Mano correlatives are non-subordinating

Abstract

This paper focuses on correlative clauses in Mano, a South Mande language. Cross-linguistically, correlative clauses are often adjoined high, and can be considered a prime example of an erstwhile paratactic construction acquiring subordinating properties (Givón 2009). Evidence from Mano based on syntactic criteria developed by Bhatt (2003) for Hindi and semantic criteria by Belyaev and Haug (2014) for Ossetic supports this hypothesis and illustrates such development at an early stage. My close comparison of Mano with Hindi and Ossetic demonstrates that Mano correlatives are syntactically and semantically independent from the matrix clause. I argue furthermore that the relative interpretation of the sequence “correlative clause–matrix clause” is a result of a pragmatic cooptation of a paratactic topic-comment-like construction.

Keywords

• relative clauses
• correlative clauses
• parataxis
• syntactic movement
• Mande
• Mano