A description and analysis of the syntax and functions of subordinate clauses in Teotitlán del Valle Zapotec (with an introductory overview of TdVZ phonology and morphosyntax)

This dissertation provides a basic synchronic description of the phonology, lexical categories and morphosyntax of Teotitlán del Valle Zapotec (TdVZ), (ISO 639-3: [zab]), and a more in-depth study of three types of subordinated clauses in this Central Zapotec language: relative, complement and adverbial clauses. Following an introduction to the language and speakers and to the methods and presentation of this study, the phonology of the language is described. There I define how a ‘word’ is understood in this work and in this language. In the following chapters I discuss the word classes of the language and characterize various noun and verb constituents. This creates a baseline for discussing the morphosyntax of the types of simple main clauses that occur in the language. Building on the morphosyntactic description of simple main clauses, I give a detailed account of relative, complement and adverbial subordinate clauses in TdVZ. These topics have received little attention in empirical and theoretical studies in Zapotec. I show that TdVZ displays multiple types of relative constructions that fall along clines of headedness and that there are various strategies for indicating the function of the head within a relative clause. Complement clauses are also of various types, and many of them are restricted by the semantics of the main predicate. In addition to categorizing complement clauses, I examine the tendencies that complement-taking predicates exhibit when selecting their complements. A special feature that is highlighted here is a control relation that I call default control in complementation. In addition, this work includes an exploration of various types of adverbial subordinate clauses, features that have received little or no attention in the literature on Zapotec languages. In all, this work provides material for further comparative studies among Zapotec or other Otomanguean languages, as well as empirical evidence and analysis for confirming or revising current theoretical understandings of subordination.