Alienable vs. inalienable possession
In a number of languages, including many in New Guinea, Australia, and the Americas, possessor phrases can be marked in two different ways depending on the kind of relationship being expressed between the possessor and the head noun. The term INALIENABLE possession is used to indicate that there is a necessary and permanent relationship between the possessor and the possessed item. Nouns that require this kind of marking typically include body parts and kinship terms. The term ALIENABLE possession is used for things which are possessed only conditionally or temporarily, that is, for items that can be bought, sold, given away, lost, found, etc.
In Hatam (Irian Jaya; Reesink 1999), for example, inalienably possessed nouns (including body parts, kin terms, and a few other words) carry an obligatory prefix that indicates the person and number of the possessor. This pattern is illustrated in (21). Alienable possession is indicated using the possessive particle de, as illustrated in (22).
(21) Hatam (adapted from Reesink 1999:48–49, 80–84)
di-cig ‘my father’ di-bou ‘my head’
a-cig ‘your (sg) father’ a-bou ‘your (sg) head’
ni-cig ‘his/her father’ ni-bou ‘his/her head’
i-cig ‘our (incl) father’ i-bou ‘our (incl) head’
∗cig (for: ‘father’) ∗bou (for: ‘head’)
(22) a a-de singau
2sg-poss knife
‘your knife’
b andigpoi Miller de ig
old.man Miller POSS house
‘Mr. Miller’s house’
c a-cig ni-de nab
2sg-father 3sg-POSS pig
‘your father’s pig’
The Australian languages Warrgamay and Malak-Malak both have genitive case markers which are used to mark the possessor phrase only for alienable possession. To express in alienable possession, on the other hand, the possessor phrase appears as a bare NP. Note also the change of word order in Malak-Malak.
(23) Warrgamay (Dixon1980:293)
a ŋulmburu-ŋu mindi
woman-GEN grass.dilly.bag
‘the woman’s grass dilly-bag’
b ŋulmburu bingany
woman foot
‘the woman’s foot’
(24) Malak-Malak(Blake1987:98)
a muyiny yinya-noe
dog man-gen
‘the man’s dog’
b alawarr tyet
woman leg
‘the woman’s leg’
