One's own genitive constructions: Focusing on two genitive variants

This study deals with two distinct patterns of own genitives: s-own and of-own genitive constructions (e.g., a room of my own and my own room), demonstrating that these distinct patterns are not semantically equivalent. From the perspective of Construction Grammar, the study compares the syntactic and semantic properties, as well as grammatical functions, of the two own genitive patterns. Raw frequency and collostructional analyses consolidate the findings on the syntactic, semantic and pragmatic characteristics of these two own genitives. The results reveal that these genitive constructions serve distinct grammatical functions. The s-own genitive construction allows noun phrases, including a proper noun, to occupy the possessor position, with no restrictions on definiteness. In contrast, the of-own genitive construction prohibits proper nouns as possessors and requires the possessed element to be indefinite. These syntactic distinctions align with semantic and pragmatic differences: the s-own genitive construction typically denotes the path or direction ahead of the possessor, whereas the of-own genitive construction highlights the possessor's unique possession of life or family. Moreover, predicate type influences the choice of genitive construction. Dynamic predicates tend to favor s-own genitives with intensifying functions, while stative predicates are more compatible with of-own genitives emphasizing possessive relationships. These preferences are reflected in distinct co-occurrence patterns with verbs, nouns, and collocations. Therefore, this study suggests that the one's own genitives form unique constructions of their own, each possessing their own distinctive syntactic, semantic and pragmatic characteristics, thereby reinforcing the argument that they are not semantically equivalent.