Possessive constructions of Samburg
Komi
DOI:10.30842/alp2306573716314
Pleshak P. S. Posessivnyye konstruktsii v
samburgskom komi. Acta Linguistica Petropolitana. 2020.
XVI(3): 407–439.
This paper discusses the expression of adnominal possessive
relations in Samburg Komi (Izhma dialect, Komi-Zyrian). Possessive
relations are considered a part of the scale of different adnominal
relations, with splits on that scale being language specific. O ne
of the goals of this study is to identify the adnominal relations
that pattern with the core possessive (kinship, body part, legal
ownership) relations in their encoding. Based on the field data
collected in the village of Samburg, I discuss the structural types
of possessive constructions that can encode possessive relations in
Samburg Komi. I consider such morpho-syntactic properties as
case-marking of the dependent component and possessive marking on
the head. Another goal of this study is to find out what
morpho-syntactic and semantic factors affect the construction
choice. Finally, an additional goal is to compare these data to the
standard variety of the Komi-Zyrian language. I show that only
those relations that involve specific possessors can pattern with
core possessive relations in Samburg Komi in terms of their
encoding. Possessors can be marked with two types of the genitive
case (the first and the second genitive) or with the nominative
case. Samburg Komi also has a set of possessive markers that can
attach to the head noun (possessum) and express the person and
number of the dependent component (possessor). Combinations of
these possibilities produce the whole range of possessive
constructions. The two main factors influencing the choice of a
construction are the animacy of the possessor and the syntactic
position of the possessive noun phrase. Possessive marking of the
head in Samburg Komi is more obligatory than in the standard Komi.
Samburg Komi also has more restrictions on possessor marking. For
instance, the only possible marking for specific possessors in
non-oblique noun phrases is that by the genitive. Moreover, I show
that one of the possessive markers (poss.3pl) undergoes an
interesting functional change: its functions shift from encoding
the plurality of the possessor to the encoding of the plurality of
the possessum.
Keywords
Komi language, possessive constructions,
semantic relations, syntactic position of NP, language change
References
Biryuk 2005
O. L. Biryuk. Morfosintaksicheskie
kriterii vydeleniya poslelogov v uralskikh yazykakh
[Morphosyntactic criteria for identifying postpositions in the
Uralic languages]. Graduate work. Moscow: Lomonosov Moscow State
University, 2005.
Biryuk et al. 2010
O. L. Biryuk, E. V. Kashkin, A. I.
Kuznetsova, M. N. Usacheva. Slovar muzhevskogo govora
izhemskogo dialekta komi-zyryanskogo yazyka [Dictionary of the
Muzhi variety of the Izhma dialect of the Komi-Zyryan language].
Yekaterinburg: Basko, 2010.
Brykina, Sudobina 2005
M. M. Brykina, A. N. Sudobina.
Posessivnye pokazateli v roli diskursivnykh markerov (na materiale
nekotorykh uralskikh yazykov) [Possessive suffixes as discursive
markers (based on some Uralic languages)]. Chetvertaya
tipologicheskaya shkola (21–28 sentyabrya 2005 g., Erevan)
[Fourth typological school (21–28 September 2005, Yerevan)].
Moscow: Russian State University for the Humanities Press, 2005. P.
98–101.
Bubrikh 1947
D. V. Bubrikh. Erzya-mordovskaya
grammatika. Minimum [Erzya-Mordovian grammar. Minimum].
Saransk: Mordovian Book Publishing House, 1947.
Bubrikh 1955
D. V. Bubrikh. Sovremennyy komi
yazyk [Modern Komi language]. Pt. 1. Fonetika. Leksika.
Morfologiya [Phonetics. Vocabulary. Morphology]. Syktyvkar:
Komi Book Publishing House, 1955.
Edygarova 2010
S. Edygarova. Kategoriya
posessivnosti v udmurtskom yazyke [The category of
possessivity in the Udmurt language]. Candidate thesis. Tartu:
Tartu University, 2010.
Feoktistov 1963
A. P. Feoktistov. Kategoriya
prityazhatelnosti v mordovskikh yazykakh [The category of
possessivity in Mordovian languages]. Saransk: Mordovian Book
Publishing House, 1963.
Grashchenkov 2006
P. V. Grashchenkov. Sintaksis i
tipologiya genitivnoy gruppy [Syntax and typology of the
Genitive Phrase]. Candidate thesis. Moscow: Lomonosov Moscow State
University, 2006.
Kashkin 2008
E. V. Kashkin. Posessivnoe sklonenie
v muzhevskom govore izhemskogo dialekta komi-zyryanskogo yazyka
[Possessive declension in the Muzhi variety of the Izhma dialect of
the Komi-Zyryan language]. Nauchnyy vestnik YaNAO. 2008.
Iss. 6 (58). P. 33–46.
Kokla 1963
P. Kokla. Possessiivsuffiksid
mari keeles. Väitekiri filoloogiakandidaadi teadustiku kraadi
taotlemiseks. Tallinn: Eesti NSV Teaduste Akadeemia. Keele ja
Kirjanduse Instituut Press, 1963.
Kolpakova 1988
N. N. Kolpakova. Posessivnost v
vengerskom yazyke [Possessivity in Hungarian]. Author’s
abstract of candidate thesis. Moscow: Lomonosov Moscow State
University, 1988.
Koptjevskaja-Tamm 2002
M. Koptjevskaja-Tamm. Adnominal
possession in the European languages: form and function.
Sprachtypologie und Universalienforschung. 2002. No. 55.
P. 141–172.
Koptjevskaja-Tamm 2003
M. Koptjevskaja-Tamm. Possessive noun
phrases in the languages of Europe. F. Plank (ed.). Noun Phrase
Structure in the Languages of Europe. Berlin; New York: Mouton
de Gruyter, 2003. P. 621–722.
Koshkareva et al. 2017
N. B. Koshkareva, E. V. Kashkin, Yu.
B. Koryakov, O. A. Kazakevich, S. I. Burkova, N. A. Muravev, E. M.
Budyanskaya. Dialektologicheskiy atlas uralskikh yazykov,
rasprostranennykh na territorii Yamalo-Nenetskogo avtonomnogo
okruga [Dialectological atlas of the Uralic languages spoken
in the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous District]. Kaliningrad: Rost-Doafk,
2017.
Kuznetsova 2003
A. I. Kuznetsova. Kumulyatsiya
grammaticheskikh znacheniy v agglyutinativnykh pokazatelyakh:
deykticheskie funktsii posessiva v uralskikh yazykakh [Cumulation
of grammatical meanings in agglutinative markers: deictic functions
of the possessive in the Uralic languages]. P. Suikhonen, B. Comrie
(eds.). Mezhdunarodnyy simpozium po deykticheskim sistemam i
kvantifikatsii v yazykakh Evropy i Severnoy i Tsentralnoy Azii
[International symposium on deictic systems and quantification in
languages spoken in Europe and North and Central Asia]. Collection
of papers. Izhevsk: Institute for Computational Research, 2003. P.
249–259.
Ludykova 2010
V. M. Ludykova. Imya
prilagatelnoe v sintaksise agglyutinativnykh yazykov:
funktsionalno-kommunikativnyy aspekt [Adjective in the syntax
of agglutinative languages: functional-communicative aspect].
Syktyvkar: Syktyvkar State University, 2010.
Mark 1925
J. Mark. Die Possessivsuffixe in
den uralischen Sprachen (Suomalais-Ugrilaisen Seuran
Toimituksia. Vol. 54). Helsinki: Suomalais-Ugrilainen Seura,
1925.
Nekrasova 2002
G. A. Nekrasova. Sistema
l-ovykh padezhey v permskikh yazykakh: proiskhozhdenie i
semantika [The system of l-cases in Permian
languages: origin and semantics]. Syktyvkar: Komi Scientific Center
of Ural Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, 2002.
Nichols 1988
J. Nichols. On alienable and
inalienable possession. W. Shipley (ed.). In honor of Mary
Haas. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter, 1988. P. 557–609.
Nikolaeva 2003
I. Nikolaeva. Possessive affixes as
markers of information structuring: Evidence from Uralic. P.
Suikhonen, B. Comrie (eds.). Mezhdunarodnyy simpozium po
deykticheskim sistemam i kvantifikatsii v yazykakh Evropy i
Severnoy i Tsentralnoy Azii [International symposium on
deictic systems and quantification in languages spoken in Europe
and North and Central Asia]. Collection of papers. Izhevsk:
Institute for Computational Research Press, 2003. P. 130–145.
Pleshak 2015
P. S. Pleshak. Ierarkhiya
odushevlennosti i vybor posessivnoy konstruktsii v mokshanskom
yazyke [Animacy Hierarchy and Choice of Possessive Construction in
Moksha]. E. A. Lyutikova, A. V. Tsimmerling, M. B. Konoshenko
(eds.). Tipologiya morfosintaksicheskikh parametrov. Materialy
Mezhdunarodnoy konferentsii “Tipologiya morfosintaksicheskikh
parametrov 2014” [Typology of morphosyntactic parameters.
Materials of the International conference “Typology of
morphosyntactic parameters 2014”]. Iss. 1. Moscow: Sholokhov Moscow
State University for the Humanities Press, 2015. P. 146–164.
Pleshak 2016
P. Pleshak. Adnominal possessive
constructions in Mordvin, Mari and Permic. Talk at 49th
Annual Meeting of the Societas Linguistica Europaea,
31.08–03.09.2016, University of Naples Federico II, Naples.
Sazhina 2005
N. Sazhina. Possessiivsuse
väljandamise viisid tänapäevase eesti ja sürjakomi keeles.
Magistritöö. Tartu: Tartu Ülikool, 2005.
Sidorov 1945
A. S. Sidorov.
Prinadlezhnostno-ukazatelnye suffiksy v komi yazyke
[Possessive-deictic suffixes in the Komi language]. Candidate
thesis. Syktyvkar: Komi base of USSR Academy of Sciences,
1945.
Silverstein 1976
M. Silverstein. Hierarchy of Features
and Ergativity. R. M. W. Dixon (ed.). Grammatical Categories in
Australian Languages. Canberra: Australian National
University, 1976. P. 112–171.
Simonenko 2014
A. Simonenko. Microvariation in
Finno-Ugric possessive markers. H.-L. Huang, E. Poole, A. Rysling
(eds.). Proceedings of the 43rd
annual meeting of the North East Linguistic Society. Vol.
2. Amherst: University of Massachusetts, 2014. P. 127–140.
Simonenko, Leontev 2012
A. P. Simonenko, A. P. Leontev.
Morfo-sintaksis imennogo kompleksa v finno-permskikh yazykakh:
analiz v ramkakh programmy minimalizma [Morpho-syntax of the noun
complex in Finno-Permian languages: analysis within the framework
of the minimalism program]. A. I. Kuznetsova et al. (ed).
Finno-ugorskie yazyki: Fragmenty grammaticheskogo opisaniya.
Formalnyy i funktsionalnyy podkhody [Finno-Ugric languages:
Fragments of a grammatical description. Formal and functional
approaches]. Moscow: Rukopisnye pamyatniki Drevney Rusi, 2012. P.
262–339.
Keywords
Komi language, possessive constructions,
semantic relations, syntactic position of NP, language change
