Marking possession by pronouns (Northern Mansi)

Juxta: Possession is expressed through the juxtaposition of the possessor, appearing as a personal pronoun in base form, and the possessed noun.

PossSuff: Possession is expressed through the use of a suffix on the possessed noun; the pronoun referring to the possessor does not appear, regardless of person.

PrsPPossSuff: Possession is expressed through the use of a personal pronoun, in base form, with a suffix on the possessed noun.


(1) taw witujsow ťēnt
he beaver_pelt hat
‘his beaver pelt hat’ (S. D.)


(2) taw witujsow ťēnt-e
he beaver_pelt hat-3sg
‘his beaver pelt hat’ (S. D.)


(3) witujsow ťēnt-e
beaver_pelt hat-3sg
‘his beaver pelt hat’ (S. D.)


In Northern Mansi, the possessive relationship is expressed by the simple juxtaposition of the words denoting the possessor and the possessed entity (1) or with personal suffixes (2) (Riese 2001). In the latter case, the personal pronoun can be omitted.

Author: 

Szilvia Németh