Introduction
The Structure and Acquisition of Relative Clauses in Serbo-Croatian, written by Helen Goodluck and Danijela Stojanović and conducted at the University of Ottawa, is a study that examines the syntactic structure and acquisition of relative clauses (RCs) in Serbo-Croatian, a South Slavic language. The research aims to thoroughly describe the syntactic and semantic properties of RCs in Serbo-Croatian and to determine if there are any differences from the other Slavic languages in their acquisition by native speakers. The authors explain that relative clauses in Serbo-Croatian are formed by combining three distinct elements: a “head noun,” a “relative pronoun,” and a “complement clause.” The head noun is the noun being modified by the relative clause; the relative pronoun is the word that introduces the relative clause. The complement clause is the portion of the relative clause that contains the additional information.
Discussion
The study consists of two parts. The first part is a descriptive analysis of the structure of RCs in Serbo-Croatian, and the second part is a cross-sectional study of the acquisition of RCs in Serbo-Croatian. The descriptive research of RCs in Serbo-Croatian shows that the language has a distinct set of rules and principles which govern the structure and interpretation of RCs. These rules are based on the RC’s construction, the RC’s position in a sentence, and the semantic properties associated with the RC. The cross-sectional study of the acquisition of RCs in Serbo-Croatian involved a group of 90 native Serbo-Croatian speakers divided into three age groups 3-4, 5-7, and 8-12 years old. The study was designed to assess the developmental trajectory of RCs in Serbo-Croatian and compare it to other Slavic languages’ developmental courses (Goodluck and Stojanović 7). The study results showed that the acquisition of RCs in Serbo-Croatian follows a pattern similar to other Slavic languages, with each age group displaying increasingly more accurate and complex RCs.
The text indicates that the Serbo-Croatian language consists of koji and relatives, usually formed by successive cyclic movement. Za Koga is another relative who is formed by a pronominal linkage. Za Koga is a Serbo-Croatian relative pronoun corresponding to the English who, whom, or whose. It introduces a relative clause, which provides additional information about the person or thing mentioned in the main clause. The relative clause can be placed before or after the main clause, depending on its position in the sentence. For example, the sentence “On je čovjek za koga se brinu” translates to “He is a man for whom they care.” In this sentence, the relative clause “za koga” refers to the unknown person being cared for. The short-distance relativization is usually limited to one or two verbs, which involves a semi-idiomatic interpretation of the predicate (Goodluck and Stojanović 9). Hence, this pronoun is placed after the verb in the main clause and before the verb in the relative clause.
The authors discuss koji relatives as used in the Serbo-Croatian language. They explain that koji relatives are used in an attributive role, as opposed to the other two types of relatives, što and čiji. They explain that koji is used for both animate and inanimate nouns and is often used in the context of description or apposition. Additionally, they note that koji is used in the context of relative clauses, and in particular to introduce a subordinate clause that modifies a noun phrase. They explain that the koji relative clause is typically introduced with the particle da, emphasizing its subordinate nature and providing additional information about the noun phrase, such as its characteristics or the context in which it appears in the discourse (Goodluck and Stojanović 8). Finally, koji is used in possessive relative clauses, with the possessive adjective being optional. This helps to emphasize the possessive relationship between the noun and the relative clause.
Another type of relative clause is the što relatives, as an essential component of Serbo-Croatian grammar, noting that they can express a wide range of meanings. They explain that što relatives are relative clauses that define or identify a noun phrase. što relatives are formed using the particle što, placed directly after a noun phrase, followed by the relative clause. The authors note that što relatives frequently express purpose, consequence, and cause in spoken Serbo-Croatian. Additionally, they discuss how što relatives can express various information structure levels, such as focusing, foregrounding, and backgrounding. Finally, the authors provide an analysis of children’s acquisition of što relatives, which suggests that children acquire što relatives early (Goodluck and Stojanović 8). They can progressively get to udnderstand koji as time goes and finally master the za koga afterward. In this case, many children use što relatives correctly as early as two and a half years of age, which helps explain the widespread use of što relatives in adult Serbo-Croatian.
The authors state that the children appear to use various strategies to form relative clauses, indicating that they are still acquiring correct grammar. They note that the children have difficulty with some of the more complex aspects of relative clauses, such as embedded clauses. However, they believe that with more exposure to the language, the children will eventually be able to master the correct grammar. In the meantime, the children’s use of relative clauses represents a valuable contribution to the language. The children latch into the sto relative clause since it usually assumes a default realization mechanism without movement due to its no-movement capability. Conversely, adults prefer koji over sto, which is mostly preferred by educated public speakers (Goodluck and Stojanović 11). This demonstrates that relative clauses are only sometimes challenging to learn and that children can create them without difficulty. This helps to disprove the view that relative clauses are a challenging area of grammar for speakers of Serbo-Croatian.
Conclusion
In general, the authors’ findings showed a high degree of variability in the structure and use of relative clauses in Serbo-Croatian. The results of this study provide a detailed description of the structure and acquisition of relative clauses in Serbo-Croatian and may be of interest to linguists, language educators, and language learners of Serbo-Croatian. The authors found that children who acquire relative clauses at different ages and who already have a good understanding of syntax are more successful in acquiring them. The structure of the relative clause is influenced by the context in which it is used. Hence, relative clauses are influenced by the speaker’s age, as older speakers use them more often than younger speakers. From childhood, a person gradually learns the clauses step by step until they master how they are used effectively. The authors, however, concluded that using relative clauses in Serbo-Croatian is complex and that further research is needed to understand how they are acquired and used.
Work Cited
Goodluck, Helen, and Danijela Stojanovic. “The Structure and Acquisition of Relative Clauses in Serbo-Croatian.” Language Acquisition, vol. 5, no. 4, 1996, pp. 285–315. Web.