UC Santa Barbara

As more descriptions have emerged of formally dependent clauses used as independent sentences, it has become clear that such constructions show rich variety not only in their functions, but also in their diachronic sources and pathways of development. A next step is to examine relationships among the two: the degree to which their origins and the processes they undergo shape their ultimate functions. Here it is shown that their sources may not be deterministic, but the mechanisms by which they develop can strongly affect the outcome. Insubordinate constructions are compared in two unrelated languages, Mohawk and Navajo. Both constructions have emerged from adverbial clauses, but via different mechanisms: matrix erosion in the first, and extension in the second. They now have nothing in common beyond the formal definition.