Saxon genitive
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The Saxon genitive is the traditional term used for the 's (apostrophe-s) word-ending in the English language. The term is now infrequently used by linguists who argue that 's represents a possessive case, not a genitive.
Modern English forms the Saxon genitive as follows:
| Regular noun not ending in "s" | Regular noun ending in "s" | Irregular noun | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Singular | -'s | -'s | -'s |
| Plural | -s' | -es' | -'s |
| Example (Singular) | cat's | class's | child's |
| Example (Plural) | cats' | classes' | children's |
Many English writers have adopted the nonstandard usage (even in formal writing) of adding only an apostrophe for the singular possessive of a noun ending in "s". Pronouns do not combine with 's to form possessives; there are a range of possessive pronouns used instead.
In Old English nouns declined according to grammatical gender. The modern Saxon genitive is derived from the strong masculine genitive case of Old English. The plural forms are a relatively modern innovation, and are not derived from Old English.
| Gender | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Strong masculine | -es | -a |
| Weak masculine | -an | -ena |
| Strong feminine | -e | -a |
| Weak feminine | -an | -ena |
| Strong neuter | -es | -a |
| Weak neuter | -an | -ena |
The term "Saxon genitive" is in analogy to the genitive in classical Latin.
Many contend that 's now functions as a clitic rather than a case ending: it gets separated from its noun in modern usages such as "the King of Spain's hat", where the hat belongs to the king and not to Spain. (Older usage had "the king's hat of Spain.")
