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Grammar 160

Chapter 4 discusses the formation of possessive nouns and pronouns, focusing on third person possessors in both singular and plural forms. It highlights the tonal changes that occur when adding pronominal morphemes to nouns, particularly for alienable possessions like 'milk' and 'grass'. The chapter also notes the influence of inalienable nouns on the possessive forms and provides examples of various tonal patterns in possessive constructions.

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22 views1 page

Grammar 160

Chapter 4 discusses the formation of possessive nouns and pronouns, focusing on third person possessors in both singular and plural forms. It highlights the tonal changes that occur when adding pronominal morphemes to nouns, particularly for alienable possessions like 'milk' and 'grass'. The chapter also notes the influence of inalienable nouns on the possessive forms and provides examples of various tonal patterns in possessive constructions.

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issa hama
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Chapter 4 Nouns, pronouns, and nominal derivation 147

b. 2Sg wá:↑-y-ò-nôŋ lá:-y-ò-nôŋ bé:-y-ò-nôŋ


~ wá:↑-nôŋ

c. 3Sg à wá:↑-y-ò à lá:-y-ò à bé:-y-ò


~ àꜛ wà: ~ àꜛ bè:

For ‘milk’ and ‘borassus palm’, the 3Sg possessor form can also be unsuffixed, with
no inserted semivowel, hence the variants àꜛ wà: and àꜛ bè:. For ‘milk’ there is also a
parallel 2Sg variant wá:↑-nôŋ. Since the alienable nouns ‘milk’, ‘okra’, and ‘borassus
palm’ are not frequently possessed, I suspect that their short 3Sg and 2Sg possessor
variants reflect the analogical influence of inalienable bà: ‘share, portion’ and mâ:
‘name’ (3Sg àꜛ bà: ‘his/her share’ and à mâ: ‘his/her name’, §4.1.4.2). However, this
influence does not seem to have affected the 1Sg possessor forms (contrast alienable
wá:↑-y-è ‘my milk’ with bà:-y+H ‘my share’).

4.2.1.5 Other third person alienable possessors (3Pl, 3FullSg, 3FullPl)

The third person pronominal possessor morphemes, all proclitic, are added to the
same tonal PossSg form illustrated in preceding sections with 3Sg proclitic à. (153)
illustrates one noun with {H}-toned final/definite singular (‘dog’), and another with
{L}-toned final/definite singular (‘grass’). The unpossessed final/definite singular
forms provide the segmental shape of the PossSg, but the latter undergo tonal
changes.

(153) Third person alienable possessor proclitics

category proclitic ‘dog’ ‘grass’

Fin/Def Sg — háns-ó+H sùb-ò+H

3Sg à à háns-ò àꜛ sùb-ô


3Pl ɲòŋ+H ɲòŋ háns-ò ɲòŋ ­súꜜb-ô
3FullSg ʔáŋgâ ʔáŋgá ꜜháns-ò ʔáŋgá sùb-ô
3FullPl ǹjêy ǹjéy ꜜháns-ò ǹjéy sùb-ô

Final/definite singular háns-ó+H and sùb-ò+H are converted into the PossSg forms
háns-ò and sùb-ô by allowing Tonal Rhythm (§3.9.4.1) to apply and by deleting the
floating H. The 3Sg combination with à is the most transparent phonologically. The
proclitic is optionally upstepped (àꜛ) before a L-toned syllable.
The 3Pl proclitic is associated with a floating H-tone that is realized on a
following L-toned syllable. In the case of a {L}-toned trisyllabic, the 3Pl possessor
form ends up with H.L.<HL> tones, as in hùmbùr-ò+H ‘mortar’, PossSg hùmbùrô,
3Pl possessor ɲòŋ ­húmbùrô. The trisyllabic L.H.L noun dàbár-ò+H ‘stratagem’ has
PossSg dàbár-ò and 3Pl possessor ɲòŋ ­dáꜜbár-ò. In ‘their grass’ from /ɲòŋ+H sùb-

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