indefinitepossessive

Indefinite possessive is a term used in linguistics to describe possessive constructions in which the possessor is not specified or identified. It contrasts with definite possessives, where the possessor is known, such as my, your, or John’s. Indefinite possession is often expressed with forms built from indefinite pronouns or determiners.

In English, the most common realizations are one’s, someone’s, anyone’s, and no one’s. One’s can function as a generic or universal possessor in statements such as One’s rights should be protected, where the possessor is not a particular individual. Someone’s and anyone’s denote possession by an unspecified person, as in Someone’s car was left here or Anyone’s guess is as good as mine. No one’s can be used in negative contexts, as in No one’s responsibility was fulfilled, to indicate that possession does not belong to any identifiable person. These forms allow speakers to refer to possession without naming a specific owner, enabling generalizations, hypothetical scenarios, or polite indirect references.

Syntactically, indefinite possessives typically occur before a noun they modify (one’s book, someone’s idea) or in predicate position (That is one’s responsibility). The indefinite possessor is singular, even when the possessed noun is plural, reflecting the infinitive of the indefinite pronoun rather than the number of the possessed item.

Cross-linguistically, many languages have analogous devices for indefinite possession, using different pronouns or constructions to convey nondeterminacy of the possessor. Indefinite possessives are a useful tool for generic statements, social neutrality, and discourse flexibility.