Relative clause RC Complement clause

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3.3.4.1 Relative clause RC

Like most SVO languages, Bunong has postnominal relative clauses, with the modifying clause following the head noun. Bunong uses the gap strategy, where the coreferential head noun is deleted from the RC, making the relativized argument zero. Additionally, RCs are signaled by the use of a relativizer whose form is invariable. 66 + N K , H 1S buy elephant REL GAP eat grass there PRT ‘I bought the elephant that is eating grass there’ Vogel 2006:92 While English rarely uses RCs to modify a pronoun, there appear to be few restrictions on what type of noun may be modified by a RC in Bunong. As 67 shows, pronouns may be modified by a RC. 67 N K , 3S REL GAP graze cow male DEM3 argue ‘That one who grazed a bull argued,...’ [Cow 136] According to Keenan and Comrie 1977:66, the positions in the relative clause that can be relativized form a hierarchy and, “the relativizability of certain positions 11 is dependent on that of others.” The resulting Accessibility Hierarchy is illustrated in 68. The hierarchy shows that the subject is the most accessible for relativization. Moving further to the right, the possessor genitive is the least accessible. 68 SU DO IO Object of adposition POSS Keenan 1985:147 11 The word position in this definition can be misleading since the items in the hierarchy do not refer to spatial position or linear arrangement. It is more accurate to use the general term ‘grammatical function’ in place of the word ‘position’. 50 In Bunong, both subject and direct object may be relativized, but relativization of the direct object is rare. In 69 the direct object, the water buffalo, is relativized and fronted. 69 N K + K +, K buffalo REL [3PL] too.late slash GAP TSM former eat ADV.X ‘The water buffalo that they had already butchered, a large group devoured’ [Fish 569]

3.3.4.2 Complement clause

The verb + ‘say’ has been grammaticalized to function as a complementizer for verbs of speech and cognition. This grammaticalized usage of the verb ‘say’ is not uncommon in many African and Asian languages Hopper Traugott 1993:14. In 70, the complementizer + is used following ‘suspect’, a verb of cognition. 70 ++++ N , 1S suspect COMP fiancée 2S.M.POSS truly ‘I suspected that she was really your fiancée.’ [Fish 459] No complementizer is necessary with verbs of perception see, hear, etc. or desire want, allow, hope, request, etc.. 71 + N , after that request DET grandmother 3S.POSS make crossbow ‘Then he requested that his grandmother make him a crossbow.’ [IS07.002]

3.3.4.3 Adverbial clause