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Expressions of possession
Possession of objects express asymmetrical relation between subject and object or between two objects:
- one item is the part of another item or person;
- to mark owner of subject or object;
- to describe public/private property/ownership;
- object currently/temporarily is/was in close proximity with subject or another object;
Possessed object may be not materialistic but some abstract quality.
Nûrlâm do not differentiate grammatically between alienable (like money) and inalienable (e.g. parts of body, person's relatives) possession.
Possession may be expressed grammatically by:
- objects in genitive case (-ob);
- objects in comitative case (-sha);
- certain verbs: “brus-” (to have got), “tabz-” (to own, possess) and others.
Impersonal existential clauses are not used in Nûrlâm to express possession as in Russian and some Uralic languages.
Negated possession (absence) may be expressed differently.
Cases are used to avoid complex sentences when the fact of possession is not the topic.
Genitive-Possessive case
Nûrlâm do not have distinct possessive case, but genitive case is the most common way to mark owner (possessor) of subject or object. Possessive expression in that case may be considered as modifier. When the possessor is a one-syllable long pronoun it may join the possessed noun as clitic.
Example 1: “His house is huge” = “Ozd tab (kulâ) bhâ”.
Example 2: “They came to the forest of elves” = “Takskâtuz tauzu golugob”
Comitative case
Comitative case (clitic postposition -sha, mostly identical to English preposition “with”) may be sometimes used to mark the property (the possessed) of subject or object. Such expressions are also considered as modifiers. Usually comitative case means that marked noun is the part of subject or another object.
Example 1: “Orc with knife is terrorizing the local area” = “Uruk kirmsha gothuglâ hofum”1)
Example 2: “Mug is a beaker with handle” = “Zân kulâ kolk unralsha”
Verbs indicating ownership
Verbs may carry more nuances of ownership and used when the fact of possession is the topic of sentence.
Static
These verbs indicate current relation between subject and object as possession without changing their status.
“Brus-” (to have got) and “tabz-” (to own, possess) show that subject is owner and object is a property. Verbs “fîth-” and “unr-” (to keep, hold) and “durb-” (control, rule over) indirectly have the similar function. But the roles of subject and object may be inverted if these verbs are used in passive voice.
| Voice | Role of subject | Role of object |
|---|---|---|
| active | owner | possession |
| passive | possession | owner |
Example 1: “Uruk brusâ ash kirm” = “Orc has a knife”
Example 2: “Kirm kulâ tabzag urukirzi” = “Knife is owned by the orc”
The verb “aud-” (to belong) shows that subject is a property and the object is an owner. Direct object is required to be in Dative case. This verb cannot be in passive voice, as it's already turns subject into patient of an action.
Example: “Kirm audâ urukûr” = “Knife belongs to orc”
The verb “kul-” (to be) may replace all these verbs. But then possessor should be marked with genitive case and the possession with comitative case.
Example 1: “Za kirm kulâ urukob” = “This knife is orc's”
Example 2: “Za uruk kulâ kirmsha” = “This orc is with knife”
Dynamic
There are many verbs that indicate changing of ownership: “throg-” (to give), “nork-” (to take) and others. They may state that ownership is obtained or lost with optional mentioning of new or old owner as indirect object. If verb means that it's indirect object is the new owner, than Dative case is used; if it's indirect object is the old owner, than Ablative case is used. The roles of subject and object may be inverted by placing the verb into passive voice, then direct object must be in Instrumental case.
Obtaining the ownership
The following verbs usually indicate obtaining the ownership over the direct object:
- brash- (get, gain, obtain, retrieve)
- dik- (capture)
- gamb- (earn, gain a reward)
- gimb- (find, seek out, discover)
- krimp- (bind, tie)
- nânt- (receive, acquire, get)
- nork- (take)
- orsk- (steal)
- paik- (conquer)
- rop- (seize, grab, grasp, grip)
- snab- (get, acquire, lay hold of, take)
- thrak- (to bring, hale, drag)
- thudurb- (conquer)
- tûz- (buy, purchase, trade)
Many of these verbs may have two indirect objects: new owner in dative case and old owner in ablative case, if the action was performed by subject which didn't got ownership at the end (e.g. on behalf of other person), only temporarily. Moreover the first owner or creator of object may be expressed by possessive phrase modifying the direct object, and there may be up to 4 participants (but such phrases are very confusing and not recommended to use). Some of these verbs may have no objects at all, but then they stop indicate changing of possessor and refer to regular action.
| Active voice | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of participants | Roles of | Examples | ||||
| subject | direct object | direct object's possessive modifier (genitive case) | indirect object (dative case) | indirect object (ablative case) |
||
| 1 | new owner | possession2) | — | — | — | Da orskuz nazgum = I stole the ring |
| 2 | new owner | old owner | — | — | Da orskuz nazgum mâgzob = I stole the master's ring | |
| 2 | agent | — | new owner | — | Danorkuz nazgum mâgzûr = I took the ring for the master | |
| 2 | new owner | — | — | old owner | Danorkuz nazgum piragabo = I took the ring from hobbit | |
| 3 | agent | old owner | new owner | — | Uruk thrakubû nazg gazatob Nazgûlûr = Orcs will bring dwarven rings to Nazgûl | |
| 3 | final owner | first owner | — | second owner | Shargroth nântuzâ nazgum golugob Lûntarthbo = Gandalf got the elven ring from Círdan3) | |
| 3 | agent | — | new owner | old owner | Urukhai ropuzû nazgum piragabo gothûr takob = Orc seized the ring from halflings for their Master | |
| 4 | agent (third owner) | first owner | final owner | second owner | Nazgûl dikuzû nazgum gazatob Thráinbo Mâgzbûrzûr = Nazgûl captured the dwarven ring from Thráin for the Dark Lord | |
| Passive voice | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of participants | Roles of | Examples | ||||
| subject | subject's possessive modifier (genitive case) | direct object (instrumental case) | indirect object (dative case) | indirect object (ablative case) |
||
| 1 | possession | — | new owner | — | — | Nazgum orskâkuzâ urukirzi = The ring was stolen by orcs |
| 2 | old owner | new owner | — | — | Nazgum mâgzob kuzâ orskaga darzi = The master's ring was stolen by me | |
| 2 | — | agent | new owner | — | Nazgum orskâkuzâ darzi mâgz dabûr = The ring was stolen by me for my master | |
| 2 | — | new owner | — | old owner | Nazgum norkâkuzâ piragabo urukirzi = The ring was taken from hobbit by orcs | |
| 3 | old owner | agent | new owner | — | Nazg gazatob kulû thrakat Nazgûlûr urukirzi = Dwarven rings are to be brought by orcs for Nazgûl4) | |
| 3 | first owner | final owner | — | second owner | Nazgum golugob kuzâ nântaga Shargrothirzi Lûntarthbo = The elven ring was received by Gandalf from Círdan | |
| 3 | — | agent | new owner | old owner | Nazgum ropâkuzâ urukirzi piragabo gothûr takob = The ring was seized by orcs from hobbits for their master | |
| 4 | first owner | agent (third owner) | final owner | second owner | Nazg gazatob dikâkuzâ Nazgûlirzi Thráinbo Mâgzbûrzûr = The dwarven ring was captured by Nazgûl from Thráin for the Dark Lord | |
Loosing the ownership
The following verbs indicate loosing the ownership:
- af- (throw, cast, toss)
- bûf- (lose)
- draug (sell)
- rang- (abandon, leave)
- throg- (give, grant, yield, tribute, make gift, bestow, endow, indue)
These verbs may have zero or only one indirect object which must be in Dative case
| Active voice | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of participants | Roles of | Examples | |||
| subject | direct object | direct object's possessive modifier (genitive case) | indirect object (dative case) |
||
| 1 | old owner | possession | — | — | Dabûfuz nazgum = I lost the ring |
| 2 | agent | old owner | — | Gazat drauguz yak takob = Dwarves sold their weapons | |
| 2 | old owner | — | new owner | Kudug ranguzâ nazgum ash nurtabûr = Hobbit left the ring for his relative | |
| 3 | agent | old owner | new owner | Lûntharth throguzâ nazgum golugob Shargrothûr = Círdan gave the elven ring to Gandalf | |
| Passive voice | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of participants | Roles of | Examples | |||
| subject | subject's possessive modifier (genitive case) | direct object (instrumental case) | indirect object (dative case) |
||
| 1 | possession | — | old owner | — | Nazgum bûfâkuzâ Gollumirzi = The ring was lost by Gollum |
| 2 | first owner | agent / second owner | — | Yak golugob kuzâ draugaga gazatirzi = Elven weapon was sold by dwarves | |
| 2 | — | agent / old owner | new owner | Nazgum kuzâ rangaga Frodozûr Bilborzi = The ring was left by Bilbo for Frodo | |
| 3 | first owner | agent (second owner) | final owner | Nazg gazatob throgâkuzû Nazgûlûr urukirzi = Dwarven rings were given to Nazgûl by orcs | |
The verb “kurb-” (to exchange, barter, trade) express both obtaining and loosing the ownership. New owner (indirect object) should be marked with comitative case.
See also
