Feature GB253: Can predicative possession be expressed with an S-like possessum and a dative-coded possessor?

Patrons: Hedvig Skirgård

Description ⇫

Summary

This question concerns predicative possession, i.e. clauses that express an ownership relation between a possessor and possessum. This feature concerns clauses where the possessum is the subject of an existential predicate and the possessor is coded as an oblique argument, marked by an element meaning ‘to/for’ or by a dative marker (e.g. car is to me, car is for me, meaning ‘The car is mine’, or ‘I have a car’). The possessor-NP need not be marked for dative case. The dative meaning can be expressed on the verb itself, e.g. with a benefactive extension.

This type of predicative possession construction is known as the ‘dative possessive’, a subcategory of the ‘locational possessive’, in the work of Stassen (2000, 2001, 2003).

Procedure

  1. Find the section on predicative possession.
  2. If no such section exists, search for words like ‘own’, ‘possess’, ‘have’ and ‘belong’.
  3. If there is no information on how predicative possession is expressed in the language, code as ?.
  4. If it is clear that there is a finite verb where the subject is the possessum and the possessor is coded like a recipient/dative object/with elements meaning ‘to/for’, code as 1.
  5. If there are multiple constructions besides this one to express predicative possession, code 1 for this feature and verify whether any of the other constructions are relevant to GB250, GB252, GB254 or GB256.

Examples

Yucatec Maya (ISO 639-3: yua, Glottolog: yuca1254) In Yucatec Maya, there are possessive constructions where the possessor is in the dative case. Yucatec Maya is coded as a 1 for this feature. The verbs yan ‘to exist’ and kabet ‘to need’, a modal auxiliary, may express possession.

a. Yan   ten     uah.
exist 1SG.DAT tortillas
‘I have tortillas.’ (Bolles & Bolles 2014: 116)

b. Kabet ten      uah.
need  1SG.DAT  tortillas
‘I have tortillas.’ (Bolles & Bolles 2014: 116)

Further reading

Stassen, Leon. 2001. Predicative Possession. In Martin Haspelmath, Wulf Oesterreicher & Wolfgang Raible (eds) Language typology and language universals. 954–960. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.

Stassen, Leon. 2013. Predicative Possession. In Matthew S. Dryer & Martin Haspelmath (eds), The world atlas of language structures online. Leipzig: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology.

References

Bolles, David and Bolles, Alejandra. 2014. A grammar and anthology of the Yucatecan Mayan language. Milford, CT: Ms.

Stassen, Leon. 2001. Predicative Possession. In Martin Haspelmath, Wulf Oesterreicher & Wolfgang Raible (eds) Language typology and language universals. 954–960. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.

Stassen, Leon. 2013. Predicative Possession. In Matthew S. Dryer & Martin Haspelmath (eds), The world atlas of language structures online. Leipzig: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology.


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Name Glottocode Family Macroarea Contributor Value Source Comment