Re: Relative clauses

On 6/27/06, Eldin Raigmore <eldin_raigmore@...> wrote:
> 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?
I'm not sure; judge for yourself.

I'd translate the sentence into Greek as "Dose mou kati na pio" (give
me something that I-drink -- with "na" being followed by a form that
would be described by traditional grammarians as "subjunctive", though
the "present subjunctive" is pronounced exactly like the present
indicative [and is also spelled that way since, I believe, the
spelling reform in the 1980's that abolished the polytonic
orthography] and the "aorist subjunctive" is prnounced -- and now
spelled -- with the same endings as the present indicative).

Also after modals, e.g. "I want to drink" = "Thelo na pio", "I must
drink" = "Prepei na pio", "I like to drink" = "Mou aresei na pio"
(literally, to-me it-pleases that I-drink, similar to German "es
gefällt mir" or Spanish "me gusta").

Also e.g. in purpose clauses, e.g. "He came here (in order) to drink"
= "Irthe edo gia na piei" (He-came here for that he-drinks).

I'm not sure whether using "na" counts as a relative clause, though.

Cheers,
--
Philip Newton <philip.newton@...>

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