | šondi-ys | jugjal-ö. |
|---|
| today | weather | very | good | sun‑3SG | shine‑PRS.3SG |
| ’The weather is very good today, the sun is shining brightly.’ (V. E.) |
| (5) | ućöt-ys | pyzan | vylyn. |
|---|
| small‑3SG | table | on |
| ’The small one is on the table.’ (V. E.) |
| (6) | görd-des | pyzan | vylyn. |
|---|
| red‑PL.3SG | table | on |
| ’The red ones are on the table.’ (V. E.) |
Komi-Permyak grammars do not refer to articles as independent categories in the language. However, it is often mentioned that the third (more rarely the second) person possessive suffixes (Px-es) are used as determiners (cf. Bartens 2000: 122–123, Batalova 2002: 71–72). Depending on context, the interpretation of nouns without a Px can be definite or indefinite (1), whereas those with a Px are usually definite (2). The Px can be interpreted as an affixal article in certain cases, e.g. when the noun has not been introduced into the discourse but is assumed by the speaker to be familiar for the listener (3) or the noun is uniquely identifiable (4). In the case of nominal ellipsis affixal articles can also appear on adjectives (5)–(6). More research is needed on this topic.
Author: Nikolett F. Gulyás
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