Arts and Humanities
7 years ago

English language evolution reveals surprising origins of possessive 's pattern

ZAS Papers in Linguistics
John his book vs. John's book : possession marking in English
Letizia Vezzosi

Paper Summary

Related papers

Theme background image
Arts and Humanities
4 years ago

New Possessive Construction Unveiled: Stronger Close Possession Between Animate Entities Identified

Linguistic Foundations
Indo-European Studies
1 view
Theme background image
Arts and Humanities
7 years ago

English language evolution reveals surprising origins of possessive 's pattern

Lexicography
Indo-European Studies
Sociolinguistic Variation
1 view
Theme background image
Arts and Humanities
7 years ago

New study uncovers unique possessive structures in rare Ethiosemitic language.

Semitic Languages
Ethiopia-Eritrea Relations
Saharan Migrations

The development of the 's-genitive in English is not just a leftover from Old English but a mix of two patterns: inflectional genitive endings and the construction "John his book." The rules for using 's in English between 1400 and 1650 are the same as those for the possessive-linked genitive. This idea is supported by looking at other West Germanic languages like Afrikaans.