View source for Possessive constructions in Norwegian

This page relates to the application '''A Norwegian Grammar Sparrer''', see [[A Norwegian Grammar Sparrer]].

On clicking on the icon below, you will come to the Sparrer:  

[[File:Troll1.jpeg‎|100px|link=http://regdili.hf.ntnu.no:8081/studentAce/parse]], 

Instructions for its use are found at [[Classroom:Norwegian Grammar Checking]]



The notion '''''Possessive construction''''' here subsumes constructions with '''''possessive pronouns''''', and with NPs with an '''''-s''''' attached at the end (without apostrophe). We describe these in turn.



===Forms of Possessive pronouns===
Possessive pronouns come in three patterns:

'''Pattern 1''' uses essentially a personal pronoun plus ''-s'' (see [[Personal pronouns in Norwegian]]); these forms have no inflection reflecting  the noun for the item ''possessed'' (as opposed to patterns 2 and 3): 
  '''''hans''''' ('his'),
  '''''hennes''''' ('her'), 
  '''''dens''''' ('its'), when the noun for the possessor is masculine or feminine gender, 
  '''''dets''''' ('its'), when the noun for the possessor is neuter gender, 
  '''''dennes''''' ('this one's'), when the noun for the possessor is masculine or feminine gender,
  '''''dettes''''' ('that one's'), when the noun for the possessor is neuter gender, 
  '''''deres''''' (your', plural), when the possessor is second person (the ones talked to), 
        OR
         ('their', plural), when the possessor is third person (what is talked about).


'''Pattern 2''' is constituted by 
  '''''min''''' ('my'), when the possessor is first person singular,
  '''''din''''' ('your') when the possessor is second person singular,
  '''''sin''''' (reflexive 'his', 'her') when the possessor is third person singular, 

and these forms inflect as follows reflecting  the noun for the item '''''possessed''''':
 when the noun for the item possessed is a masculine singular noun:  '''''min''''',  '''''din''''',  '''''sin'''''
 when the noun for the item possessed is a feminine singular noun: '''''mi''''',  '''''di''''',  '''''si'''''
 when the noun for the item possessed is a neuter singular noun: '''''mitt''''', '''''ditt''''', '''''sitt'''''
 when the noun for the item possessed is a plural noun, any gender: '''''mine''''', '''''dine''''', '''''sine'''''


'''Pattern 3''' has one item, '''''vår''''' ('our'), for first person plural, which has the pattern:
. 
 when the noun for the item possessed is a masculine singular noun:  '''''vår'''''
 when the noun for the item possessed is a feminine singular noun: '''''vår'''''
 when the noun for the item possessed is a neuter singular noun: '''''vårt'''''
 when the noun for the item possessed is a plural noun, any gender: '''''våre'''''

===Constructions using possessive pronouns===


'''''1. 'Possessive pronouns occurring before the noun'''
'''

Possessive pronouns occupy the position otherwise held by the definite article, and they may be said to induce a definiteness effect in that they require the ''weak'' form of the adjective. Contrary to the definite article, however, the ensuing noun has to be in ''indefinite'' form. 

In the display below (here '''PNposs''' stands for the word class 'possessive pronoun', which '''''mine''''' belongs to), note that when the first example includes 
 min	e
 1sg	PL
 PNposs
where 'sg' means 'singular' and 'PL' means 'plural', this is no contradiction: the non-colored '1sg' expresses that the item referred to is the speaker, and a single person, whereas 'PL' in blue-colored script means that ''mine'' stands in an agreement relation to a plural noun:
<Phrase>422005</Phrase>
<Phrase>422008</Phrase>
<Phrase>422011</Phrase>

In general, the 'blue' items reflect properties of grammatical form, and the 'green' items are word classes ('parts of speech' - ''POS''), whereas the non-colored parts expose ''meaning'' and the spelled form. When in the description of the word '''''min''''' in the last example, meaning and blue stand together as follows,
 1sgSG
that is because the form ''min'' is not split in two parts (''morphs'') where one gives the meaning '1sg' and the other the grammatical form 'singular' - here the form ''min'' counts by itself as an expression both of the meaning 'speaker, singular' and of the grammatical property 'singular', and in such a case the two symbols stand without space between them. 

The same principle applies in the annotation of the noun '''''griser'''''
 griser
 gris	er
 pig	PL.MASC.INDEF
 N

where in this case the inflection morph '''''er''''' contains all of the information ''plural'', ''masculine'' and ''indefinite'', symbolised by the blue expressions '''PL''', '''MASC''', and '''INDEF''', separated only by a dot (which may not be visible).
 


''''2. 'Possessive pronouns occurring after the noun'''''

For possessive pronouns, another position of occurrence is immediately ''after'' the noun, which then has to be in definite form:

<Phrase>422015</Phrase>
<Phrase>422016</Phrase>


'''''3. Possessive pronoun occurring behind a possessor NP, and before the noun'''''

This construction is illustrated below: a full NP comes first, then the third person reflexive possessive pronoun, and then the 'possessed' noun.

<Phrase>422017</Phrase>

===Possessive NPs with '''''-s''''' or with a preposition===

The first example shows a proper name with the -s attached, preceding the 'possessed' noun. Notice that there is no apostrophe between the proper name and the -s:
<Phrase>422018</Phrase>

The next example shows the same pattern, but now with a whole noun phrase preceding the -s; the -s simply attaches to the last word of the noun phrase, no matter what it happens to be:
<Phrase>422019</Phrase>

The following example shows that once one is using this pattern, an adjective between the possessive NP and the possessed noun must be in definite form, whereas the possessed noun has no definite article attached; this is like in the first pattern with possessive pronouns:
<Phrase>422020</Phrase>

The last example illustrates a pattern where the possessive noun phrase follows a preposition, this prepositional phrase following the 'possessed' noun. If an article and adjective is used, they must be in definite form.
<Phrase>422021</Phrase>



===Related pages===
[[The Noun Phrase - Norwegian]]

[[Agreement in Norwegian noun phrases]]

[[Definite determiners in Norwegian]]

[[Gender in Norwegian nouns]]

[[Coordination marking in Norwegian]]

[[Sentence syntax - Norwegian]]

[[Subject-Verb Inversion in Norwegian]]

[[Sentence adverbials in Norwegian]] 

[[Verb Complementation - Norwegian]]

[[Infinitives in Norwegian]]

[[Past and Perfective patterns in Norwegian]]

[[Personal pronouns in Norwegian]]

[[Reflexives - Norwegian]]



--[[User:Lars Hellan|Lars Hellan]] ([[User talk:Lars Hellan|talk]]) 21:04, 27 December 2015 (CET)

[[Category:Norwegian Grammar]]