Typecraft v2.5
Jump to: navigation, search

Possessive constructions in Norwegian

Revision as of 18:50, 20 December 2015 by Lars Hellan (Talk | contribs) (Constructions using possessive pronouns)

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:

Troll1.jpeg,

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


Possessive construction here subsumes constructions with possessive pronouns and with NPs with an -s attached at the end (without apostrophe).

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, note hat when the first example includes

min	e
1sg	PL

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:

mine griser
mine
mine
1sgPL
PNposs
griser
griser
pigPLMASCINDEF
N
mine tre små griser
mine
mine
1sgPL
PNposs
tre
tre
three
NUM
små
små
smallPL
ADJ
griser
griser
pigPLMASCINDEF
N
min glade gris
min
min
1sgSG
PNposs
glade
glade
gladDEF
ADJ
gris
gris
pig
N


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:

grisen min
grisen
grisen
pigDEFMASCSG
N
min
min
1sgSG
PNposs
den glade grisen min
den
den
DEFMASCSG
DET
glade
glade
gladDEF
ADJ
grisen
grisen
pigDEFMASCSG
N
min
min
1sgSG
PNposs


3. Possessive pronoun occurring before the noun, together with a possessor NP

Possessive NPs with -s

TO BE WRITTEN

den rike bondens (tre) (små) griser

den rike bondens (lille) gris

  • den rike bondens (tre) (små) grisene