Chung, Moo-joo, 1999. The Topicality of Prenominal Possessive Constructions. Studies in Modern Grammar 16, 101-117. This study was written to investigate the properties of the prenominal possessives with reference to Lagacker`s reference point analysis. On the reference point analysis, the prenominal possessive constructions invite the addressee to first evoke the possessor entity, which is introduced to serve as a reference point entity for the subsequent identification of the target entity, denoted by the possesses. That is, the possessor is invoked to facilitate the identification of the possesses, so the possessor needs to be more easily accessible, and to show higher topicality, than the possesses. There are, I suggest, two factors that are likely to render a concept cognitively accessible. In the first place, a concept is rendered accessible by the discourse context in which it occurs. This was referred to as givenness. Second, certain concepts, by their very nature, are inherently more accessible than other concepts, irrespective of discourse context. This aspect was referred to as humanness. The givenness and humanness of possessor nominals were confirmed in a quantitative study. The following conclusions were drawn concerning possessor nominals. a) Possessor nominals refer to entities mentioned in recently preceding text. b) Discourse topics tend to be amongst the preferred referents of possessor nominals. c) Possessor nominals are overwhelmingly definite. d) Pronominal forms are frequent. e) Human possessors serve as a reference point for inanimate possessees.

• 정무주 | Moo Joo Chung