Datapoint Sranan/Subject relative clauses

Nickel & Wilner (1984: 24) claim that “Relative clauses may be used to specify a human character (using di or dati), a non-human character (using di or san), a location (using pe), or a manner (using fa).” It seems, however, that either di or san may be used with both human and non-human referents.

Values

Relative particle and gap Frequency: 47.4%

Example 2-21:
a man di gi mi a papira
a
det
man
man
di
rel
gi
give
mi
me
a
det
papira
paper
the man who gave me the paper

Source: Wilner 1992: 19

Example 2-238:
A libi di ben de a fosi nanga di fu now papa a no wan.
A
det
libi
life
di
rel
ben
pst
de
cop
a
at
fosi
first
nanga
and
di
that
fu
of
now
now
papa
father
a
cop
no
neg
wan.
one
Life today is different from that of the days gone by.
Example 2-239:
A sani di de nownow unu no man tyari.
A
the
sani
thing
di
rel
de
cop
nownow
now
unu
1pl
no
neg
man
can
tyari.
bear
What we now have is tough to bear.
Confidence:
Very certain

Relative pronoun Frequency: 47.4%

Example 2-236:
Dan den suma san e libi dyaso o abi fu teki ala a wroko.
Dan
then
den
the.pl
suma
person
san
rel
e
ipfv
libi
live
dyaso
here
o
fut
abi
have
fu
to
teki
take
ala
all
a
det
wroko.
work
Then the people that live here will have to do all the work.

Source: Winford 2000: 71

Example 2-237:
Den man san e meki na kondre kon sani.
Den
the.pl
man
man
san
rel
e
ipfv
meki
make
na
det
kondre
country
kon
come
sani.
thing
The men that are causing the country to become the way it is.

Source: Winford 2000: 111

Zero and gap Frequency: 5.3%

Example 2-240:
Yu sabi wan boi ben de na skowtu den e kari en Oscar?
Yu
2sg
sabi
know
wan
a
boi
boy
ben
ant
de
cop
na
loc
skowtu
police
den
they
e
cont
kari
call
en
3sg
Oscar?
Oscar
Do you know a guy named Oscar who was a police officer?
Confidence:
Uncertain