Associate Professor of German Linguistics, Shahid Beheshti University , kaveh.bahrami59@gmail.com
Abstract: (809 Views)
The present study addresses the topic of relative clause extraposition in German. Relative clause extraposition occurs when a relative clause is displaced from its original position, which in German is immediately following the head noun, to the end of the main clause. This research aims to examine the reasons and conditions for the extraposition of relative clauses in German. It also seeks to demonstrate whether lexical elements, such as prepositional modifiers situated between the head noun and the relative clause, are used similarly in written and spoken language. The hypothesis of this study emphasizes two points: first, if the relative clause contains dense information, in other words, if the number of words used in the relative clause exceeds a certain limit, the relative clause tends to be extraposed from its original position. Second, the tendency for relative clause extraposition is greater in spoken language than in written language. The results of this study show that the dependents of the head noun differ in relative clauses in written and spoken language. It was also observed that relative clause extraposition is common in both forms; however, the number of words in the relative clause does not play a role in its extraposition.