The following paper deals with the genitive case in English language and the possessive construction in Dutch language referring to the examples Jan zijn boek as well as in English language John’s book.
In a first step there will be given a general definition on the term both genitive and determiner, with regards to the comparison of genitive case and determiner given in the topic of this paper. In this place, even clitic and affix definition is not left blank.
Furthermore it is mentioned that during English language change from the Old English language to the Modern English language a change has taken place concerning the treatment of nominal phrases and determiner phrases within the DP-Analysis raised in the late 1980s. This will be pointed out in this paper as well.
As well as the question whether a possessive construction can be treated as an inflectional form or even gets the status of a determiner there will be given a closer look to the history and use of the ’s genitive and the his-genitive which usually applied in the second half of the 15th century. To get deeper into the discussion there will be a closer look to the position where the ‘s-construction do occur.
Referring to cross linguistic reference the ‘s-genitive and other variations to point out a possessive relationship in Dutch language will be analysed more concrete. With reference to the DP-Hypothesis the change of the determiner status, i.e. the change of the ’s-construction from the inflectional endings in Old English to clitic and in the end to determiner status are examined in this paper to give an overview how complex and investigated the ’s-construction in English language is to this day.
Table of Contents
1. INTRODUCTION
2. GENITIVE AND DETERMINER PHRASE
2.1 GENITIVE
2.2 DETERMINER
2.3 CLITIC VS AFFIX
3. HISTORY AND USE OF THE ’S-GENITIVE AND THE HIS-GENITIVE
3.1 POSITION OF THE ’S
3.2 PRESENCE OF THE GENITIVE IN DUTCH LANGUAGE
4. CHANGE OF STATUS: FROM INFLECTIONAL ‘S TO DETERMINER
5. SUMMARY
Objectives and Topics
This academic paper examines the evolution and syntactic status of possessive constructions in English, specifically focusing on the shift from inflectional genitives to cliticized determiner forms, with a comparative analysis against Dutch possessive structures.
- The historical development of the 's-genitive from Old English inflectional endings.
- The DP-Hypothesis and the reclassification of possessive constructions as determiner phrases.
- Distinctions between clitics and affixes in the context of English morphology.
- A comparative linguistic analysis of Dutch possessive pronouns and "van"-constructions.
- The role of the "his-genitive" as an intermediate stage in English language change.
Excerpt from the Book
3. History and Use of the ’s-genitive and the his-genitive
Looking closer at the two sentences from the topic taken as an example
(1) Jan zijn boek and
(2) John’s book
it makes sense to go a step backwards in English language history. Starting with Old English language, there can be found various genitive endings according to gender, number and noun class. Anette Rosenbach (2004: 75) stated (also from Janda 2001 and 2002) that there are inflectional endings in Old English such as - (e/i/y)s which can be seen in the following example:
(3) Margere ys daughter
Klaus Hansen (2000: 112-14) also takes examples from Old English concerning different inflection endings to express a genitive relationship:
(4) the kynges daughter of Englande
(5) the kyngys sonne
(6) the kyng (h)ys sonne
Anette Rosenbach (2004: 75) created a figure to clarify the different genitives during the language change:
The Old and Middle English genitive forms are reduced to the his-construction. Otto Jespersen (1960: 306) also argues that the his-construction originates from the Old English inflectional genitive forms. Anette Rosenbach (2004: 76) takes the statement from Janda (2001: 302) that there can be found evidence that the his-construction is an orthographical variant of inflectional -s.
Furthermore it is supposed that “In Middle English, both the syllabically pronounced - (e/i/y)s and the phonetically reduced (h)is could be homophonous” and that “ […] the Old English inflectional - (e/i/y)s became reanalysed as his […], his become cliticized to Modern English possessive form ’s” (Anette Rosenbach 2004: 75).
Therefore the development can be described as follows:
- (e/i/y)s -> (h)is -> ’s
Summary of Chapters
1. INTRODUCTION: Outlines the research scope regarding the genitive case in English and Dutch, setting the stage for a syntactic analysis of possessive constructions.
2. GENITIVE AND DETERMINER PHRASE: Defines the core terminology and explains the theoretical framework of the Determiner Phrase (DP) hypothesis.
3. HISTORY AND USE OF THE ’S-GENITIVE AND THE HIS-GENITIVE: Traces the evolution of possessive markings from Old English inflectional endings through the Middle English "his-genitive" to the modern clitic 's.
4. CHANGE OF STATUS: FROM INFLECTIONAL ‘S TO DETERMINER: Explores the structural shift where the possessive 's moved from a word-level inflectional marker to a phrasal-level determiner.
5. SUMMARY: Synthesizes the findings, confirming that the current status of the possessive 's as a determiner is a result of long-term diachronic structural change.
Keywords
Genitive, Determiner Phrase, DP-Hypothesis, English syntax, Dutch possessives, historical linguistics, his-genitive, clitic, inflectional ending, language change, possessive construction, morphology.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this research paper?
The paper explores the diachronic development of the genitive case in English and compares it with Dutch possessive structures, specifically analyzing how the possessive marker transitioned from an inflection to a determiner.
What are the central themes discussed in the text?
Key themes include the evolution of English grammar, the DP-Analysis framework, the grammatical distinction between clitics and affixes, and cross-linguistic parallels between English and Dutch.
What is the main research question or goal?
The goal is to provide a detailed overview of how the 's-construction evolved from Old English inflectional endings to its current status as a functional determiner within modern syntactic theory.
Which linguistic methods are applied in this work?
The paper utilizes diachronic linguistic analysis and the DP-Hypothesis (Determiner Phrase Analysis) to evaluate structural changes in nominal and determiner phrases.
What does the main body cover?
The body covers historical definitions of the genitive, the syntactic difference between determiners and noun phrases, a historical timeline of possessive markers, and an in-depth look at how the 's-genitive functions as a determiner.
Which keywords best characterize the work?
The most relevant keywords are Genitive, Determiner Phrase, DP-Hypothesis, English syntax, historical linguistics, and possessive construction.
How did the "his-genitive" contribute to modern English?
The "his-genitive" served as an intermediate historical stage where Old English inflectional endings were reanalyzed and eventually cliticized into the modern 's possessive form.
Why is the comparison with Dutch language significant?
The comparison with Dutch is significant because it provides cross-linguistic evidence for similar developmental pathways, helping to clarify the status of possessive pronouns and the parallel evolution of 's-constructions.
- Quote paper
- Stefanie Udema (Author), 2004, Genitives and determiner phrases - Jan zijn boek vs John’s book, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/79444
