Grammatical expressions of possession in Amuzgo (Otomanguean). Evidence from San Pedro Amuzgos

This paper describes the possession of the Amuzgo of Oaxaca. A double system is distinguished: one synthetic and the other analytical. In the first, for single nominal the grammatical resources are phonological, morphological and semantic. In the second, that of constructions formed by two semantic entities, the coding is through juxtaposition and expression of the class of the relationship. This system denotes semantic classes: general referents, animals, body parts and kinship terms. These groups present a coding for the first-person singular and second-person singular, as well as for the first-person exclusive plural, but not for the rest of the paradigm. Keywords: Indigenous languages; alienability; inalienability; semantic domains; morphophonology