Everything is connected – functional categories, part and whole, belonging and possession in the system of language usage

Abstract

Functional-typological comparison can be very useful in language teaching: it explores with a comparative approach the system of language usage instead of applying rigid formal descriptive grammatical categories. In the introduction, the paper clarifies the interpretation of functional categories and supports the suitability of the Hungarian language for the role of tertium comparationis. The exposition places the grammatical category of possession in the system of predication types and explores the significance of the blurred line between process and state. It specifically delves into action-based possessive structures. It answers questions which cannot be clarified by formal grammar, with the tools provided by cognitive semantics, and thus resolves the position of the genitive in the Hungarian case system. Discussions that use thematic roles can be effectively applied to comparing languages of different types and origins, and can be well applied in language teaching and translation.