(Udmurt)
PossClass
PossClass: Possessive classification is a feature of the language: multiple strategies exist for the expression of possession, and their use is determined by lexical features.
| person and number of possessors | kart ’husband’ | ki ’hand’ |
|---|---|---|
| Sg1 | kart-e | ki-y |
| Sg2 | kart-ed | ki-yd |
| Sg3 | kart-ez | ki-yz |
Possessive person marking of kart ’husband’ and ki ’hand’ with a singular possessor and possessee
In Udmurt the possessee of a possessive construction usually carries possessive person marking. Most of the singular nominals with the possessee in nominative case have the suffix -(j)e, -(j)-ed, or -(j)ez to indicate a singular possessor. For a smaller group of nominals – such as certain body parts, kinship terms, temporal expressions, etc. – the suffixes indicating singular possessors are -y, -yd, -yz (obligatory for some nominals, optional for others in present-day Udmurt). The group of nouns taking the -y, -yd, -yz suffix cannot be determined based on solely phonetic or semantic criteria (not every body part, kinship term, or temporal expression uses this way of possessive person marking), that is, the possessive paradigm is lexically determined.
Author: Erika Asztalos