Relative Clauses in Proto-Indo-European : A Study in Syntactic Reconstruction

Reconstructs relative clause structure in Proto-Indo-European, examining evidence from a wide range of archaic Indo-European languages and employing the framework of generative linguistic theory. Will appeal to classicists interested in the Indo-European context of Greek and Latin, as well as to comparative philologists and historical linguists.

Although the unattested language of Proto-Indo-European has been studied for over 200 years, the greater part of this literature has focused on its phonology and morphology, with comparatively little known of its syntax. This book aims to redress the balance by reconstructing the syntax of relative clauses. It examines evidence from a wide range of archaic Indo-European languages, analysing them through the lens of generative linguistic theory. It also explains the methodological challenges of syntactic reconstruction and how they may be tackled. Ram-Prasad also alights on a wide range of points of comparative interest, including pronominal morphology, discourse movement and Wackernagel's Law. This book will appeal to classicists interested in understanding the Latin and Greek languages in their Indo-European context, as well as to trained comparative philologists and historical linguists with particular interests in syntax and reconstruction.