Feature GB331: Are there non-adjacent relative clauses?

Patrons: Jakob Lesage

Description ⇫

Summary

Is there a non-correlative relative clause that is not adjacent to its modified noun? For example, in [The woman]* is tall [who has a green hat], the noun (woman) is not adjacent to its modifying relative clause (who has a green hat). It must be possible for the head noun to be any noun, not only an unspecific (pro)noun (e.g. whoever*). Do not consider correlative relative clauses for this feature (see GB330).

Procedure

  1. Code 1 if a source mentions that there are non-adjacent relative clauses, or that relative clauses may be separated from their head noun by other constituents.
  2. Code 1 if you find examples in the description of non-adjacent relative clauses.
  3. Code 0 if a source mentions that there are only adjacent relative clauses, or that relative clauses may not be separated from their head noun by other constituents.
  4. Code 0 if a source comprehensively describes relative clauses but does not discuss non-adjacent relative clauses.
  5. Code ? if there are examples that contain potential non-adjacent relative clauses.
  6. Code ? if the source does not treat relative clauses in much detail and may have missed non-adjacent relative clauses.

Examples

Ottawa (ISO 639-3: otw, Glottolog: otta1242)

For Ottawa, Valentine (2001: 581–582) describes "non-contiguous relative clauses", where the relative clause is separated from its head noun. Ottawa is coded 1.

Mshkikwaaboo     gye   wgii-wzhitoonaawaa   waa-aabjitoowaad.
liquid.medicine  and   ANIM.PL-made:INANIM  REL-ANIM.PL:will.use:INANIM
‘They made liquid medicine that they were going to use.’ 
(literally: ‘Liquid medicine they made that they were going to use.’) (Valentine 2001: 582)

Pendau (ISO 639-3: ums, Glottolog: pend1242)

For Pendau, Quick (2007: 508) explicitly mentions that relative clauses always immediately follow the argument that they modify. This implies that they cannot be separated from their head noun. Pendau is coded 0.

Further reading

See also the special section on the Grambank wiki on relative clauses.

Dryer, Matthew S. 2013. Order of Relative Clause and Noun. In: Dryer, Matthew S. & Haspelmath, Martin (eds.) The World Atlas of Language Structures Online. Leipzig: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology.

Lehmann, Christian. 1986. On the typology of relative clauses. Linguistics 24(4). 663–680.

References

Valentine, J. Randolph. 2001. Nishnaabemwin reference grammar. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.

Quick, Phil. 2007. A grammar of the Pendau language of central Sulawesi, Indonesia. (Pacific Linguistics, 590.) Canberra: Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, Australian National University.


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0 absent 1263
1 present 136
? Not known 773
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Values ⇫

Name Glottocode Family Macroarea Contributor Value Source Comment