POSSESSIVE NOUN CONSTRUCTIONS IN KET
When describing Ket grammar, a scientist faces a range of controversial linguistic phenomena. It refers to possessive constructions: both noun and predicative possessive constructions. Here are some questions that are being discussed in Ket language studies: how to define the status of the indicator da/d(i) in a noun paradigm, is it a Genitive case suffix or a marker of possession, is da/d(i) a single form for expressing possession or two homonymous forms (Genitive case suffix and possessive suffix), is the indicator da/d(i) a morphological element or a syntactic word? Noun and attributive possessive constructions in Ket have been a topic of a number of studies that open the subject of a possessive category to a certain extent. These are Ket grammar books and articles of Russian (Vall, Kanakin, 1985: 44–46; Vall, Kanakin, 1990: 70–73, 75) and foreign scientists (Georg, 2007: 107–108, 119–120, 165–166; Vajda, 2004: 21–23; Werner, 1997: 104–119, 134–136). Also there is a typological work that discusses possessive constructions in detail (Kotorova, Nefedov, 2006) and a comparative work that considers predicative possessive constructions in Yenisei and Athabaskan languages (Vajda, 2013). This research aims at methodology approbation for describing noun possessive constructions in Ket. The research is based on an empirical method that allows to describe the current language functioning and a quantitative method that strengthens the evidence base and validity of obtained results.
Keywords: Ket, possessive noun constructions, possessive pronouns, possessive clitics, dependent marking, head marking
References:
Vall M. N., Kanakin I. A. Kategorii imeni v ketskom yazyke [Noun Categories in Ket]. Novosibirsk, Nauka Publ., 1985. 56 p. (in Russian).
Vall M. N., Kanakin I. A. Ocherk po fonologii i grammatike ketskogo yazyka [Sketches of Ket phonology and grammar]. Novosibirsk, Nauka Publ.,1990. 101 p. (in Russian).
Kotorova E. G., Nefedov A. V. Tipologicheskiye kharakteristiki ketskogo jazyka: vershinnoe ili zavisimostnoe markirovanie? [Typological characteristics of Ket: head-or dependent-marking?]. Voprosy yazykoznaniya – Problems of Linguistics, 2006, no. 5, pp. 43–56 (in Russian).
Georg S. A Descriptive Grammar of Ket (Yenisei-Ostyak). GLOBAL ORIENTAL LTD, 2007. 328 p.
Vajda E. J. Ket. LINCOM EUROPA, 2004. 99 p.
Vajda E. J. Vestigial possessive morphology in Na-Dene and Yeniseian. Working papers in Athabaskan (Dene) Languages. 2012. Alaska Native
Language Center Working Papers, eds. Sharon Hargus, Edward Vajda, Daniel Hieber. Fairbanks. AK: ANLC, 2013. No. 11. Pp. 9–91.
Werner H. Die ketische Sprache. (TUNGUSO SIBIRICA B. 3). Wiesbaden, Harrassowitz Verlag, 1997. 405 S.
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Issue: 4, 2015
Series of issue: Issue 4
Rubric: LINGUISTICS
Pages: 55 — 61
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