(Udmurt)

GenPoss

GenPoss: The possessor, whether noun or pronoun, precedes the possessed noun.

(1)ivan-lenavtomat-ezľektyl-ynšoka-nyödja-z.
IvanGENmachine_gun3SGangryfireINSCOMbreatheINFbeginPST.3SG
’Ivan’s machine gun started firing heavily.’ (Perevoshchikov et al. 1994: 5)

(2)tańitynadavtomat-ed.
loyou.GENmachine_gun2SG
’Here’s your machine gun.’ (Y. S.)

(3)val-ezonton-lenpereśińi (…).
horse3SGAntonGENoldalready
’Anton’s horse is already old (…).’ (Edygarova 2010: 170)

(4)no…oźyikbydesʒ́yt-ezso-lenortć-e.
andsoPCLwholeevening3SGőGENtelikPRS.3SG
’And… so passes his/her whole evening.’ (Asztalos 2018: 171)

In Udmurt, nominal and pronominal possessors usually precede the possessed noun (1)–(2) (Asztalos 2018: 170–174). The reverse order is also attested (3)–(4) sporadically (loc. cit.), with most but not all of the data (cf. (3) listed in the literature containing an inalienable possessee (4). The possessee–possessor order usually goes together with a marked information structure: the possessor is often of low communicative value denoting a participant already introduced into the discourse (Ponarjadov 2010: 28–31, Karpova 2015: 88).

Author: Erika Asztalos


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