Possession in Patani

Abstract This paper provides the first description of possessive system in Patani, a South Halmahera-West New Guinea language (Austronesian). Possession Patani involves interplay several parameters. Syntactically, there are two broad constructions: direct, and indirect. Morphologically, both constructions make use pronominal proclitics suffixes which express person number possessor. In direct construction, this marking attaches directly to noun, whereas indirect construction makes particle (a relational classifier) on occurs. Semantically, all nouns possessed inalienable expressing kinship, part-of-whole relations, close association. semantic distinction is made between items related eating drinking one hand, general possession other. signaled through choice classifiers. At same time, some idiosyncrasies not explained by main pattern. When used together sentence, each part maps different relationship. Typologically, order possessor-possessed, as common region. Finally, may be phrasally (‘my house’), or predicatively (‘I have house’).