Abstract
Speakers of the Turkic variety Caucasian Urum use different strategies for morphologically marking attributive possessive relations. This article presents the results of an experimental study conducted in Tbilisi with the aim of revealing if speakers systematically differentiate in their use of possession markers, and if so, if this is influenced by internal factors such as alienability of the word and complexity of the phrase. Furthermore, the speakers’ ages were taken into account. Results showed that in possessive constructions, it is especially the head-marking possessive suffix that is occasionally omitted. Post-hoc analysis showed the unexpected influence of alienability on single NP’s possessive marking, even in non-possessive constructions. The results lead to the assumption that the process of constructing possessive phrases is highly influenced by the contact language, Russian.
Acknowledgements
I very much would like to thank Violeta Moisidi for her generous help with translation, communication with the participants, and a very hospitable introduction to the Urum people in Tbilisi. My special gratitude goes to Stavros Skopeteas, without whom this work would not have been possible, and Stefanie Böhm and Claudia Wegener for their help and encouragement. I am grateful to the Linguistic’s Department of Bielefeld University for funding the study. Special thanks go to the ‘UET’.
Abbreviations
- 1, 2, 3
1st, 2nd, 3rd person
- acc
accusative
- comp
complementizer
- cop
copula
- dem
demonstrative
- exist
existential
- gen
genitive
- loc
locative
- NP
nominal phrase
- O
old = older speakers
- pl
plural
- pm
possessum
- poss
possessive
- pr
possessor
- pst
past
- ru
Russian origin
- sg
singular
- Y
young=younger speakers
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Appendix
List of stimuli
Item | Element | Complexity | Alienability | Question (by informant) | English translation | No. |
1 | 1 | sim | al | nä dır eshil? | ‘What is green?’ | 101 |
1 | 2 | com | al | nä dır eshil? | ‘What is green?’ | 102 |
1 | 3 | sim | in | nä dır eshil? | ‘What is green?’ | 103 |
1 | 4 | com | in | nä dır eshil? | ‘What is green?’ | 104 |
2 | 1 | sim | al | nä dır gyög? | ‘What is blue?’ | 201 |
2 | 2 | com | al | nä dır gyög? | ‘What is blue?’ | 202 |
2 | 3 | sim | in | nä dır gyög? | ‘What is blue?’ | 203 |
2 | 4 | com | in | nä dır gyög? | ‘What is blue?’ | 204 |
3 | 1 | sim | al | nä boyadier ärgishi bögün? | ‘What paints the man today?’ | 301 |
3 | 2 | com | al | nä boyadier ärgishi bögün? | ‘What paints the man today?’ | 302 |
3 | 3 | sim | al | nä boyadır ärgishi sabax? | ‘What paints the man tomorrow?’ | 303 |
3 | 4 | com | in | nä boyadır ärgishi sabax? | ‘What paints the man tomorrow?’ | 304 |
4 | 1 | sim | in | nä dır sari? | ‘What is yellow?’ | 401 |
4 | 2 | com | in | nä dır sari? | ‘What is yellow?’ | 402 |
4 | 3 | sim | al | nä dır sari? | ‘What is yellow?’ | 403 |
4 | 4 | com | al | nä dır sari? | ‘What is yellow?’ | 404 |
5 | 1 | sim | al | nä dır böüq? | ‘What is big?’ | 501 |
5 | 2 | com | al | nä dır böüq? | ‘What is big?’ | 502 |
5 | 3 | sim | in | nä dır böüq? | ‘What is big?’ | 503 |
5 | 4 | com | in | nä dır böüq? | ‘What is big?’ | 504 |
6 | 1 | sim | al | nä dIr ɣIrIx? | ‘What is broken?’ | 601 |
6 | 2 | com | in | kimIn velasipedi ɣIrIxtIr? | ‘Whose bike is broken?’ | 602 |
6 | 3 | sim | in | nä dIr ɣIrIx? | ‘What is broken?’ | 603 |
6 | 4 | com | in | kimIn ɣIch-i ɣIrIx? | ‘Whose leg is broken?’ | 604 |
7 | 1 | sim | in | nä dır ğırmızi? | ‘What is red?’ | 701 |
7 | 2 | com | al | nä dır ğırmızi? | ‘What is red?’ | 702 |
7 | 3 | sim | al | nä dır ğırmızi? | ‘What is red?’ | 703 |
7 | 4 | com | in | nä dır ğırmızi? | ‘What is red?’ | 704 |
8 | 1 | sim | al | nä dır eshil? | ‘What is green?’ | 801 |
8 | 2 | com | al | nä dır eshil? | ‘What is green?’ | 802 |
8 | 3 | sim | in | nä dır eshil? | ‘What is green?’ | 803 |
8 | 4 | com | in | nä dır eshil? | ‘What is green?’ | 804 |
9 | 1 | sim | in | nä dIr ɣIrIx? | ‘What is broken?’ | 901 |
9 | 2 | com | al | nä dIr ɣIrIx? | ‘What is broken?’ | 902 |
9 | 3 | sim | al | nä dIr ɣIrIx? | ‘What is broken?’ | 903 |
9 | 4 | com | in | nä dIr ɣIrIx? | ‘What is broken?’ | 904 |
10 | 1 | sim | al | nä dır chüchük? | ‘What is small?’ | 1001 |
10 | 2 | com | al | nä dır chüchük? | ‘What is small?’ | 1002 |
10 | 3 | sim | in | nä dır chüchük? | ‘What is small?’ | 1003 |
10 | 4 | com | in | nä dır chüchük? | ‘What is small?’ | 1004 |
11 | 1 | sim | al | nä boyadier ärgishi bögün? | ‘What paints the man today?’ | 1101 |
11 | 2 | com | al | nä boyadier ärgishi bögün? | ‘What paints the man today?’ | 1102 |
11 | 3 | sim | al | nä boyadır ärgishi sabax? | ‘What paints the man tomorrow?’ | 1103 |
11 | 4 | com | al | nä boyadır ärgishi sabax? | ‘What paints the man tomorrow?’ | 1104 |
12 | 1 | sim | al | nä dır sari? | ‘What is yellow?’ | 1201 |
12 | 2 | com | in | nä dır sari? | ‘What is yellow?’ | 1202 |
12 | 3 | sim | in | nä dır sari? | ‘What is yellow?’ | 1203 |
12 | 4 | com | in | nä dır sari? | ‘What is yellow?’ | 1204 |
13 | 1 | sim | al | nä dır ğırmızi? | ‘What is red?’ | 1301 |
13 | 2 | com | al | nä dır ğırmızi? | ‘What is red?’ | 1302 |
13 | 3 | sim | in | nä dır ğırmızi? | ‘What is red?’ | 1303 |
13 | 4 | com | in | nä dır ğırmızi? | ‘What is red?’ | 1304 |
14 | 1 | sim | in | nä dır chüchük? | ‘What is small?’ | 1401 |
14 | 2 | com | al | nä dır chüchük? | ‘What is small?’ | 1402 |
14 | 3 | sim | in | nä dır chüchük? | ‘What is small?’ | 1403 |
14 | 4 | com | in | nä dır chüchük? | ‘What is small?’ | 1404 |
15 | 1 | sim | in | nä dır gyög? | ‘What is blue?’ | 1501 |
15 | 2 | com | al | nä dır gyög? | ‘What is blue?’ | 1502 |
15 | 3 | sim | al | nä dır gyög? | ‘What is blue?’ | 1503 |
15 | 4 | com | in | nä dır gyög? | ‘What is blue?’ | 1504 |
16 | 1 | sim | al | nä dır böüq? | ‘What is big?’ | 1601 |
16 | 2 | com | al | nä dır böüq? | ‘What is big?’ | 1602 |
16 | 3 | sim | in | nä dır böüq? | ‘What is big?’ | 1603 |
16 | 4 | com | in | nä dır böüq? | ‘What is big?’ | 1604 |
Pictures and Questions



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