Contrastive Studies on Relative Clause Constructions in Polynesian Languages

1.这个研究项目展示了在14种波利尼西亚语言中发现的关系从句结构（库克岛毛利语、复活节岛语言、夏威夷语、卢安吉安语、毛利语、马克桑语、皮莱尼语、伦内莱语/贝隆语、萨摩亚语、塔希提语、托克劳语、汤加语、塔瓦卢语、西富图纳-阿尼万语）（差距类型、人称代词类型、回指小品词类型、带有所有格主语的关系分句结构、没有中心名词的关系分句结构、后置指示类型和演员强调类型）。此外，它们还可以分为两类：由动词性谓语构成的关系分句结构和由名词性谓语构成的关系分句结构。3.有些类型的关系分句结构存在于大多数波利尼西亚语言中，有些则只存在于少数波利尼西亚语言中。例如，差距类型在波利尼西亚的许多语言中都有，而行动者替代类型只在东波利尼西亚的少数语言中有。4.在波利尼西亚关系从句结构的大多数类型中，不存在关系从句结构所特有的成分。因此，如果不看整个句子，我们就不能确定某个结构是否是关系从句。然而，在没有中心名词的关系从句结构中发现的组合<冠词+时态体标记>是关系从句结构所特有的。

1.This research project showed what kinds of relative clause constructions were found in 14 Polynesian languages (Cook Island Maori, Easter Island language, Hawaiian, Luangiuan, Maori, Marquesan, Pileni, Rennellese/Bellonese, Samoan, Tahitian, Tokelauan, Tongan, Tavaluan, West-Futuna-Aniwan).2.Relative clause constructions found in Polynesian languages can be classified into 7 types (the gap type, the personal pronoun type, the anaphoric particle type, relative clause constructions with a possessive subject, relative clause constructions without a head noun, the postposed demonstrative type, and the actor emphatic type). Moreover, they can be classified into two categories (relative clause constructions formed from a verbal predicate and relative clause constructions formed from a nominal predicate).3.Some types of relative clause constructions are found in most Polynesian languages, while others are found only in a few Polynesian languages. For example, the gap type can be found in many languages all over Polynesia, while the actor emphatic type can be found only in a few languages spoken in Eastern Polynesia.4.In most types of Polynesian relative clause constructions, there is no element which is unique to relative clause constructions. Therefore, we cannot decide whether a certain structure is a relative clause construction or not without looking at the whole sentence. However, the combination <ARTICLE + TENSE ASPECT MARKER> found in relative clause constructions without a head noun is unique to relative clause constructions.