U.16. The Expression of Possession.

2. THE GENITIVE CASE

Why is the genitive case (‘s) a special particularity of English?

Because it is a relic from Old English (Germanic, Wessaxian, and Anglian) grammatical structures.

2. THE GENITIVE CASE

What are the origins of the genitive case?

Old English. In OE, genitive was used to indicate possession, object of X verb, or partitive relationships.

Most common endings (masc./neuter nouns): cyning (king) → cyninges (king’s)

2. THE GENITIVE CASE

2.1. Form: How do we form the genitive case

• Singular non-ending in -s (king) → ‘s: king’s

• Plural ending in -s (zero genitive) → ‘ after the word: teachers’

• Singular names ending in -s → AME. Charles’ // BRE. Charles’s.

• Classical names of more than 1 syllable ending in “s” like the former. (Stylistic choice depends on the readability/flow of sentence.) → Socrates’s/ Euripides’.

2. THE GENITIVE CASE

2.1. Form: Of what is an example the genitive case?

Of English’s adaptability and its capacity to accommodate historical usage patterns alongside evolving linguistic norms.

2. THE GENITIVE CASE

2.2. Pronunciation: In what does the pronunciation of the genitive case depend?

Depends on the final sound:

• /s/→ voiceless non-sibilant: Jack’s car: /ʤæks kɑː/.

• /z/ → voiced non-sibilant: Anna’s house: /ˈænəz haʊs/.

• /iz/ → sibilant (s, z, ʃ, ʒ, tʃ, dʒ) → Alice’s coat: /ˈælɪsɪz kəʊt/.

2. THE GENITIVE CASE

2.2. Pronunciation: What last thing shall we remember to mention about this section?

That it aligns with the pronunciation rules of the plurals, as seen in Topic 13 “The Expression of Quantity”. And that these patterns are fundamental aspects of English phonology, crucial for spoken fluency and listening comprehension.

2. THE GENITIVE CASE

2.3. Functions: What are the two main functions of the genitive case?

• Attributive

• Independent

2. THE GENITIVE CASE

2.3. Functions: Define the attributive function.

Functions as a modifier, preceding and qualifying another noun:

My brother’s bicycle.

2. THE GENITIVE CASE

2.3. Functions: What are the two subtypes of the attributive function?

• Specific genitive

• Classifying genitive

2. THE GENITIVE CASE

2.3. Functions: Explain the specific genitive.

Refers to a particular entity or person. Key = specificity.

Maria’s house.

The President’s speech.

2. THE GENITIVE CASE

2.3. Functions: Explain the classifying genitive.

Refers to a genitive that serves to define a general class or category:

A beginner’s guide.

A children’s book.

2. THE GENITIVE CASE

2.3. Functions: What are the two main differences between the two types of genitives within the attributive function?

• Pronunciation: Specifying genitives often carry two stresses: Maria’s ‘house. Classifying gen. only one.

• Semantics: Classifying gen. is more closely bound to the head noun, often resembling a compound word.

2. THE GENITIVE CASE

2.3. Functions: Explain the independent function.

It occurs without an expressed head noun, either because it’s implied or mentioned earlier (pragmatics).

I left my coat at Maria’s (referring to Maria’s house).

This is John’s (referring to an object that belongs to John).

2. THE GENITIVE CASE

2.3. Functions: What are the different forms of the independent genitive?

2.3.1. Semi-independent genitive: head noun omitted but understood from context: I borrowed Mark’s.

2.3.2. Post-genitive or double genitive: combines genitive + preposition ‘of’: A painting of Picasso’s. (to express uniqueness.)

2.3.3. Local genitive: refers to locations, often proper names or institutions:

St. Peter’s was busy today.

2. THE GENITIVE CASE

2.4. The meaning of the genitive case: List all of them.

2.4.1. Possessive genitive: actual ownership/ James’s car.

2.4.2. Subject genitive: the doer of an action / The teacher’s explanation.

2.4.3. Objective genitive: receiver of an action/ The country’s independence.

2.4.4. Genitive of origin: shows the source of origin/ Shakespeare’s plays.

2.4.5. Descriptive genitive: provides additional information / A winter’s day.

2.4.6. Genitive of measure: expresses quantities or duration / Two hour’s drive.

2.4.7. Genitive of attribute: indicates a characteristic / The student’s enthusiasm.

2. THE GENITIVE CASE

2.5. The group genitive: what is it?

It attaches the genitive (‘s) to the end of a complete noun phrase:

The king of Spain’s speech

2. THE GENITIVE CASE

2.5. The group genitive: what else should we remember about it?

That in contrast to the coordinated genitive, where each element takes a (‘s): Tom’s and Jerry’s adventures. The group genitive appends only to the last element when they co-own or share something. (Tom and Jerry’s show.)

3. THE USE OF THE “OF + CONSTRUCTION” AND THE GENITIVE: THEIR USES

3.1. Use of the Genitive > of + construction: What are the 7 cases in which we favor the genitive over the of+construction?

• (1) Personal nouns and names: Ahmed’s paper.

• (2) Higher animals: The dog’s ball, the eagle’s claw.

• (3) Collective nouns: The team’s performance

• (4) Temporal nouns: A year’s work

• (5) Geographical and institutional names: California’s governor.

• (6) Concepts or elements of human interest: Destiny’s call.

• (7) Fixed expressions and idioms: at wit’s end.

3. THE USE OF THE “OF + CONSTRUCTION” AND THE GENITIVE: THEIR USES

3.2. Alternation of the genitive and the “of+construction”.

• (1) With personal pronouns/names: Shakespeare’s plays vs. The plays of Shakespeare.

• (2) Objective genitives: The trial of Socrates (more formal) vs. Socrates’ trial.

• (3) Collective genitives: The committee’s findings (emphasises “committees and teamwork”), vs. The findings of the committee (emphasises the findings).

• (4) Measurements and values: The weight of a package (formal/literary) vs. A package’s weight. (conversational).

• (5) Cases with different meanings: The fear of failure vs. Failure’s fear.

3. THE USE OF THE “OF + CONSTRUCTION” AND THE GENITIVE: THEIR USES

3.1. Use of the “of+construction” over the genitive.

• (1) Inanimate objects: The roof of the house/the colour of the sky.

• (2) Lower animals: The song of the cricket.

• (3) Expressions with “back”, “top”: The top of the mountain.”

• (4) Partitive expressions: A bit of cheese, a slice of cake.

• (5) When possessor’s noun followed by elaborate description: The kindness of the woman who helped us.

• (6) Characteristics of human beings: A man of integrity.

• (7) Container and contents: The bottle of wine.

• (8) With adjectives used as nouns: The fate of the brave.

4. POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVES AND PRONOUNS:

What is the function of possessive adjectives and pronouns?

To express ownership or association. They show distinctions in person (first, second, third), number (singular, plural), and in the third person singular gender (masculine, feminine, neuter.)

4. POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVES AND PRONOUNS:

Two categories of this section?

• 4.1. Possessive adjectives (Attributive use)

• 4.2. Possessive pronouns (Predicative use)

4. POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVES AND PRONOUNS:

Explain 4.1. Possessive adjectives (Attributive use).

(My, your, his, her, etc.) change according to the possessor’s person, number, gender. My car, their house, his idea.

4. POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVES AND PRONOUNS:

What is also worthy of consideration regarding this mini-section?

That in idiomatic phrases and passive constructions, the definite article MAY replace possessive adjectives:

e.g.: She took be by the hand. (Not “my hand”).

The editorial our is used in formal writing, like in research papers, to avoid sounding egotistic or to avoid the use of the first person.

4. POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVES AND PRONOUNS:

Explain 4.2. Possessive pronouns.

Possessive pronouns (mine, yours, his…) replace a possessive adjective + noun and stand ALONE.

e.g.: That book is mine. (Avoid redundancy of saying “that book is my book”.

This can also be seen in formal letter closings: Yours sincerely.

5. VERBS DENOTING POSSESSION

What two main verbs (and sub-verbs) do we have in English to express possession?

• To have

• To belong to

  • to own

  • to possess

5. VERBS DENOTING POSSESSION

What should we not forget in the third paragraph?

That these verbs have subtle differences:

• To have → most general

• To belong → relationship between object-owner

• To own → physical property

• To possess → formal/abstract meaning

6. OTHER WAYS OF EXPRESSING POSSESSION: LEXICAL DEVICES.

Introduction to this section?

We must mention that expressing possession goes beyond the genitive and the of+construction, incorporating specific lexical devices such as whose and which to establish ownership/association.

6. OTHER WAYS OF EXPRESSING POSSESSION: LEXICAL DEVICES.

Whose.

Interrogative particle that can serve two functions:
- As an adjective. When it precedes a noun, it directly asks about the possessor.

Whose car is this?

• As a pronoun. It can also stand alone without a following noun.

Whose is this jacket?

6. OTHER WAYS OF EXPRESSING POSSESSION: LEXICAL DEVICES.

Whose. What else should we mention about ‘whose’?

That in addition to the interrogative role, “whose” can function as a relative pronoun connecting two ideas in a sentence by indicating possession.

Mark, whose car was parked outside, lost the keys.

Besides human possessors, whose can be used with non-human possessors.

The house, whose roof was red, was big.

6. OTHER WAYS OF EXPRESSING POSSESSION: LEXICAL DEVICES.

Which.

When expressing relationships between objects, which is the most conventional choice.

The book, the cover of which was torn, belongs to the library.

Though “whose” is commonly reserved for people, it is increasingly accepted to refer to inanimate objects as well.