NoCmpz: The language does not have subordinate clauses or complementizers.

CmpzSC: The complementizer appears at the front of the subordinate clause.

SCCmpz: The complementizer appears at the end of the subordinate clause.

(1a) mīša jaqə ʌaŋ-m-aʌ-nə māša kēm ʎīwət.

Misha in step-pst.ptc-3sg-loc Masha out go.pst.3sg

‘When Misha entered, Masha left.’ (L. N. K.)

(1b) qūntə mīša jaqə ʌaŋ, māša kēm ʎīwət.

when Misha in step.pst.3sg Masha out go.pst.3sg

‘When Misha entered, Masha left.’ (L. N. K.)

(2a) ūɣ-əm kəčə woʌ-m-aʌ-at, mā lēkar-nam mən-əm.

head-1sg sick be-pst.ptc-3sg-fin I doctor-apr go-pst.1sg

‘Because I had a headacke, I went to see the doctor.’ (L. N. K.)

(2b) mā lēkar-nam ťūt-at mən-əm, ūɣ-əm kəčə woʌ.

I doctor-apr that-fin go-pst.1sg head-1sg sick be.pst.3sg

‘I went to see the doctor because I had a headache.’ (L. N. K.)

(3a) mīša jast-əɣ: „qoʌtaɣiʌ mā wɔ̄č-nam mən-ʌ-əm”.

Misha say-pst.3sg tomorrow I town-apr go-prs-1sg

‘Misha said: “I’m going to the town tomorrow”.’ (L. N. K.)

(3b) mīša jast-əɣ, məttə ʌüw qoʌtaɣiʌ wɔ̄č-nam mən-ʌ.

Misha say-pst.3sg pcl he tomorrow town-apr go-prs.3sg

‘Misha said he was going to the town the next day.’ (L. N. K.)

(4) mīša jaqə ʌaŋ-əʌ qūntə, māša kēm ʎīwət-əʌ.

Misha in step-prs.3sg if Masha out go-prs.3sg

‘If Misha enters, Masha leaves.’ (L. N. K.)

Traditionally, Surgut Khanty subordinate clauses are expressed by participle constructions, which do not contain conjunctions (1a), (2a). In contemporary texts, constructions containing two finite verb forms have also appeared. Such sentences may display an intitial conjunction (1b) but it can also happen that there is but a deictic word in the main clause with no conjunction in the subordinate one (2b). The category of conjunctions is being formed in contemporary Khanty, for example in the case of quotations, the mәttә ‘he_said’ particle (cf. R. мол) indicates the quotative function. The particle is typically put at the beginning of the clause (3b). It is not a conjunction yet, but it is possible that it will grammaticalize into a general conjunction (‘that’) in the future. The qūntә ‘if’ conjunction of conditional clauses is the sole one to stand at the end of the clause (4).