What is an inalienable noun?

Definition
	An inalienable noun is a noun that
	refers to something viewed as permanently and necessarily possessed, and is thus obligatorily expressed as possessed.
	It may require a distinguishing possessive form.

Example (Awa, Papua New Guinea)

In Awa, the body part and kinship terms are expressed as inalienable nouns.

Source:

McKaughan and Loving 1973

Generic
	An inalienable noun is a kind of
	What is a noun?

Concept module: inalienable noun
In overview module: Glossary (Linguistics): I
In modular book: Glossary of linguistic terms, by Eugene E. Loos (general editor), Susan Anderson (editor), Dwight H., Day, Jr. (editor), Paul C. Jordan (editor), and J. Douglas Wingate (editor)
In bookshelf: Linguistics

This page is an extract from the LinguaLinks Library, Version 5.0 published on CD-ROM by SIL International, 2003. [Ordering information.]

Page content last modified: 5 January 2004