South Asian perspectives on relative-correlative constructions

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 relative-correlative 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.Accepted versio