South Asian perspectives on the relative-correlative construction

Abstract

This paper discusses relativization strategies used by South Asian languages, with the focus falling on relative-correlative constructions. The bi-clausal relative-correlative structure is believed to be native to Indo-Aryan languages and has been replicated by Austroasiatic, Dravidian and Tibeto-Burman languages of South Asia through contact and convergence, despite the non-Indic languages of the region already having a participial relativization strategy at their disposal. Various permutations of the relativecorrelative construction are discussed and compared to the participial relativization strategies of South Asian languages, and functional reasons are proposed for its widespread diffusion and distribution.