Universal #1591

Legacy number: 1591

 Number  1587
 Original  Bound nouns appear to exist only where there is head-marked possession.
 Standardized  IF there is a set of nouns which cannot occur without a possessive marker, THEN there will be head-marked possession.
 Formula  bound nouns ⇒ head-marked possession
 Keywords  possession, head-marking, bound noun, possessive marker
 Domain  inflection, syntax
 Type  implication
 Status  achronic
 Quality  statistical
 Basis  every language family and language isolate attested for North America (excluding only those six: Alsea, Beothuk, Cayuse, Kalapuyan, Molala, Yanan), also North Eurasian language families and several Australian languages
 Source  Nichols 1988: 578

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Discussion
Notes
For instance, Navajo -be’ ‘milk’ cannot stand by itself but must take a possessive prefix:bi-be’ [3SG-milk] ‘her (own) milk’; ’a-be’ [3Unspecified-milk] ‘(someone’s, something’s) milk’.
Comment
Frans Plank · 3 Aug 2006
For instance, Navajo -be' 'milk' cannot stand by itself but must take a possessive prefix:
bi-be' [3SG-milk] 'her (own) milk'; 'a-be' [3Unspecified-milk] '(someone's, something's) milk'.