Clause Combining in Otomi before and after contact with Spanish

Abstract

In this contribution, we explore two hypotheses with respect to clause combining. The first one is the assumption that languages with a mainly spoken tradition explicitly code clause relations, both coordination and subordination, to a lesser extent than languages with a long written tradition. And secondly, in case of contact between two such languages, with the latter one in a dominant position, and a sufficient level of bilingualism, we expect the former to borrow both types of relators, and increase the amount of explicit coding. We will investigate our hypotheses on the basis of Otomi, a native language from Mexico, and Spanish, the colonial language which became the official language of that country after its independence.

Keywords

• clause-combining
• Otomi
• Spanish