Universal #53

Legacy number: 53

 Number  53
 Original  In the construction of possessive attribution, only the possessor may agree in case with the possessum, while only the possessum may agree in person with the possessor.
 Standardized  In the construction of possessive attribution, only the possessor may agree in case with the possessum, while only the possessum may agree in person with the possessor.
 Keywords  possessor, possessee, agreement, case, person
 Domain  inflection, syntax
 Type  implication
 Status  achronic
 Quality  absolute
 Basis  ?
 Source  C. Lehmann 1988: 57, Plank 1991c: 537 (review)

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Discussion
Notes
To bring out the implicational connection more clearly:IF a constituent in an attributive possessive construction is not a possessor, THEN it may not agree in case with the possessum; IF a constituent in an attributive possessive construction is not a possessum, THEN it may not agree in person with the possessor. Reformulation, looked at from the point of view of agreement features:In attributive possessive constructions, when Case is an agreement feature, then the possessor must be the target and the possession the controller, while when Person is an agreement feature, then the possessum must be the target and the possessor the controller.
Comment
Frans Plank · 3 Aug 2006
To bring out the implicational connection more clearly:
IF a constituent in an attributive possessive construction is not a possessor, THEN it may not agree in case with the possessum;
IF a constituent in an attributive possessive construction is not a possessum, THEN it may not agree in person with the possessor.

Reformulation, looked at from the point of view of agreement features:
In attributive possessive constructions, when Case is an agreement feature, then the possessor must be the target and the possession the controller, while when Person is an agreement feature, then the possessum must be the target and the possessor the controller.