To be and not to have in Polish locationals

Abstract

This paper analyzes a sample of locative, existential and possessive constructions (jointly referred to as locationals) in Polish and focuses on the instance of an overlap between the two verbs byc ‘be’ and miec ‘have’, or more precisely, between their meanings. These three constructions show relatedness across languages, while in Polish, in particular, they exhibit a clear interchange between the locative/existential verb byc ‘be’ and possessive miec ‘have’. Specifically, in affirmative present tense existential and locative constructions the verb be is used, while negative present tense locationals automatically switch to have. Apart from the be-have swap, negated locationals will be claimed to select a different subject than that used in their affirmative equivalents.