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.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Introduction
- Genitive and Determiner Phrase
- Genitive
- Determiner
- Clitic vs Affix
- History and Use of the 'S-Genitive and the His-Genitive
- Position of the 'S
- Presence of the Genitive in Dutch Language
- Change of Status: From Inflectional ‘S to Determiner
- Summary
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This paper explores the genitive case in English and the possessive construction in Dutch, using the examples "Jan zijn boek" and "John's book" as points of comparison. It provides a general definition of the genitive and determiner, examining their relationship in the context of the possessive construction. The paper also delves into the historical shift in English from Old English to Modern English, focusing on the treatment of nominal and determiner phrases within the DP-analysis framework. In addition, it investigates the status of the possessive construction, examining whether it functions as an inflectional form or a determiner, and exploring the history and usage of the 's-genitive and the his-genitive.
- The relationship between the genitive case and the determiner in possessive constructions.
- The historical development of the possessive construction in English, particularly the transition from the 's-genitive to the his-genitive and its eventual status as a determiner.
- The cross-linguistic comparison of the 's-genitive and other possessive forms in Dutch.
- The application of the DP-hypothesis to the analysis of possessive constructions.
- The complexities and ongoing research into the 's-construction in English.
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
- The introduction provides a brief overview of the paper's focus on the genitive case in English and the possessive construction in Dutch, highlighting the key examples of "Jan zijn boek" and "John's book". It also outlines the main objectives and topics to be discussed, including the definition of genitive and determiner, the historical development of possessive constructions, and the application of the DP-analysis.
- Chapter 2 delves into the distinction between genitive constructions and determiners, providing definitions for both. It elaborates on the genitive case, its various forms, and its presence in multiple languages, including Latin, Irish, German, and Dutch. The chapter then introduces the different forms of possessive constructions in English, such as the 's-genitive, 's-less genitive, zero-genitive, his-genitive, of-genitive, and to-genitive.
- Chapter 2.2 focuses on the definition and types of determiners, including definite and indefinite articles, quantifiers, possessive pronouns, and demonstratives. It discusses the syntactic and semantic functions of determiners and highlights their role in the formation of noun phrases. The chapter also explains the concept of determiner phrases and their analysis within the DP-framework, which gained popularity in the late 1980s.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
This paper examines the genitive case, possessive constructions, determiners, DP-analysis, 's-genitive, his-genitive, historical linguistics, English grammar, Dutch grammar, cross-linguistic comparison.
- 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
