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date: 24 January 2021

Abstract and Keywords

This article outlines the typological variables that define or condition specific grammatical relations (GRs). It specifically discusses the relational roles and the referential properties of arguments. The article also reports the kinds of constructions that have GRs, and explores the interactions between GR definitions in different constructions. It then briefly addresses issues of worldwide distributions, and provides suggestions for future research. There is a common principle in the way referential features affect GR specifications. The properties of conjunction reduction are presented. The statistical evidence for referential hierarchy effects on case alignment is weak. GRs hold in constructions and not in languages. It is virtually impossible to estimate a priori which values on which variables will reveal significant clusters worldwide. The variables described in this article are meant to help in this work by providing a toolkit for comparing GRs across constructions in a single language, as well as across languages.

Keywords: grammatical relations, typological variables, arguments, constructions, worldwide distributions, conjunction reduction, referential hierarchy

Balthasar Bickel

Balthasar Bickel holds the chair of general linguistics in Zurich. His core interest are the regional and universal factors shaping the distribution of linguistic diversity over time. For this, Bickel applies methods ranging from the statistical analysis of typological databases and corpora to ethnolinguistic fieldwork and experimental methods. A special focus area is the Himalayas where Bickel has been engaged in interdisciplinary projects on endangered languages and developing and analyzing corpora of them.

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