Her , hers , herself , and her own : deriving reflexive possessive pronouns in Eng

Abstract

Using the examples of her , hers , herself , and her own , this paper examines the internal syntax and morphological properties of English pronouns through the lens of Distributed Morphology. The central argument is that her own acts as a complex reflexive possessive pronoun, serving as the functional equivalent of the nonexistent form herself’s . Specifically, the possessive pronoun her is not an inherent reflexive; rather, its reflexive character in specific contexts is derived from the presence of the reflexive pronoun own in the syntax, which may be absent or present at PF. With own , her ( own ) functions as a reflexive pronoun governed by Binding Condition A, thereby avoiding a Condition B violation. As regards the derivation of her own , formal features such as phi-features [phi], possession [poss], and reflexivity [ref] are distributed across multiple nodes in the syntax, which ultimately cluster as single words her and own . The nonexistent form self’s is blocked by own for reasons of economy.