Universal #823

Legacy number: 823

 Number  820
 Original  Prenominal relative clauses never use relative pronouns and only sporadically present as a personal pronoun or (even more rarely) as a full NP. On the other hand, the use of personal pronouns and to a slightly extent relative pronouns, is very common in postnominal relative clauses.
 Standardized  IF relative clause is prenominal, THEN relative pronouns are not used in the position relativized.

IF relative clause is postnominal, THEN personal pronouns and relative pronouns are commonly used in position relativized.
 Formula  Rel N ⇒ ¬ relative pronoun;
N Rel ⇒ personal pronoun/relative pronoun
 Keywords  relative clause, order, relative pronoun, personal pronoun
 Domain  syntax
 Type  implication
 Status  achronic
 Quality  absolute
 Basis  languages mentioned in Keenan 1985b, Downing 1978
 Source  Keenan 1985b: 154, Downing 1978: 396

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Discussion
Notes
1. Cf. the statement of Downing 1978: “ In prenominal relative clauses if the relative NP is retained, it has a weak pronominal form; there are no (strong) relative pronouns in prenominal relative clauses”. 2. Cf. a more restrictive claim of Downing’s 1977 (# 1566): “ There are no relative pronouns (i.e., no strong pronouns moved to initial or final position) in prenominal relative clauses, nor in postnominal relative clauses in strict verb-initial languages.”
Comment
Frans Plank · 3 Aug 2006
1. Cf. the statement of Downing 1978: "In prenominal relative clauses if the relative NP is retained, it has a weak pronominal form; there are no (strong) relative pronouns in prenominal relative clauses".

2. Cf. a more restrictive claim of Downing's 1977 (<a class="innerLink" href="browse.php?entry_id=1566"><img src="../img/entry.gif" border="0">): "There are no relative pronouns (i.e., no strong pronouns moved to initial or final position) in prenominal relative clauses, nor in postnominal relative clauses in strict verb-initial languages."