3.2.3.     There is one more way of getting dependent clauses.  That is, to change the independent clauses into dependent by adding certain elements called subordinators.  The subordinators are listed below with illustrations.  The subordinators mainly are of two types.  1.   The Relative subordinators and  2.  the others.

 

3.2.3.1.     Relative  Clause construction :

            Relative clauses are subordinate constructions embedded in the main clause.  The subject of the relative clause  and that of the main clause will be identical (co-referential).  Relative subordinators are formally same as interrogative pronouns.  The interrogative pronouns are the following.

            əwpe ‘when’,  əw(hi)  ‘whom’   həŋhi/əmpuhi  ‘which’

 

            Relative clauses are also obtained without using any of the interrogative pronouns.  But in this situation the embedding will take place differently.  ;Word order’ is very crucial in deciding whether a construction is relative clause or not.  As stated above the normal order is S-P.  But in a relative clause it changes to P-S (except when using əwpe ‘when’).  Also a relative clause contains either –pu; or –yo?pəy.

 

            A construction like –

 

            ka?ta əwhi pəypu ‘man who came’ is a relative  clause with the relativizer əwhi ‘who’ ; and another similar construction but will different word order,

            əwhi ka?ta pəy                                    ‘which man came?’

here the second construction is a simple interrogative construction.  Therefore word order is very important.  Relative clauses are 1) embedded within a main clause and 2)  occurs sequentially before the main clause, eg. :

1.         imannə waŋhióŋcɨŋme óŋpu waŋhite khɨmnàŋ

            ‘they worship the sun (which) rises in the west’

           

            In the construction the relative clause is embedded within the main clause-

            imannə waŋhióŋcɨŋme óŋpu waŋhite khɨmnàŋ

                  1         sub.d.     2          3         4            5

            ‘they worship the sun which rises in the west’

               1         5               4                3         2

2.         [iman ŋo?pu kənte]  təwə tay

                1          2      3          4       5

                                Rel.cl.   main cl.

            ‘I went to the place (where) they stayed’

             4   5                 3                     1       2

           

In this construction the relative clause precedes the main clause sequentially.

           

Similarly the relatie clause with relative pronoun, eg. :

[imannə əw phəy tayya?pəy? təw ka?ta] imannə ŋè

      1               2          3              4                 5          6

                                                                           main cl.

‘they saw the man with whom they went’

  5        6          4           2            1        3

 

More details about relative clause is discussed under Relativization.