Difference between revisions of "Possessive constructions in Norwegian"

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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:  hans ('his'), hennes ('her'), dens ('its', masc and fem.), dets ('its', neut.), 
dennes ('this one's', masc and fem.), dettes ('that one's', neuter), deres (your', plur., and 'their', plur.)
Pattern 2: min ('my'), din ('your'), sin (reflexive 'his', 'her')
Pattern 3: vår ('our').

Pattern 1 uses essentially a personal pronoun plus -s; see Personal pronouns in Norwegian.

Pattern 2 inflects much like adjectives, exemplifying with min:

with a masculine singular noun:  min
with a feminine singular noun: mi
with a neuter singular noun: mitt
with a plural noun, any gender: mine

Pattern 3, i.e., vår, has the pattern:

with a masculine singular noun:  vår
with a feminine singular noun: vår
with a neuter singular noun: vårt
with a plural noun, any gender: våre

Constructions using possessive pronouns

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 (parenthesis indicating that the well- or illformedness indicated for the example prevails in the presence of either of the parenthesized words):

mine (tre) (små) griser

min (lille) gris

min (lille) grisen

mine (tre) (små) grisene

den rike bondens (tre) (små) griser

den rike bondens (lille) gris

den rike bondens (tre) (små) grisene

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

gris min

den lille grisen min

de tre grisene mine

den lille gris min

lille grisen min

tre grisene mine

The last two examples show that also for this use of definite nouns, the requirements III and V above imposed by preceding weak adjectives and numerals hold.

@@ Line 11: / Line 11: @@
 '''Possessive construction''' here subsumes constructions with possessive pronouns and with NPs with an '''''-s''''' attached at the end (without apostrophe).
-===Possessive pronouns===
+===Forms of Possessive pronouns===
 Possessive pronouns come in three patterns:
-  Pattern 1:  '''''hans''''' ('his'), '''''hennes''''' ('her'), ''dens'' ('its', masc and fem.), ''dets'' ('its', neut.),
+  Pattern 1:  '''''hans''''' ('his'), '''''hennes''''' ('her'), '''''dens''''' ('its', masc and fem.), '''''dets''''' ('its', neut.),
-  ''dennes'' ('this one's', masc and fem.), ''dettes'' ('that one's', neuter), ''deres'' (your', plur., and 'their', plur.)
+  '''''dennes''''' ('this one's', masc and fem.), '''''dettes''''' ('that one's', neuter), '''''deres''''' (your', plur., and 'their', plur.)
-  Pattern 2: ''min'' ('my'), ''din'' ('your'), ''sin'' (reflexive 'his', 'her')
+  Pattern 2: '''''min''''' ('my'), '''''din''''' ('your'), '''''sin''''' (reflexive 'his', 'her')
-  Pattern 3: ''vår'' ('our').
+  Pattern 3: '''''vår''''' ('our').
 Pattern 1 uses essentially a personal pronoun plus ''-s''; see [[Personal pronouns in Norwegian]].
@@ Line 22: / Line 22: @@
 Pattern 2 inflects much like adjectives, exemplifying with ''min'':
-  with a masculine singular noun:  ''min''
+  with a masculine singular noun:  '''''min'''''
-  with a feminine singular noun: ''mi''
+  with a feminine singular noun: '''''mi'''''
-  with a neuter singular noun: ''mitt''
+  with a neuter singular noun: '''''mitt'''''
-  with a plural noun, any gender: ''mine''
+  with a plural noun, any gender: '''''mine'''''
 Pattern 3, i.e., ''vår'', has the pattern:
-  with a masculine singular noun:  ''vår''
+  with a masculine singular noun:  '''''vår'''''
-  with a feminine singular noun: ''vår''
+  with a feminine singular noun: '''''vår'''''
-  with a neuter singular noun: ''vårt''
+  with a neuter singular noun: '''''vårt'''''
-  with a plural noun, any gender: ''våre''
+  with a plural noun, any gender: '''''våre'''''
+===Constructions using possessive pronouns===
+'''Possessive pronouns occurring before the noun'''
-Genitives 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 (parenthesis indicating that the well- or illformedness indicated for the example prevails in the presence of either of the parenthesized words):
+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 (parenthesis indicating that the well- or illformedness indicated for the example prevails in the presence of either of the parenthesized words):
 mine (tre) (små) griser
@@ Line 52: / Line 54: @@
 *den rike bondens (tre) (små) grisene
+'''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: