3.2.1.3 Attributive qualification

A nominal referent can be qualified by an attribute that normally precedes its head, cp.:

bez babanana-n me kala va? laig/lu k'u-ax ic^-en-ic^-g/-o-baxt'inserb-i-q'un
my parents-erg prox big and worthy house-dat2 refl-erg-refl-pl-gen-pp(for) build-aor-3pl:a
'My parents built this big and expensive house for themselves'.

In such cases, the attribute is generally unmarked (group inflection). However, for purpose of emphasis, the attribute may appear postponed. It then receives the same case markers as the head noun, but note that the adjective is additionaly marked for nominalization:

gam xe-n-ex u?g/-sa-zu
warm water-sa-dat2 drink-pres-1sg:a
'I drink the warm water'.

vs.

xe-n-ex gam-t'-ux-zu u?g/-sa
water-sa-dat2 warm-sa:obl-dat2-1sg:a drink-pres
'I drink the WARM water'.

In fact, we have to deal with some kind of afterthought that calls for the referentialization of the adjective (lit.: I drink the water, the warm one'). 



3.2.1.4 Possession

The standard way of indicating possession in Udi is the use of the genitive case for the possessor (which precedes its possessum), cp.:

vic^-ey yoldas^
brother-gen friend
'the brother's friend'

vic^-ey tur
brother-gen leg
'tthe leg of the brother'

There is no distinction between alienable and inalienable possession in actual Udi. In order to express a partitive meaning (esp. with qualifying possessors), the ablative may be incidently used, e.g.:

z/e-n-axo bi?bi?
stone-abl bridge
'the stony bridge'