SEMANTIC FEATURES OF ENGLISH POSSESSIVE SUBSTANTIVE CONSTRUCTIONS

Abstract

The paper deals with the category of possession as a linguistic category and the semantics of English possessive substantive constructions. Possession is a linguistic universal, a fundamental linguistic category with a complex and heterogeneous meaning and a plane of expression, therefore there are several directions of its study in linguistics. In a broad sense, possession expresses spatial relations between two objects, when one of them is considered as an element of the “personal sphere” of another object, or when one object (person) has the right to own, use and dispose of another object.
 In this paper the author reveals relevant features of the category of possession (‘activity’ – ‘subordination’, ‘alienability’ – ‘inalienability’, ‘static’ – ‘dynamic’, ‘entry’ – ‘inclusion’) and outlines differences between possessive predicative and substantive constructions in English. It is noted that predicative constructions are unambiguous: the subject of the possessive relation is expressed, and the possessive information is embedded in the construction itself. Substantive constructions are polysemic: the object of the possessive relation is expressed, and possessive information is asserted.
 The paper also examines the main semantic relations of possessive substantive constructions and the peculiarities of their functioning. The English language demonstrates the variability of lexical and grammatical means of expressing possessive relations. Models that represent the semantic relation of possession in substantive constructions include pre-nominal genitive and the post-nominal genitive. English has two canonical constructions for attributive possession. The first one uses the clitic /-’s/ or a possessive pronoun and it is known as ‘the s-genitive’ (or ‘Saxon genitive’). The second one uses the preposition /of/ and it is known as ‘the of-genitive’. The choice of one or another design depends on various factors, such as: possessor’s belonging to the category of beings / non-beings; the number of the noun expressing the attribute; complexity of the attribute; the attribute / core significance, etc.