genitivej

Genitivej is a theoretical genitive-like case used in linguistics discussions and constructed languages. It marks possession by attaching a suffix -j to the possessor noun, contrasting with systems where possession is indicated on the head noun or by a separate preposition. In Genitivej analyses, the -j may be treated as a suffix or as a clitic that attaches to the possessor phrase, while the head noun remains unmarked or marked for other grammatical categories. The key idea is that possession is signaled morphologically on the possessor rather than syntactically on the possessed noun.

Genitivej is described as suitable for expressing close or inalienable possession, though its applicability can vary with language design. It can support both singular and plural possessor forms if the language’s morphosyntax allows it. Word order in a Genitivej system can be flexible, since the defining feature is the possession-marking on the possessor with -j rather than the arrangement of noun phrases alone.

Example: in a sample Genitivej system, the possessor marked with -j could render as manj libro to mean “man’s book” or “the book of the man,” depending on the language’s definiteness and syntactic rules.

Relation to other genitive patterns: Genitivej offers an alternative to prepositional phrases like “of the,” or to affixal marking on the head noun. It is a hypothetical construct used to explore the space of possible possession-marking strategies in language.

See also: genitive, possessive case, clitic, conlang, morphosyntax, typology.