Competing possessive constructions in Late Latin documents from Italy
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Cecilia Valentini
Abstract
This paper illustrates the grammaticalisation of the preposition de as a genitive marker through the analysis of Early Medieval notary deeds written in northern and central Italy (Codice diplomatico longobardo, CDL). In Classical Latin, de is used mainly as a verbal adjunct; its usage at the noun phrase level is sporadic and semantically determined, conveying mainly the meaning of ‘source’. By the time of the CDL documents, de has a more grammaticalised status and a higher frequency, but has not yet affected the expression of kinship and ownership. Semantic factors such as the prototypicality of the possessive relation and the degree of animacy of the modifier can motivate this concurrence between the synthetic and the analytical pattern of adnominal possession.
Abstract
This paper illustrates the grammaticalisation of the preposition de as a genitive marker through the analysis of Early Medieval notary deeds written in northern and central Italy (Codice diplomatico longobardo, CDL). In Classical Latin, de is used mainly as a verbal adjunct; its usage at the noun phrase level is sporadic and semantically determined, conveying mainly the meaning of ‘source’. By the time of the CDL documents, de has a more grammaticalised status and a higher frequency, but has not yet affected the expression of kinship and ownership. Semantic factors such as the prototypicality of the possessive relation and the degree of animacy of the modifier can motivate this concurrence between the synthetic and the analytical pattern of adnominal possession.
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Introduction 1
- Expressing ‘possession’ 7
- Predicative possession in revived Cornish 27
- Possessive chains and Possessor Camouflage 51
- On Turkish non-canonical possessives 85
- Predicative possession in South Saami 103
- Predicative possession in Oghuz and Kipchak Turkic languages 125
- Pronominal and adjectival attributive possession in spoken Czech 149
- Predicative possession in North Saami and Norwegian 169
- Possession and ownership in Modern Uyghur 187
- Superlative readings of possessive constructions in Turkic 205
- Possession in Khinalug 239
- A diachronic perspective on alienability splits in Icelandic attributive possession 267
- Grammaticalization of possessive markers in the Beserman dialect of Udmurt 291
- On belonging 313
- Competing possessive constructions in Late Latin documents from Italy 365
- Languages and language families and areas 393
- Name index 397
- Subject index 401
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Introduction 1
- Expressing ‘possession’ 7
- Predicative possession in revived Cornish 27
- Possessive chains and Possessor Camouflage 51
- On Turkish non-canonical possessives 85
- Predicative possession in South Saami 103
- Predicative possession in Oghuz and Kipchak Turkic languages 125
- Pronominal and adjectival attributive possession in spoken Czech 149
- Predicative possession in North Saami and Norwegian 169
- Possession and ownership in Modern Uyghur 187
- Superlative readings of possessive constructions in Turkic 205
- Possession in Khinalug 239
- A diachronic perspective on alienability splits in Icelandic attributive possession 267
- Grammaticalization of possessive markers in the Beserman dialect of Udmurt 291
- On belonging 313
- Competing possessive constructions in Late Latin documents from Italy 365
- Languages and language families and areas 393
- Name index 397
- Subject index 401
