Perpaus erlatiboak euskara idatzian eta ahozkoan

Abstract

Relative clauses constitute one of the core mechanisms of Basque syntax. Basque speakers even employ them to create other types of subordinate clauses, including temporal and modal constructions.

This paper examines the full range of Basque relative clause types. Among these, the most widespread pattern is that formed with the subordinating suffix -eN, often referred to as the “common relative clause with a conjugated verb”. Two features characterize this construction:

On the one hand, relativizability: in both spoken and written Basque, its capacity for relativizing syntactic functions is broader than traditionally assumed. On the other, syntactic position: the common relative clause with a conjugated verb typically precedes its nominal head, diverging from the Indo‑European languages of the region and aligning, instead, with languages such as Japanese. The same applies to the common relative clause with an unconjugated verb.

In addition, the study investigates the factors that enable or facilitate the relativization of cases and postpositions across the different types of Basque relative clauses—an issue that proves fundamental.