Course description Autumn 2022: Possessive relations in grammar

In this course we will discuss how ownership (in a wide sense) is expressed in different possessive constructions. We will read research articles from different theoretical approaches, with data from various languages, including Norwegian. Special attention will be paid to so-called "split possession" ? - languages can have groups of nouns that receive special treatment in possessive constructions (compare Norwegian hodet p? ham 'head.def on him' and *sykkelen p? ham 'bike.def on him'). We will also discuss constructions where a possessor is realized outside the noun phrase of the possessum (e.g. I patted the dog on the head). The course presupposes some knowledge of generative grammar.