ID: 013 Semantic distribution of personal possessive affixes (Hungarian)

PossAff

PossAff: The use of personal possessive affixes on the possessed noun is always required, with no semantic distribution.

(1) a lány szem-e

the girl eye-3sg

‘the girl’s eyes’

(2) a lány barát-ja

the girl friend-3sg

’the girl’s friend’

(3) a lány telefon-ja

the girl phone-3sg

’the girl’s phone’

In the Hungarian possessive configuration, the possessor is unmarked, while the marking of the possessed is compulsory and the construction stands with the definite article (1)-(3). The expression of the possessive relation is not affected by the semantic properties of the possessed. The same construction is used for inalienable (1), animate alienable (2), and inanimate alianable possessions (3). (Cf.: É. Kiss 2003: 82‒88).