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1. May 2020
FP
One Comment

Universal 820: Rel N ⇒ ¬ relative pronoun;
N Rel ⇒ personal pronoun/relative pronoun

Posted in Universals Archive

Universal 820: Rel N ⇒ ¬ relative pronoun;
N Rel ⇒ personal pronoun/relative pronoun

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.

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
Counterexamples
FP

FP

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One Comment

  1. FP
    FP

    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.”

    1. May 2020

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