South Asian perspectives on relative-correlative constructions

• Main Author: Coupe, Alexander Robertson
• Other Authors: School of Humanities
• Format: Conference or Workshop Item
• Language: English
• Published: 2019
• Subjects: DRNTU::Humanities::Language; Relativization; South Asian Languages
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/89999; http://hdl.handle.net/10220/49452
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

This paper discusses relativization strategies used by South Asian languages, with the focus falling on relative-correlative constructions. The bi-clausal relative-correlative structure is believed to be native to Indo-Aryan languages and has been replicated by Austroasiatic, Dravidian and Tibeto-Burman languages of South Asia through contact and convergence, despite the non-Indic languages of the region already having a participial relativization strategy at their disposal. Various permutations of the relative-correlative construction are discussed and compared to the participial relativization strategies of South Asian languages, and functional reasons are proposed for its widespread diffusion and distribution.