Languages in which the person, number, gender or class of the possessor can be marked on the possessed pronoun may restrict use of such affixes according to the given syntactic environment[1]. This parameter considers this syntactic distribution among possessed nouns appearing alongside pronominal possessors.[2]

Types:

NoPossAff: Possession is not marked through the use of affixes on the possessed.

NonPronGen: Pronominal possessors cannot appear alongside affixed possessed nouns.

PPGenJuxta: The possessor is expressed by the personal pronoun in base form[3], alongside which affixation of the possessed noun is not possible.[4]

PPGenPoss(Aff): The possessor is expressed by the personal pronoun in base form[5], alongside which affixation of the possessed noun is optional.

PPGenPossAff: The possessor is obligatorily expressed by the personal pronoun in base form[6], alongside which affixation of the possessed noun is obligatory.

PP(Gen)PossAff: The possessor is optionally expressed by the personal pronoun in base form, alongside which affixation of the possessed noun is obligatory.

PPGen~(Gen)PossAff: The possessor is optionally or obligatorily expressed by the personal pronoun in base form, depending on the person or number of the possessor; alongside this type of possessor, affixation of the possessed noun is obligatory.[7]

PPGenOblPossAff: The possessor is expressed by the personal pronoun in non­base form[8], alongside which affixation of the possessed noun is obligatory.

PPGenOblPoss(Aff): The possessor is expressed by the personal pronoun in non­base form, alongside which affixation of the possessed noun is optional.

PPGenOblPossAff~(Aff): The possessor is expressed by the personal pronoun in non-base form; alongside this type of possessor, affixation of the possessed noun is optional or obligatory depending on the person, number, gender, or class of the possessor.[9]

PP(Gen)OblPossAff: The possessor is optionally expressed by the personal pronoun in non­base form, affixation of the possessed noun is obligatory.

PPGen~(Gen)OblPossAff: Possessor is either optionally or obligatorily expressed through the use of personal pronoun in non­base form, depending on their person, number, gender, or class; alongside this type of possessor, affixation of the possessed noun is obligatory.[10]

GPGenPossNonAff: The possessor appears as a possessive pronoun, alongside which affixation of the possessed noun is not possible.

GPGenPossAff: The possessor appears as a possessive pronoun, alongside which affixation of the possessed noun is obligatory.

GPGenPoss(Aff): The possessor appears as a possessive pronoun, alongside which affixation of the possessed noun is optional.

GPGenPossAff~(Aff): The possessor appears as a possessive pronoun, alongside which affixation of the possessed noun is either optional or obligatory, depending on the person, number, gender, or class of the possessor.[11]

[1] Syntactic distribution is not to be confused with semantic distribution, addressed in the parameter Semantic distribution of personal possessive affixes.

[2] Pronominal possessors may appear as either personal pronouns or possessive pronouns. Possessive pronouns are distinct from case­inflected forms of the personal pronoun, which can also appear in non­possessive constructions. Modified forms of the personal pronoun, such as oblique cases, often the genitive, are not considered possessive pronouns. For example, the English my constitutes a possessive pronoun, as it is distinct from the first­person oblique me, while the Finnish minun ‘my’ is the case­inflected, possessive form of the personal pronoun minä ‘I’.

[3] The base form refers to the bare pronoun in nominative without arguments or morphological marking.

[4] This value is only possible if affixation of the possessed noun alongside nominal possessors is optional, if not obligatory. Otherwise, the language should be classified as NoPossAff.

[5] The base form refers to the bare pronoun without arguments or morphological marking.

[6] The base form refers to the bare pronoun without arguments or morphological marking.

[7] This should be detailed in the commentary.

[8] Obl does not exclusively refer to oblique cases here, applying instead to any morphological or syntactic deviations from the nominative form of the pronoun. Examples may include the genitive form of the personal pronoun or the obligatory use of an article alongside a nominative form of the pronoun.

[9] This should be detailed in the commentary.

[10] This should be detailed in the commentary.

[11] This should be detailed in the commentary.