Relative Clauses: view article

To make a relative clause in Nolwynn, use the particle yxola. This particle takes special forms depending on the type of clause or what kind of antecedent it has. Some example forms that yxola can take include:

yxola - used alone, it doesn't have an special meaning, but it is always correct. It is a catch-all.
yxolera - use this one if the antecedent is a person
yxoluka - use this one if the clause is about the manner in which something is done
yxozela - use this one if the clause is about a place

The verb that follows yxola must be a participle.

Here is an example:

I know that she is old
Yxolera kyezumeywú, zšoraneey
RELRelative<person> old.3SThird person singular (person)
neither speaker nor addressee.PTCPParticiple
adjectival form of a verb know.1SFirst person singular (person)
speaker, signer, etc.; I

If both parts of the sentence refer to the same person, just use a serial verb construction instead as in this example:

I know that I am old
Kyezumeey, zšoraneey
old.1SFirst person singular (person)
speaker, signer, etc.; I know.1SFirst person singular (person)
speaker, signer, etc.; I

Speakers of

Tulwyn in general eschews clauses and uses serial verb constructions instead. The particle yxola has a more narrowly-defined usage within that dialect. For example, in Tulwyn, the first sentence would simply be:

Kyezuma, zšoraneey
old.3SThird person singular (person)
neither speaker nor addressee know.1SFirst person singular (person)
speaker, signer, etc.; I

[edit] [top]Notes:

- Relative clauses typically come before their head, but that is not strictly the case.
- This is what the accessibility hierarchy looks like:

Absolutive > Ergative > Indirect Object > Oblique > Object of comparative > Genitive

[edit] [top]complement clauses

Complement clauses are much like relative clauses structurally except they use a variety of different complementizers. Here are two common ones:

luka - in regards to
zwe - because
yxola - this one may also be used in these situations

[edit] [top]Branching

As a verb final language, Nolwynn is left-branching, but there is some variability, especially with relative clauses.
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