Relativization, Parataxis, and Underspecification in White Hmong
Author(s):
Riddle, Elizabeth M
Format:
Conference presentation
Citation:
Papers From The Second Annual Meeting Of The Southeast Asian Linguistics Society 1992
Language:
English
Abstract:
The function & distribution of the nonpronominal relative marker uas in White Hmong restrictive relative clauses is investigated. The optionality of uas is argued to reflect the Hmong preference for parataxis over subordination or coordination in the syntax, & the ambiguity between adjectival & relative clause readings is demonstrated to parallel the general ambiguity in distinctions between words & phrases, & among syntactic categories, which results from word class underspecification, syntactic flexibility, & the primarily compounding word-formation strategy. The roles of discourse function & semantics & pragmatics in interpreting these constructions, & their correlation to the distribution of the relative marker, are then analyzed. It is concluded that uas is not simply a grammaticalized marker of syntactic structure, but functions as an indicator of greater specificity in the reference of the clause. 22 References. S. Novak