Possessor ascension in Universal Grammar

This paper, done in the framework of Relational Grammar (RG), examines Possessor Ascension (PA), a syntactic process exemplified in the literature, but heretofore not rigorously justified. Three cross-linguistic strategies of PA are examined, with particular regard to their implications for certain laws postulated in the current theory. In those cases where a PA analysis would violated these laws, it is shown that analyses can be found which are more appropriate not only for RG theory, but also for the linguistic facts