CONTENTS -- Figures and Tables -- List of Abbreviations -- Acknowledgments -- 1. Introduction -- 1.1. Aims and Assumptions -- 1.2. About the Language -- PART ONE: THE ALIENABLE /INALIENABLE DISTINCTION IN THE GRAMMAR OF POSSESSION -- Introduction to Part One -- 2. The Alienability/Inalienability Opposition in Language -- 2.1. General Overview -- 2.2. Inalienability viewed as a Formal Phenomenon -- 2.3. Inalienability as a Semantic Phenomenon -- 2.4. Motivational Pressures in the Expression of Inalienability -- 3 The Alienability/Inalienability Contrast in Guaraní Possessive Constructions -- 3.1. A Schematic Characterization of Possession -- 3.2. Possession at the Nominal Level -- 3.3. Non-Verbal Predicative Construction -- 3.4. Verbal Predicative Construction -- 3.5. The Equational Possessive Construction -- 3.6. Summary and Conclusions -- PART TWO: THE EXPRESSION OF MAXIMAL INALIENABILITY: INCORPORATION AND POSSESSOR ASCENSION -- Introduction to Part Two -- 4. Noun Incorporation in Guaraní: Formal and Semantic Aspects -- 4.1. The Phenomenon of N1: General Background -- 4.2. Constraints on Incorporability -- 4.3. Non-body-part Incorporation in Guaraní -- 4.4. Incorporation as a Lexicalization Process -- 4.5. Remarks on Object Placement and Incorporation -- 4.6. Concluding Remarks -- 5. Incorporation of Body-part Terms -- 5.1. The Phenomenon of PA: General Overview -- 5.2. The NI+PA Construction: General Structural Considerations -- 5.3. Grammatical Function of the Incorporated Body-Part Term -- 5.4. Motivation for Overt Mention of Body-Part Terms -- 5.5. Semantic boundaries of the NI+PA Construction -- 5.6. Concluding Remarks -- 6. The Discourse Function of the NI+PA Construction -- 6.1. NI+PA as a Discourse Coherence and Topic Maintenance Device -- 6.2. NI+PA as an Evaluative Device -- 6.3. Body-Parts as Individuated Entities in Discourse.

6.4. Concluding Remarks -- 7. Conclusions -- 7.1. Summary of Results -- 7.2. Further Research Issues -- 7.3. Contribution to the Field of Linguistics -- Appendix A: Semantic Classification of Guaraní Lexical Roots -- Appendix B: Inventory of Conventionalized Incorporated Structures -- Appendix C: Text of Guaraní Folk Tale Analyzed in Section 6.2 -- Notes -- References.