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<p>For the practical question (the chapter heading in a reference
grammar), why not say simply "semi-complex clause"?</p>
<p>However, what does it mean to say that a construction is "halfway
between a complex and a simple clause"? Can this be made precise,
by some kind of quantification (1/2, or 50%)? I'm not sure.<br>
</p>
<p>There is a long tradition of talking about "verbal complex
predicates" (see now this ongoing ANR-DFG project:
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://complete.huma-num.fr/index.htm">https://complete.huma-num.fr/index.htm</a>), and it is generally
thought that complex-predicate clauses are monoclausal, i.e. they
contain multiple verb forms but just one composite predicate. (For
causatives, the monoclausal vs. biclausal nature has often been
discussed, and there is widespread agreement that many "analytic
causatives" are monoclausal.)</p>
<p>Cleft-type constructions present a different problem, but again,
there is a long literature about their monoclausal status (see,
e.g., Creissels 2021:
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://brill.com/view/journals/fdl/52/1/article-p13_13.xml">https://brill.com/view/journals/fdl/52/1/article-p13_13.xml</a>). </p>
<p>Thus, according to these views, complex-predicate and cleft
clauses are kinds of simple clauses, not a distinct category
intermediate between simple and complex clauses (so that the label
"semi-complex" is a bit confusing). It therefore seems to me that
a chapter heading such as "Cleft and complex-predicate clauses"
would be clearer. (But of course, it may be possible to come up
with a quantifying approach in the future.)<br>
</p>
<p>Martin<br>
</p>
<div class="moz-cite-prefix">On 07.04.25 18:16, Christian Lehmann
via Lingtyp wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote type="cite"
cite="mid:b2fdfa37-38d6-4f8c-929e-3114812324fa@Uni-Erfurt.De">
<meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8">
Dear colleagues, here is another terminological question.
<p lang="en-US" class="western"
style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm"> The following
definitions do not claim originality; cf. Martin Haspelmath on <a
class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="https://dlc.hypotheses.org/1725" moz-do-not-send="true">https://dlc.hypotheses.org/1725</a>.</p>
<p lang="en-US" class="western"
style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm"> A <b>clause</b>
is a construction based on a predicate and comprising its
dependents. A <b>simple clause</b> is a clause comprising one
predicate. A <b>complex clause</b> is a clause comprising more
than one clauses.</p>
<p lang="en-US" class="western"
style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm"> Now assume a
grammatical description organized by levels of grammatical
complexity. One level is the simple clause, the (apparently)
next higher level is the complex clause. Grammaticalization
teaches us that a complex clause may be condensed into a simple
clause. The process gives rise to constructions halfway between
a complex and a simple clause. Thus, there are constructions
like the following:</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p lang="en-US" class="western"
style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm"> Constructions
based on a periphrastic verb form like the famous Vulgar
Latin <i>librum comparatum habeo</i>.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p lang="en-US" class="western"
style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm"> Causative
constructions like <i>She had me rewrite the text</i>.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p lang="en-US" class="western"
style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm"> Constructions
such as '[finite_clause] EXIST' in Cabecar (cf. my post of
03/09/24), where the EXISTENTIAL that may appear to be the
main predicate is in no way expandable.</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p lang="en-US" class="western"
style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm"> Such
constructions involve more than one verb form, one of which may,
but need not be non-finite. There is something like an inner
simple clause and a component outside its boundaries.</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p lang="en-US" class="western"
style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm"> There are
also pseudo-cleft-sentences on their way towards simple
clauses, as in Brazilian Portuguese (from Lehmann 2024, ch.
7.1.8.1).</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p lang="en-US" class="western"
style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm"> <br>
</p>
<table width="330" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0">
<colgroup><col width="66"> <col width="42"> <col width="32"> <col
width="40"> <col width="38"> <col width="88"> </colgroup><tbody>
<tr>
<td width="66" style="border: none; padding: 0cm">
<p lang="en-US" class="western"> Ele</p>
</td>
<td width="42" style="border: none; padding: 0cm">
<p lang="en-US" class="western"> disse</p>
</td>
<td width="32" style="border: none; padding: 0cm">
<p lang="en-US" class="western"> que</p>
</td>
<td width="40" style="border: none; padding: 0cm">
<p lang="en-US" class="western"> vai</p>
</td>
<td width="38" style="border: none; padding: 0cm">
<p lang="en-US" class="western"> para</p>
</td>
<td width="88" style="border: none; padding: 0cm">
<p lang="en-US" class="western"> Piracicaba,</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="66" style="border: none; padding: 0cm">
<p lang="en-US" class="western"> <font size="2"
style="font-size: 11pt">he</font></p>
</td>
<td width="42" style="border: none; padding: 0cm">
<p lang="en-US" class="western"> <font size="2"
style="font-size: 11pt">said</font></p>
</td>
<td width="32" style="border: none; padding: 0cm">
<p lang="en-US" class="western"> <font size="2"
style="font-size: 11pt">SR</font></p>
</td>
<td width="40" style="border: none; padding: 0cm">
<p lang="en-US" class="western"> <font size="2"
style="font-size: 11pt">goes</font></p>
</td>
<td width="38" style="border: none; padding: 0cm">
<p lang="en-US" class="western"> <font size="2"
style="font-size: 11pt">to</font></p>
</td>
<td width="88" style="border: none; padding: 0cm">
<p lang="en-US" class="western"> <font size="2"
style="font-size: 11pt">Piracicaba</font></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="6" width="326"
style="border: none; padding: 0cm">
<p lang="en-US" class="western"> He said he would go to
Piracicaba,</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<table width="315" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0">
<colgroup><col width="43"> <col width="38"> <col width="45"> <col
width="30"> <col width="38"> <col width="98"> </colgroup><tbody>
<tr>
<td width="43" style="border: none; padding: 0cm">
<p lang="en-US" class="western"> mas</p>
</td>
<td width="38" style="border: none; padding: 0cm">
<p lang="en-US" class="western"> ele</p>
</td>
<td width="45" style="border: none; padding: 0cm">
<p lang="en-US" class="western"> vai</p>
</td>
<td width="30" style="border: none; padding: 0cm">
<p lang="en-US" class="western"> é</p>
</td>
<td width="38" style="border: none; padding: 0cm">
<p lang="en-US" class="western"> para</p>
</td>
<td width="98" style="border: none; padding: 0cm">
<p lang="en-US" class="western"> Manhurimim.</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="43" style="border: none; padding: 0cm">
<p lang="en-US" class="western"> <font size="2"
style="font-size: 11pt">but</font></p>
</td>
<td width="38" style="border: none; padding: 0cm">
<p lang="en-US" class="western"> <font size="2"
style="font-size: 11pt">he</font></p>
</td>
<td width="45" style="border: none; padding: 0cm">
<p lang="en-US" class="western"> <font size="2"
style="font-size: 11pt">goes</font></p>
</td>
<td width="30" style="border: none; padding: 0cm">
<p lang="en-US" class="western"> <font size="2"
style="font-size: 11pt">is</font></p>
</td>
<td width="38" style="border: none; padding: 0cm">
<p lang="en-US" class="western"> <font size="2"
style="font-size: 11pt">to</font></p>
</td>
<td width="98" style="border: none; padding: 0cm">
<p lang="en-US" class="western"> <font size="2"
style="font-size: 11pt">Manhurimim</font></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="5" width="210"
style="border: none; padding: 0cm">
<p lang="en-US" class="western"> but he does go to
Manhurimim.</p>
</td>
<td width="98" style="border: none; padding: 0cm">
<p lang="en-US" class="western"> <br>
</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<ul>
<li>
<p lang="en-US" class="western"
style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm"> And the
collection does not end with focus constructions which show
vestiges of being grammaticalized from cleft sentences.</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p lang="en-US" class="western"
style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm"> All of these
share a simple clause combined with material which is outside
its proper boundaries but which does not attain the level of a
complete clause.</p>
<p lang="en-US" class="western"
style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm"> I am not asking
for definitions which will allow us to call each and every of
the constructions mentioned a simple or a complex clause. Nor do
I wish to be taught that these traditional terms are not
cross-linguistically applicable and that each language has its
own levels of grammatical structure. If it is true that there
are constructions which are not readily classifiable as either
simple or complex clauses, this by no means entails that there
are no (simple and/or complex) clauses.</p>
<p lang="en-US" class="western"
style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm"> What I am asking
for is a practical term that may be used in a grammatical
description which distinguishes simple and complex clauses and
needs a chapter heading to comprise constructions which exceed
the boundaries of the simple clause without being complex
clauses. I would be grateful for a viable term (no matter
whether the concept I propose is well-founded). I have in mind
something like 'transgressive clause' or 'excessive clause'
(both adjectives have unwanted connotations) or 'cross-border'
or 'transboundary clause' (both adjectives appear to require an
action noun as head). Neither does 'expanded clause' seem to be
the term looked for; this seems to be well-established to
designate a clause that comprises adjuncts, thus still a simple
clause.</p>
<p lang="en-US" class="western"
style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm">All ideas welcome!<br>
</p>
<style type="text/css">td p { background: transparent; orphans: 0; widows: 0; background: transparent }td p.western { so-language: en-US }p { line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0.25cm; background: transparent }p.western { so-language: en-US }</style>
<div class="moz-signature">-- <br>
<p style="font-size:90%">Prof. em. Dr. Christian Lehmann<br>
Rudolfstr. 4<br>
99092 Erfurt<br>
<span style="font-variant:small-caps">Deutschland</span></p>
<table style="font-size:80%">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Tel.:</td>
<td>+49/361/2113417</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>E-Post:</td>
<td><a
class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="mailto:christianw_lehmann@arcor.de"
moz-do-not-send="true">christianw_lehmann@arcor.de</a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Web:</td>
<td><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="https://www.christianlehmann.eu"
moz-do-not-send="true">https://www.christianlehmann.eu</a></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</div>
<br>
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</pre>
</blockquote>
<pre class="moz-signature" cols="72">--
Martin Haspelmath
Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Deutscher Platz 6
D-04103 Leipzig
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://www.eva.mpg.de/linguistic-and-cultural-evolution/staff/martin-haspelmath/">https://www.eva.mpg.de/linguistic-and-cultural-evolution/staff/martin-haspelmath/</a></pre>
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