POSSESSIVES AND THEIR EQUIVALENTS IN ENGLISH AND CZECH: A COMPARATIVE STUDY
Lida Veselovska
January 2014 

In this paper I compare the morphosyntax of lexical entries called Possessive (POSS) in English and Czech. I demonstrate that both the English and Czech nominal structures contain lexical and functional domains which host elements called Possessives. The interpretation of Possessives in both languages can be related to a universal thematic hierarchy distributing semantic roles between prenominal Possessives and postnominal Genitives. However, although Czech and English structures are rather similar, there are specific formal distinctions between the two, which limit their usage. Then, the languages apply comparable strategies to disambiguate and compensate for the specificity of their respective Possessives. I show that as a result of the formal distinctions in the constituent characteristics in the two languages, semantically and functionally adequate equivalents may be realised using distinct (but predictable) formal means.

Format:	[ pdf ]
Reference:	lingbuzz/003610 (please use that when you cite this article)
Published in:	Nominal Structures: All in Complex DPs, edited by Ludmila Veselovská and Markéta Janebová, 110–33. Olomouc: Palacký University Press
keywords:	english possessive; czech possessive; postnominal genitive; of-genitive, double genitive; thematic hierarchy; nominal arguments, morphology, syntax
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