Glossary of Linguistic Terms

Relative Clause

Definition: 

A relative clause is a clause which describes the referent of a head noun or pronoun. It often restricts the reference of the head noun or pronoun.

Discussion: 

A relative clause is not necessarily a constituent of the noun phrase containing the head noun it modifies.

Kinds: 
Examples: 

The plumber arrived who we had called earlier. (Who we had called earlier has been extraposed from its normal position after plumber and is not a member of the noun phrase containing plumber.)
 
(English)
  • The man who went
  • Passengers leaving on Flight 738

 

See Also: 
Referent
Head
Noun
Pronoun
Source: 
Comrie 1989
142–144
Hartmann and Stork 1972
5, 195
Pei and Gaynor 1954
6
Crystal 1980
303
Thompson and Longacre 1985
172
Keenan 1985
141-142
Mish 1991
994
Quirk, Greenbaum, Leech, and Svartvik 1985
1245

This page is an extract from the LinguaLinks Library. Version 5.0 published on CD-ROM by SIL International, 2003.

LinguaLinks Ordering Information

Glossary Hierarchy

  • Constituent
  • Construction
  • Clause
  • Relative Clause
  • External Relative Clause
  • Internal Relative Clause
  • Nonrestrictive Relative Clause
  • Restrictive Relative Clause