Query: Possessor Raising

[R. Rankin]

> In answer to Bob's query, I asked Parrish Williams (a native speaker of
> Ponca) today for a translation for 'My dog died' in Ponca and got "s^inuda
> witta t?e."  When I asked him for something like 'The/my dog died on me,'
> I got "s^inuda (witta) iN-t?e."  When I asked him outright if one could
> say, "s^inuda aN-t?e," reading him the corresponding Quapaw sentence Bob
> had recorded, or even "s^inuda witta aN-t?e," I got a definite no from
> him. This confirms John's form for Omaha-Ponca.

The question in Omaha and Ponca would be whether you could get "Shinuda iNt?e" by
itself.  aN+ki (dative/benefactive) collapses to iN- in Ponca but aN- in Quapaw.
There's a "ki" hidden in there.  You report Shinuda (witta) iNt?e.  does that mean
the witta is optional?  That's my basic question.

Bob