my your recommendation

[Lynne Murphy]

--On Thursday, September 27, 2001 1:23 pm +0000 RonButters at aol.com wrote:

>
> In a message dated 9/27/01 1:14:21 PM, lynnem at COGS.SUSX.AC.UK writes:
>
> << > 1. Can one convey the notion 'the recommendation that I wrote on your
>> behalf' by saying "my your recommendation'?
> No.
>> 2. If not, why not?
> Because 'my' and 'your' are determiners, and there's only one determiner
> slot in at the front of a noun phrase.  Same reason you can't say 'the
> your recommendation' or 'your that recommendation'. >>
>
> So all possessives are determiners? I find "My Alex's recommendation"
> worse  than "My your recommendation," and "Sue's Tom's recommendation"
> even worse.

I find them all just plain bad.  I can only presume that you find it easier
to process 'your' as an adjective (and not a determiner) than I do.  I
assume that you have an easier time processing 'your' that way than the
others because it's lexicalized already.  But I dunno--they're all just
stinking bad to me.

Lynne


M Lynne Murphy
Lecturer in Linguistics
School of Cognitive and Computing Sciences
University of Sussex
Brighton BN1 9QH
UK

phone +44-(0)1273-678844
fax   +44-(0)1273-671320