postitusessive

Postitusessive is a linguistic term used in some descriptive grammars to designate a hypothetical or obscure grammatical case that marks possession through a postpositional construction. The label blends the idea of a postposition with the essive, a case typically related to states or conditions, and in this context refers to a possessive relation expressed with a postpositional phrase rather than through a possessive suffix on the possessed noun or via a genitive marking on the possessor.

Usage and distribution: The postitusessive is not a universally recognized category and appears mainly in certain academic accounts of Finnic and related languages. In those descriptions, possession is expressed by a possessor phrase that follows the possessed noun and is accompanied by a dedicated postpositional element or clitic signaling the possessive relation. The exact formal realization—whether a suffix, a clitic, or a separate postpositional particle—varies by language and analysis.

Functions: The term is used to describe a way of encoding ownership that foregrounds the possessor within a postpositional structure. It is typically contrasted with more common possessive strategies such as the genitive possessive or with systems that use a distinct essive or postposessive meaning.

Relation to other cases: Postitusessive is related to other postpositional and possessive constructions, including inessive, elative, and various postpositional markers. In languages where such a category is posited, it often interacts with pronoun encodings of possession and with other postpositional meanings.

See also: Essive, Postpositional case, Genitive, Possessive construction.