From vtodisco@mediatec.it Fri Oct 1 05:21:05 1999 Received: from mxu1.u.washington.edu (mxu1.u.washington.edu [140.142.32.8]) by lists.u.washington.edu (8.9.3+UW99.09/8.9.3+UW99.08) with ESMTP id FAA34254 for ; Fri, 1 Oct 1999 05:21:04 -0700 Received: from dns.mediatec.it ([194.185.122.66]) by mxu1.u.washington.edu (8.9.3+UW99.09/8.9.3+UW99.08) with ESMTP id FAA31929 for ; Fri, 1 Oct 1999 05:20:56 -0700 Received: from v1p5h2 ([194.185.122.84]) by dns.mediatec.it (8.8.7/8.8.7) with SMTP id PAA06375 for ; Fri, 1 Oct 1999 15:02:16 +0200 Message-Id: <4.1.19991001121015.0099d540@mail.mediatec.it> Message-Id: <4.1.19991001121015.0099d540@mail.mediatec.it> X-Sender: vtodisco@mail.mediatec.it (Unverified) X-Mailer: QUALCOMM Windows Eudora Pro Version 4.1 (Demo) Date: Fri, 01 Oct 1999 14:24:07 +0200 To: classics@u.washington.edu From: Vittorio Todisco Subject: Re: suus as pronoun? In-Reply-To: <37F3D280.758D5E45@nimbus.ocis.temple.edu> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="=====================_733520==_.ALT" --=====================_733520==_.ALT Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" At 17.13 30/09/99 -0400, you wrote: >Does it bother anyone else that Cassell's identifies suus, -a, -um as a >"reflexive possessive *pronoun*"? After the standard usage points (as >adjective) there follows the expected reference to SUUS as a >substantive, but why does the main entry identify it as pronoun and not >adjective? > >Is there an explanation for this that I am unaware of? > >Thanks/ >Janice > >Janice Siegel >Temple University Dear colleague, Unfortunately I don't have in hand the Cassel's handbook (quite unknown here in Italy), but even though I'm not an authority in this field, I can assure you that any good grammar (Italian, German, French etc.) classifies suus, -a, -um as possessive adjective having reflexive value, as it always refers to the subject of the sentence, either grammar or logical subject. Sometimes suus, -a, -um is used as pronoun, e.g. sui, -orum (=friends, pals, buddies, chums, relatives) having masculine gender. Sometimes it is used in the neuter, suum, -i and sua, -orum ( the goods, his own property etc.). That is all I can tell you, for the moment. If you need some more detail referring to this topic, you'll be very welcome. This is my favorite field, don't forget! All the best, Vittorio +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Vittorio Todisco address: 318, Viale Magna Grecia - 74100, Taranto (Italy) telefax: +39 099 377138 e-mail: vtodisco@mediatec.it (vtodisco@netscape.net) alternate website: http://www.members.tripod.com/taras66/index.html ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ --=====================_733520==_.ALT Content-Type: text/html; charset="us-ascii" At 17.13 30/09/99 -0400, you wrote:
>Does it bother anyone else that Cassell's identifies suus, -a, -um as a
>"reflexive possessive *pronoun*"? After the standard usage points (as
>adjective) there follows the expected reference to SUUS as a
>substantive, but why does the main entry identify it as pronoun and not
>adjective?
>
>Is there an explanation for this that I am unaware of?
>
>Thanks/
>Janice
>
>Janice Siegel
>Temple University

Dear colleague,

Unfortunately I don't have in hand the Cassel's handbook (quite unknown here in Italy), but  even though I'm not an authority in this field, I can assure you that any good grammar (Italian, German, French etc.) classifies suus, -a, -um as possessive adjective having reflexive value, as it always refers to the subject of the sentence, either grammar or logical subject. Sometimes suus, -a, -um  is used as pronoun, e.g. sui, -orum (=friends, pals, buddies, chums, relatives) having masculine gender. Sometimes it is used in the neuter, suum, -i and sua, -orum ( the goods, his own property etc.). That is all I can tell you, for the moment. If you need some more detail referring to this topic, you'll be very welcome. This is my favorite field, don't forget!

All the best,

Vittorio 
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Vittorio Todisco

address: 318, Viale Magna Grecia - 74100, Taranto (Italy)
telefax: +39 099 377138
e-mail: vtodisco@mediatec.it  (vtodisco@netscape.net) alternate
website: http://www.members.tripod.com/taras66/index.html
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ --=====================_733520==_.ALT-- .