Reflexive pronoun
In some languages, there is a difference between reflexive and non-reflexive pronouns. A reflexive pronoun is an anaphor which must be bound by its antecedent (according to Government and Binding Theory in linguistics); note, however, that the exact conditions that determine whether something is bound are not yet well defined and are contingent on the language in question. In plain terms, a reflexive pronoun is a pronoun that is preceded by what it refers to (its antecedent) within the same clause.
In English, the reflexive pronouns are myself, ourselves, yourself, yourselves, himself, herself, itself and themselves. For example, in the statements "I see him" and "he sees me," the subject and object are different, and regular pronouns are used. However, when "I see myself" or "he sees himself," the reflexive pronoun is used to indicate that the object is the same thing as the subject. A common mistake is to use the reflexive pronoun in a non-reflexive fashion, a case of hypercorrection similar to misuse of whom: for example, "Please forward the information to myself."
In Indo-European languages, the reflexive pronoun goes back to the Proto-Indo-European language.
Swedish examples.
- "Jag ser honom". (I see him.)
- "Han ser honom" (He sees him, i.e. someone other)
- "Han ser sig" ("He sees himself")
In Swedish, there is also a difference between normal and reflexive genitives:
- Anna gav Maria hennes bok. - Anna gave her (Maria's) book to Maria.
- Anna gav Maria sin bok. - Anna gave her (Anna's) book to Maria.
Example from Serbian language:
- Ana je dala Mariji njenu knjigu. - Ana gave her (Maria's) book to Maria.
- Ana je dala Mariji svoju knjigu. - Ana gave her (Ana's) book to Maria.
And in Spanish:
- Él vele. - He sees him.
- Él se ve. - He sees himself. (In Spanish, only the third person has a distinct reflexive form)