Marking possession on nouns (Hungarian)

PossSuff: Possession is expressed through the use of a suffix on the possessed noun.

ArtOutside: Possession is expressed through the use of an article appearing before or after the entire possessive construction.

ArtBetweenGenAff: Possession is expressed through the use of both (1) an article appearing between the possessor and the possessed and (2) an affix on the possessor.

 

(1) a tanár könyv-e

the teacher book-3sg

‘the teacher’s book’

 

(2) a tanár-nak a könyv-e

the teacher-dat the book-3sg

‘the teacher’s book’

 

(3) en-nek a tanár-nak a könyv-e

det-dat    the    teacher-dat the book-3sg

‘the book of this teacher’


In the Hungarian possessive construction, the possessed entity is compulsorily marked with a personal suffix. The possessor is unmarked, and there is a definite article before the possessive construction. The possessor may take a dative -nak/-nek suffix, which functions as a genitive marker in the construction. If the possessor is marked for case, a definite article appears on the possessor and the possessed entity alike (cf. Balogh 2000a: 186‒189). The longer form typically expresses emphasis or it is used if the possessor is head of a relative construction.

Author: 

Nikolett F. Gulyás