3.4.5. Displacement of relative clauses

The preferred position of a noun phrase with a relative clause is clause-initial. In-situ and post-verbal positions are less frequent. Below, the example shows a fronted noun phrase [Syntax - 4.1.] which is modified by a relative clause.

                                               hs

                                 sq                     ht         hn              ht

[girl₃ earning₃give₁] ix₁ want^not ix₁         tell^not

'I could not tell that I did not want the money that the woman had earned.'

 (adapted from Kubus 2016: 344)

The example below shows an in-situ noun phrase which is modified by a relative clause. The noun phrase, hangman [competition a-b-c], is the object of the main clause and it is in its in-situ position after the subject of the main clause, ix₁.

                                                        hs

                                                                   sq

                                                     re                    ht

ix₁ hangman [competition a-b-c]  CL:'want_not'

'I didn't like hangman, a game which uses letters.'

 (adapted from Kubus 2016: 340)