Editing Inalienable possession (section)

====Identical possessor deletion====
In [[Igbo language|Igbo]], a [[West African language]], the possessor is [[elision|deleted]] in a sentence if both its [[subject (grammar)|subject]] and the possessor of an inalienable noun [[reference|refer]] to the same entity.<ref name=Hyman>{{cite journal|last1=Hyman|first1=Larry M.|last2=Alford|first2=Danny|last3=Elizabeth|first3=Akpati|title=Inalienable Possession in Igbo|journal=Journal of West African Languages|date=1970|volume=VII|issue=2}}</ref>{{rp|87}} In (5a), both [[referent]]s are the same, but it is ungrammatical to keep both of them in a sentence. Igbo uses the processes of identical possessor deletion, and the '''''yá''''' (''his''), is dropped, as in the grammatical (5b).

{{interlinear|number=(5) a.
|* Ó sàra áka '''yá'''
|{} He<sub>i</sub> washed hands {'''his<sub>i</sub> (own)'''}
|'He<sub>i</sub> washed his<sub>i</sub> hands'
}}
{{interlinear|number={{hidden text|(5)}} b.
|Ó sàra áka
|He washed hands
|'He<sub>i</sub> washed his<sub>i</sub> hands'
|bottom= (Hyman et al. 1970: 87 (11, 12))
}}

A similar process occurs in some [[Slavic languages]], notably [[Serbian language|Serbian]]:

{{interlinear|number=(6) a.
|* Oprao je '''svoje''' ruke
|{} Washed he<sub>i</sub>.is {'''his<sub>i</sub> (own)'''} hands 
|'He<sub>i</sub> washed his<sub>i</sub> hands'
}}
{{interlinear|number={{hidden text|(6)}} b.
|Oprao je ruke
|Washed he.is hands
|'He<sub>i</sub> washed his<sub>i</sub> hands'
}}