Affiliation:
1. Department of Comparative Language Science and Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Language Evolution , University of Zurich , Zürich , Switzerland
Abstract
Abstract
In this work we are presenting a database structure to encode the phenomenon of differential possession across languages, considering noun possession classes and possessive constructions as independent but linked. We show how this structure can be used to study different dimensions of possession: semantics, noun valence, and possessive constructions. We present preliminary survey results from a global sample of 120 languages and show that there is a universal semantic core in both inalienable and non-possessible noun classes. Inalienables are centered on body parts and kinship. Non-possessibles are centered on animals, humans, and natural elements.
Funder
Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung
Subject
Linguistics and Language,Language and Linguistics
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