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    Position of the relative clause that is separated from its antecedent (extraposition)
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    Relative clauses need not be found internal to the Noun Phrase (NP) with which they are construed. They are regularly found at the end of the clause in which the NP occurs with which they are construed.

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    The antecedent of a relative clause can have any syntactic function as long as the clause is right-adjacent to its antecedent. However, relative clauses are often found at the end of the clause, separated from their antecedent. This phenomenon is sometimes referred to as extraposition from NP. Extraposition is allowed for any verbal argument, though the process is sensitive to pragmatic factors (going by various names such as presupposition, information structure and the like). The following sentence shows that a subject can be construed with a clause-final relative clause:

    Example 1

    Omdat ien my opskille hat dy't syn nûmer net ynsprutsen hat
    because somebody me phoned has who his number not recorded has
    Because somebody phoned me who did not leave his phone number

    The following example shows that an indirect object can be construed with a clause-final relative clause:

    Example 2

    Omdat ik ien wat jild joech dy't de hier net betelje koe
    because I somebody some money gave who the rent not pay could
    Because I gave somebody some money who could not pay the rent

    The following example shows that a prepositional complement can be construed with a clause-final relative clause:

    Example 3

    Omdat ik mei ien praat ha dy't de hier net betelje koe
    because I with somebody talked have who the rent not pay could
    Because I talked to somebody who could not pay the rent

    The following example shows that a direct object can be construed with a clause-final relative clause:

    Example 4

    Omdat ik in frou mei in poppe seach dy't út har hûs set waard
    because I a woman with a baby saw who out her house put was
    Because I saw a woman with a baby who had been expelled from her house

    The following example shows that a relative clause can be construed with a possessor:

    Example 5

    Omdat er slij nei ien syn sûpenbrij is dy't him der net fan jaan wol
    because he avid for somebody his buttermilk.porridge is who him it.R not of give wants
    Because he is avid for somebody's buttermilk porridge, who does not want to share it with him
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      ABOUT THIS TOPIC
      Author(s):
      Eric Hoekstra
      Category:
      Frisian Syntax
      Publication date:
      14 May 2020
      Keywords:
      extrapositionpragmatic factors
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