Re: Relative clauses

---In conlang@yahoogroups.com, R A Brown <ray@...> wrote:

[snip]

>Classical Greek very often used definite article + participle where
>we would use a relative clause. But thats another matter.
I have read, ISTR, that in the Balkan Sprachbund there is an areal feature
whereby ideas that other languages (e.g. English) would express via
infinitives, are expressed via relative clauses instead;

"Give me that I may drink" rather than "Give me something to drink".

Is that true?

It seems relevant, at least marginally relevent, to your remarks above and
the start of your remarks below.

>I'm not sure how you could do 'when you are going' and 'where you
>are going' by participles; after all, a participle is a verbal
>adjective.
>What would such an adjective agree with?
>I guess you use some sort of gerund (i.e. verbal _noun_) as the
>direct object of 'I know'. That would mean "I know your going"
>which, as you wrote, would then need context to give further meaning
>such as 'when' & 'where'. I suppose one could have a system of
>gerunds such as:
>temporal gerund ('when')
>allative gerund ('where to')
>ablative gerund ('where from')
>inessive gerund ('where')
>causal gerund ('why')
>etc.
>I don't know of any language that does that, but it would certainly
>add  interest  :)
Yes, interesting!

[snip]

-----
eldin

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