itelmen possessives

[moonflower77]

 

singular = belonging to a single person or object

 

zero singulative ending, singulative endings -m, -n, -ch: + -n (added to the singulative ending)

 

isx: isxɛn (ɸaɬch) (the father's knife)

miņɬ: miņɬɛn (ɬqzanom) (the hare's print)

k'ɛɬchum: k'ɛɬchumɛn (sisiŋchaX) (the mosquito's miniature wing)

itənmən: itənmənɛn (kist) (an itelmen's house)

ŋich: ŋichɛn (lil?) (the wife's mittens)

p'ɛch: p'ɛchɛn (los) (the child's automatic shooting device)

 

zero singulative ending, singulative endings -m, -n, -ch, -ŋ: + -?in ~ -?an (replaces the singulative ending)

 

qōsX: qsX?in (ŋosx) (the dog's tail)

ktɛp: ktɛp?an (ktXās) (the mountain ram's path)

ktXām: ktXm?in (wolwol) (ivory thimble)

k'ɛɬchum: k'ɛɬchu?in (sisiŋchaX) (the mosquito's miniature wing)

qamzan: qamza?an (ch'it) (the husband's rifle)

lilixɬ: lilixɬ?in (sis) (the sister's needle)

qitkinɛŋ: qitkinɛ?in (kāsɸ) (the brother's axe)

kɛlilan: kɛlila?in (kuɬx) (the ring seal's skin)

ɸɬich: ɸɬi?in (xɛwlich) (the loach's head)

piŋziŋ: piŋz?in (sfnoŋ) (a boot made of skin taken from a reindeer's lower leg)

luɸɬich: luɸɬi?in (chxziŋchaX) (webbing between the fingers, lit. finger webbing)

Xɛjtɛŋ: Xɛjtɛ?in (k'aɣapk'ol) (vertebra of the neck, lit. neck vertebra)

ɛlwɛlɛŋ: ɛlwɛlɛ?in (əŋqsxnom) (disease of the ear)

 

plural = belonging to several persons or objects

 

zero singulative ending, singulative endings -m, -n, -ch, -ŋ: + -?i?n ~ -?a?n (replaces the singulative ending)

 

qsX?i?n (ŋosxa?n) (the dogs' tails)

ktɛp?a?n (ktXzɛ?n) (the mountain rams' paths)

ktXm?i?n (wol?) (ivory thimbles)

k'ɛɬchu?i?n (sisi?ņch) (the mosquitoes' miniature wings) 

qamza?a?n (ch'si?n) (the husbands' rifles)

lilixɬ?i?n (sisɛ?n) (the sisters' needles)

qitkinɛ?i?n (kāsfa?n) (the brothers' axes)

kɛlila?i?n (kuɬxɛ?n) (the ring seals' skins)

ɸɬi?i?n (xɛwli?n) (the loaches' heads)

piŋz?i?n (sfū?n) (boots made of skin taken from a reindeer's lower leg)

luɸɬi?i?n (chxzi?ņch) (webbing between the fingers on several hands/paws/feet, lit. finger webbing)

Xɛjtɛ?i?n (k'aɣapk'ol?) (vertebrae of the neck in several necks, lit. neck vertebra)

i?l?i?in (əŋqsxno?n) (diseases of the ears)

 

the possessive forms of nouns with reduplicated stems are usually derived from the plural (non-reduplicated) form:

 

pontapont: ponta?n: (ɛmk') ponta?an (liver broth)

misxumis: misxu?n: (lɣilx) misxu?in (the swan's egg): (lxi?n) misxu?i?n (the swans' eggs)

jowajoɸ: jowa?n: (chɛɬxchɛɬx) jowa?an (the loon's feather): (chɬxa?n) jowa?a?n (the loons' feathers)

ch'uuch'u: ch'u?n: ch'u?in (aŋoŋ) (Chinook salmon fillet, i.e. half of a fish): ch'u?i?n (aŋo?n) (Chinook salmon fillets, i.e. halves of several fish)

chuɸchuɸ: chwū?n: chɸ?in (qɬXāl) (a rainy day, lit. a day of rain): chɸ?i?n (qɬXāl?) (rainy days, lit. days of rain)

 

in a few isolated instances, the possessive is derived from the singular (reduplicated) form:

 

tXāltXāl: (iɬq) tXāltXāl?in (meat soup, broth)

jaqjaq: (chaqol) jaqjaq?an (the seagull's head)

 

some possessives can be derived either from the singular or from the plural form:

 

ɬximɬxim: (ɬqzanom) ɬximɬxim?in (the sable's print)

ɬxmi?n: (ɬqzano?n) ɬxm?i?n (the sables' prints)

 

the possessive marker -n can be combined with the singular diminutive-affectionate marker -chX and the singular augmentative-pejorative marker -aj, in which case it follows them:

 

ɛkɛchX: ɛkɛchXɛn (paXɛl) (the girl's/young woman's cap)

uņņachX: uņņachXɛn (chɛɬxchɛɬx) (the small bird's feather)

ņɛņɛk'ɛchX: ņɛņɛk'ɛchXɛn (ɸaɬɛmtochX) (the young child's little knife)

t'salaj: t'salajɛn (ŋosx) (the fox's tail)

mɛt'sk'aj: met'sk'ajan (chaqol) (the bear's head)

qsXaɣaj: qsXaɣajan (qtXaŋ) (the dog's paw)

 

the plural diminutive-affectionate marker -ch can combine with the singular possessive marker -?in ~ -?an, in which case it ceases to denote plurality but retains the diminutive-affectionate meaning, or the plural possessive marker -?i?n ~ -?a?n:

 

mawachX: mawa?ņch: mawach?an (xɛwlich) (the head of the fish young): mawach?a?n (xɛwli?n) (the heads of the fish young)

ch'oļoļachX: ch'oļoļa?ņch: (lɣilx) ch'oļoļach?an (the lark's egg): (lxi?n) ch'oļoļach?a?n (the larks' eggs)

t'ot'ochX: t'ot'o?ņch: (lɣilx) t'ot'och?an (the snipe's egg): (lxi?n) t'ot'och?a?n (the snipes' eggs)

ņɛņɛk'ɛchX: ņɛņɛk'ɛ?ɲch: ņɛņɛk'ɛch?in (ɸajɸanom) (the infant's cry): ņɛņɛk'ɛch?i?n (ɸajɸanom) (the infants' cry)

kəļļachX: kəļļa?ņch: (lōŋa?ņch) kəļļach?i?n (beady little eyes, lit. little eyes of beads)

 

possessives have no case forms other than the instrumental, in either the singular or the plural. some individual respondents did not use the instrumental case form either:

 

kəmpXɛ?in isx?iņɬ kāsɸaɬ (or: isx?in kāsɸaɬ) "(he) chopped (something) off with (his) father's axe"

kɬɛm?an ch's?iņɬ prikladaɬ (or: ch's?in prikladaɬ) "(he) killed (someone/something) with the butt of (his) rifle"

tɬinnuchɛn jowa?a?ņɬ lxiɬ "I fed him loon eggs (until he was full)"

 

non-obligatory word formation suffixes do not tend to influence the formation of possessives:

 

samzatlan: samzatla?an (narta) (the sleigh belonging to the inhabitant of Tigil)

mawtanɛŋ: mawtanɛ?an (tamās) (the roof of the building): mawtanɛ?a?n (tamzɛ?n) (the roofs of the buildings)

qsast'il: qsast'il?in (iɬq) (soup made with goose meat, goose broth)

ch'imɛk'ɛchX: (noņņachX) ch'imɛk'ɛch?in (the little muzzle of the baby mouse): (noņņa?ņch) ch'imɛk'ɛch?i?n (the little muzzles of the baby mice)