1
1 Introduction
1.1 Aim of this paper
This paper deals with relative constructions in Nyiha, a Bantu language of southwestern Tanzania. Relative constructions are a topic I frequently discuss with the Nyiha Bible translation team consisting
of two mother tongue translators I supervise. Apart from issues related to the syntax of relative constructions, one question that often arises is how restrictive and non-restrictive relative clauses from
now on:
RC
s are distinguished in Nyiha and how a reader can decide whether to interpret an
RC
as restrictive or non-restrictive. This paper aims to shed light on a part of the answer to this question.
The paper is divided into two parts. In section 2, I discuss the syntax and semantics of relativization in Nyiha. I explore the syntactic and functional possibilities and constraints in the formation of
RC
s. I then discuss some differences between restrictive and non-restrictive
RC
s and analyze a few complex relative constructions. Finally, I give a brief overview of adverbial relative constructions.
In section 3, I turn my attention to the activation status of information in relative constructions. Two issues, brought up in the literature on this topic, will be investigated. First, it has been suggested
that the activation status of information is different in restrictive and non-restrictive
RC
s: non-restrictive
RC
s typically contain brand-new information, whereas restrictive
RC
s usually do not Levinsohn 2007: 154, Hollenbach and Watters 1998:section 2.2. If a restrictive relative clause does contain brand-new
information, the head of the relative clause is established information Levinsohn 2007:154. These suggestions are examined for Nyiha in section 3.2. Second, Levinsohn observes that in many languages
there is a relation between the activation status of information in a subordinate clause and its position with regard to the main clause. As a rule, pre-nuclear subordinate clauses present information that is
already accessible to the reader, while brand-new information may be presented in a post-nuclear subordinate clause Levinsohn 2007:147. This observation is examined for two types of adverbial
RC
s in Nyiha in section 3.3.
Section 4 summarizes my findings and discusses their relevance for Bible translation.
1.2 Data