Possessive Constructions in the Ludian Variety of the Naxi Language
He Ju presents a descriptive study of possessive constructions in the Ludian variety of Naxi (Yulong County, Lijiang), distinguishing attributive (nominal), predicative, and external possession. Attributive possession is encoded through pronominal tone sandhi or one of two possessive markers, ɕi³³ and gur³, whose selection correlates with the possessor's position on an animacy hierarchy; ɕi³³'s prototypical function is marking possession while gur³'s is marking modification, though the two are gradually encroaching on each other's domains, with gur³ expanding at ɕi³³'s expense. Predicative possession uses one of four existential verbs selected by the possessed item's animacy/type, or the copula yo¹¹. External possession arises when possessor and possessed stand in a whole-part relationship, allowing the possessor to be fronted as topic. The analysis situates Ludian Naxi against other Lijiang-area vernaculars and cross-linguistic possession typology.
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