Sentence structure of possessor predication
Possessor predication (PsrPrd) refers to possessive constructions in which the possessed item is declared to belong to the possessor, that is, we state that something is possessed by someone. The components of this construction are the possessed (also known as possessee), which appears as the topic (and subject) of the sentence, the possessivizing grammatical strategy, and the possessor, which must appear in the predicate as the comment on the topic.1 (Possessor predicative constructions should not be confused with predicative possessive a.k.a habitive constructions, in which the possessor, rather than the possessed, is the topic.2)
This parameter focuses on positive declarative sentences in indicative mood and present tense with both the possessor and the possessed expressed as a noun, rather than a pronoun. The type of a given possessive predicative structure is determined based on the form of the predicate (grammatical strategy + possessor), often relating it to the form used in habitive possessive constructions, or, more rarely, adnominal ones.
Types:
PsrPrd=Hab: There is no grammatical distinction between possessor predication and habitive constructions.3
PsrPrd=Adn: Possessor predication displays the same structure as that of adnominal possessive constructions.4
PsrPrdWOHab: With the exception of a difference in word order, possessor predication displays the same components and forms as those of habitive constructions.
PsrPrdWOAdn: With the exception of a difference in word order, possessor predication displays the same components and forms as those of adnominal possessive constructions.
PsrPrdKop: The predicate is copular5 with the possessor appearing in its base form.
PsrPrdKopPoss: The predicate is copular, and the possessor appears in the same form as the adnominative, which is distinct from the habitive form.
PsrPrdKopPossHab: The predicate is copular, and the possessor appears in the same form as the habitive form, which is not distinct from the adnominative form.6
PsrPrdKopHab: The predicate is copular, and the possessor appears in the same form as the habitive form, which is distinct from the adnominative form.
PsrPrdKopSpec: The predicate is copular; the possessor is marked by the use of a special form.7
PsrPrdV: The predicate is a lexical verb; the possessor appears in the form required by the verb.8
+Px: The possessed noun appears with a possessive affix.
+NonPx: The possessed noun appears without a possessive affix.9
+PsdSpec: The possessed noun functioning as the topic appears in a form specific to possession but distinct from the basic form.10
When a language displays more than one strategy, multiple values can be listed. If one strategy is dominant, a slash (/) can separate the two values, with the dominant value appearing first; if neither is dominant, they are listed with an ampersand (&) separating the two. The use of parentheses indicates that use of the strategy is not obligatory.
1: Semantic template: Something is somebody’s
2: Semantic template: Someone has something.
3: A language displaying this value may still feature distinctions not based on grammar, such as differences in stress, tone, or pragmatics.
4: Semantic template: Someone’s something.
5: The copula is a verb whose sole function is to link the subject to the predicate. When in doubt (concerning whether there is a solely predicative constituent in the sentence), the copula can be identified by considering sentences in non-present tenses and non-indicative moods. If a non-null predicative morpheme does not appear in these cases either, the language is not considered to fall into this type.
6: This value only applies to languages in which the possessor shows the same morphological form in both adnominative and habitive constructions.
7: A special form may be a case distinct from both the adnominative and the habitive forms, used obligatorily. Examples include the lative, dative, or ablative. Alternatively, the special form may involve the obligatory use of an adposition, or the obligatory addition of a special morpheme that only appears in possessor predication, such as -é in Hungarian.
8: The form required by the verb may be the base form, or a form determined by the verb, with or without an adposition.
9: This supplementary value cannot be marked as optional by bracketing.
10: This parameter can only occur in conjunction with another.