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PROPRIETIVE SUFFIX -LKAN IN EWEN // Tomsk Journal of Linguistics and Anthropology. 2014. Issue 1 (3). P. 35-42

In this paper, I examined some characteristics of -lkAn, a proprietive suffix in Ewen. Added to nominal stems, this suffix expresses possession. Nouns suffixed with -lkAn (N-lkAn) can function as adnominals, predicates, and adverbials. The semantic extent of the suffix -lkAn is not limited to possession, but covers various other meanings as well. In adverbial usage, for instance, the suffix conveys the meaning of ‘possession at that very moment.’ The other meanings expressed by N-lkan are as follows: (i) ‘An accompanier’, when added to a noun that signifies a person, a personal pronoun, or a personal proper noun (personal name) (in adverbial usage). (ii) ‘Being worn’ or ‘in use’, when added to a noun that signifies clothing. (iii) ‘A quantitative unit’ or ‘an amount’, when added to a noun that signifies a container. (iv) ‘A person’s age’, when added to a numeral. Although the ‘accompaniment’ meaning can be expressed by the comitative case as well as the suffix -lkAn, these two constructions are significantly different. The comitative case suffix can co-occur with a personal possessive suffix, while the suffix -lkAn cannot. N-lkAn can serve as an adverbial either with or without an instrumental case suffix. Without the instrumental case, it means a state of ‘put on’, ‘being worn’, or ‘in use’, whereas with the instrumental case, it does not necessarily imply this state. In addition, there is an abessive form, the aač -LA phrase, which is semantically opposite to the proprietive suffix-lkAn. The meaning of the aač -LA phrase covers ‘absence’, ‘non-possession’, and ‘non-accompaniment.’ The proprietive suffix and the abessive form share certain similarities in that they both have adnominal, predicative, and adverbial usages. However, in terms of morphosyntax, they show some differences; for instance, in the adverbial usage, the aač -LA phrase requires an instrumental case suffix, while N-lkAn can be used as an adverbial either with or without the instrumental case suffix.

Keywords: Ewen, Even, Tungusic, proprietive suffix, possession