4.1.4. Possessive phrases with the possessed elided

In Spanish Sign Language (LSE), when the identity of the possessed is shared knowledge between interlocutors, it can be omitted. This may occur, for example, because the possessed referent has been mentioned earlier in the discourse, or because it is present in the immediate extralinguistic environment.

Rodríguez González (1992, p. 298) provides the utterance in (1),  in which the possessed, a table, is not signed because it is present in the situation.

(1) OWN BOARD PRESIDENT ASKme FOR TELEPHONE PUT (The [table of] mine was requested by the president of the board so as to put the telephone on it)

In (1), the sign OWN refers to the table the signer is assembling, which is present in the environment where the communication is taking place.

The signer may also use non-manual components to point to the possessed referent. For example, in the previous case, while signing OWN, the signer may direct his/her gaze towards the table that is present.

gaze to the left
(2) OWN  BOARD PRESIDENT ASKme FOR TELEPHONE PUT (The [table of] mine was requested by the president of the board so as to put the telephone on it)

In (2), while signing OWN, the signer looks to the left, the location where the table would be in the real environment.

Another example of possessed omission appears in (3).

(3) PROI CAR youINCLUDEI FIT-NOT. EVAleft POS(Q)left CAN (You don't fit in my car. You fit in Eva's car)

In (3), POS(Q) is directed towards the location associated with EVA, and the possessed is omitted, because it is understood from context. In this case, the possessed is the car.

Villameriel García, S. (2026). Syntax: The noun phrase: Possessive phrases: Possessive phrases with the possessed elided. In S. Villameriel García (Ed.), Gramática de la Lengua de Signos Española (GramLSE) / Grammar of Spanish Sign Language (GramLSE). Real Patronato sobre Discapacidad-Centro de Normalización Lingüística de la Lengua de Signos Española. Retrieved Month DD, YYYY, from https://cnlse.es/es/recursos/gramlse/ingles/index/syntax/chapter-4-the-noun-phrase/4-1-possessive-phrases/4-1-4-possessive-phrases-with-the-possessed-elided