Word Building of Possessive Adjectives in Birch Bark Letters and the Novgorod First Chronicle

Aim. To consider the word building of possessive adjectives in the Russian language of the 12–15th centuries both in everyday writing and in chronicles; put forward the formation of possessive adjectives as a system; conduct a comparative analysis of the possessive adjectives use in written monuments of various genres.Methodology. Using analytical and synthetic methods, we classify and process the examples found in birch bark documents of the 12th–15th centuries and in the Synodal List of the Novgorod First Chronicle of the 13th–14th centuries. When comparing the results of the analysis of writings presented in these monuments, the comparative method is used. By applying the descriptive method, a commentary is given on the usage of possessive adjectives in the texts of birch bark letters and the Novgorod First Chronicle.Results. The data of birch bark letters and the Novgorod First Chronicle show that in the Old Russian language of the 12th–15th centuries possessive adjectives also acted as the main means of expressing belonging.Research implications. The present data can be used to elucidate the patterns and principles of possessive adjectives word-building in in the Russian language of the 12th–15th centuries.