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In Tundra and Forest Nenets possessive sentences meet negation through the utilization of the negative existential verb. This is shown also in the example here.

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Both participate in possessive constructions, but the existential verb prevails as the more prominent choice. Additionally, the verb can be dropped altogether.

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As mentioned, in the Nenets languages, the world of possession relies on two pivotal verbs: the existential verb (see in the previous example) and the copular verb.

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Also, the possessor can be only expressed via the possessive suffix attached to the thing that is being possessed.

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Within the Nenets languages, possessors have the choice of two roles: they can appear in the nominative or the locative case. However, the nominative form takes precedence, making possessive sentences often mirror the structure in the example below.

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Both Tundra and Forest Nenets, much like Enets, don't exhibit a habeo verb. Instead, they offer multiple avenues to express possessiveness. The Nenets provide not one, but two ways to mark the possessor and features two distinct verbs that come into play.

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This verb aligns its form with the number of the possessed NP, which, in turn, is marked with the personal possessive suffix. What's intriguing is the verb's ability to carry tense and mood markers.

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In Enets, this sentence type encounters negation via the negative existential verb (F. ďaguš, T. ďiguš).

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In both cases, the overt possessor takes the nominative form, and the possessed NP is marked with a possessive suffix. However, overt possessors are a rarity, as the context typically pinpoints their person.

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Regarding the nominative possessive, two types emerge: one featuring the verb toneš 'to exist' as its predicate, while the other operates without a verb.

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Unlike Nganasan, Enets does not employ a habeo verb and has, thus, no transitive possessive clauses. But Enets exhibits the same existential constructions as Nganasan when it comes to the expression of possession: the possessor is either in nominative or, again rarely, marked for locative.

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The negative existential verb ďaŋkuj-and the negative existential particle ďaŋku offer two paths. In the present tense, ďaŋku is common, agreeing with the subject's number. For past, future, or moods, the verbal construction steps in.

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In Nganasan, the realm of negation in nominative possessive sentences is a nuanced landscape.

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But if the possessor is a personal pronoun and possessions are listed, the pronoun can remain implicit, as the personal ending on the possession already encompasses it.

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In the case of a nominative possessor, the possessor NP stands in the nominative form, while the possessed NP harmonizes in number and person through a possessive personal ending.

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In Nganasan, the possessor can be expressed through the nominative form or, more rarely, in the locative form in those constructions.

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In the existential construction, the possessor doesn't solely assume the role of the subject. Many Uralic languages, including Nganasan, mark the possessor with locational or genitive cases, grouping them as "oblique possessive."

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The other possibility in Nganasan is the “existential type”: In this type, possession mirrors existential sentences, employing an existential verb. Nganasan uniquely uses " təij-", the existential verb, for existential sentences and not the BE verb "ij-."

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Nganasan also boasts another possession verb, ŋuðasa 'to own', for alienable possessive relations. The possessor controls the stable-time relation, emphasizing the existence of the possessive bond.

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In negated possession sentences, Nganasan brings in the negative auxiliary "ńisɨ," followed by the verb "honsɨ" in the connegative form. This construction is more common in the past tense but can also appear in the present.

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Nganasan allows flexibility in expressing possession. An overt possessor isn't mandatory: the personal verbal ending refering to the possessor is often enough. You can see that also in the previous example!

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Let’s first have a look at the habeo-verb: The transitive verb honsɨ 'to have' handles possession, aligning with the subject in number and person. The possessor becomes the subject, while the possessed object stays in the accusative case.

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Ngansan is a special case among the Samoyedic Languages! Here, you'll find both transitive possessive sentences using a "have" verb and possessive constructions rooted in existential sentences.

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Starting tomorrow, we’ll revise how possessive clauses work in Uralic languages, exemplifying it with Samoyedic languages: Nganasan, Enets and Nenets. Towards the end of the week, we will also glance at the Tungusic language Evenki and see what is going on there.

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Possession can be expressed by different means such as word order, grammatical cases, suffixes and so on. Various languages form clauses that denote possession using verbs such as “have”. Many Uralic languages express possession via an existential construction though.

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What exactly is possession from the linguistic perspective? It is a relationship between two words or two groups of words (constituents) where the referent of one “possesses” the referent of the other.

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This month, let’s talk about possessive sentences – once again, a topic that we have covered earlier on other social media platforms. Get ready for a deep dive into language structures that show ownership and connections! @adwhamburg.bsky.social

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From Samoyedic to Tungusic, we've delved into the intricacies of language structures, dual forms, and more. Thanks for joining us on this journey through the fascinating world of languages!

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Moreover, a comitative suffix -nə̄n can convey dual or rather associative plural in some dialects.

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There is hardly any evidence of dual in the Evenki language. Our researchers report that -til that marks plural forms and is no longer productive might convey dual in some dialects when used with kinship terms.

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So, by now you should have a general understanding of how dual functions in Samoyedic languages. What about Tungusic languages? Here the situation is slightly different.

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(9) sʼiði ma-tənɨ nʼilɨ-tɨ-gəj sʼiti numəə-gəj. two tent-LOC live-PRS-3DU.S two young.man-NOM.DU ‘There lived in two tents two young men.’ (ChND_061001_TwoTents_flkd.002)

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Agreement with the numeral ‘two’ When used with the numeral ‘two’, the noun is almost always in singular (example 9, the NP ‘in two tents’) and only occasionally in dual (example 9, the NP ‘two young men’) (Wagner-Nagy 2019:313-314).

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(8) – Tə mənə nʼasɨ-tʼi itʼüm – well 1SG scarcely-EMPH be-PRS-1SG.S dʼesɨ-nʼə nʼemɨ-nʼə aniɁə father-NOM.NSG.1SG mother- NOM.NSG.1SG big ŋuə-ntə kontu-ru-suədʼəə-Ɂ… deity-ILL take.away-PASS-PST.PF-3PL.S ‘I am hardly alive – my parents had been taken by a great god…’ (KTD_XX_KehyLuu_flkd.159)

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Very rarely they may occur in such constructions without a dual marker (8).

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(7) Dʼesɨ-gəi-ti nʼemɨ-gəi-ti dʼa father-DU-GEN.NSG.3SG mother-DU-GEN.NSG.3SG ALL munu-munu-tʼü… say-AUD-3SG ‘He says to his parents…’ (TKF_990819_SomatuShaman_flkd.125)

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(6) Nʼemɨ-gəj təbtə ŋomtü-tü-gəj, mother-NOM.DU also sit-PRS-3SG.S nʼüə-mti ŋəðü-tü-gəj. child-ACC.SG.3DU see-PRS-3SG.S ‘The parents are also sitting and looking at their son.’ (JSM_08021_Relationship2_nar.77) Sometimes they are used in this meaning together (7).

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