Re: Phaleran Update: Language game; Alienable and inalienablepossession

Quoting Nik Taylor <fortytwo@...>:

> "Thomas R. Wier" wrote:
> >   (4) eluo      kwâl
> >       city.ABS  ward-3Sg
> >       'the city's ward'
> >   (6) hwânto   titlîna
> >       1Sg.INST PL.bear.ABS
> >       'my blackbears'
>
> So, the verb would agree with the possessor in inalienable constructs,
> but the possessed in alienable ones?
No.  I should have glossed (4) better as (10):

   (10) eluo      kwâl
       city.ABS  ward.3Sg.ABS
       'the city's ward'

Possession is only in partial complementary distribution with
case.  "ward" in this example happens to be in the absolutive
case, which is almost always a zero-morph.  If the noun surfaces
with an oblique case, the possessive marker goes either before or
after depending on dialect:

   (11) Puna aiandri      eluo kwâluo       umparinnen
        boys that-INV-FOR city ward.3Sg.DAT reside.INTR.3PlPfRe.SEN
       "I'm given to understand that the boys lived in that ward
        of the city."

So, when the possessed noun takes on a subjective case, either
ergative or absolutive, it will agree with that noun:

   (12) Kwiltrânâs        balyei     Phrâstyumenento
        dissent.AG.PL.BEN pogrom.ABS Council-of-20.INST
        klortabronten
        order.DETR.3SgPfRe.Quot

   'A pogrom of dissidents was ordered by the Coucil of Twenty.'
   (Some examples come from Phaleran history;  sometimes the
   benefactive case can be used for possession if someone is
   greatly affected by the "possession".)

   (13) Dessâ    eultânal     eluowo   xoltiswannen.
        king.ABS slave.PL.3Sg city.DAT transport.TR.3Pl
        "The king's slaves were transported to the city."

Note that even though in both (12) and (13) the two NPs differ
in number, it is always the possessed noun that wins out.

=====================================================================
Thomas Wier          "...koruphàs hetéras hetére:isi prosápto:n /
Dept. of Linguistics  mú:tho:n mè: teléein atrapòn mían..."
University of Chicago "To join together diverse peaks of thought /
1010 E. 59th Street   and not complete one road that has no turn"
Chicago, IL 60637     Empedocles, _On Nature_, on speculative thinkers