Word order of complementizers (Synja Khanty)

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.

SC~Cmpz: The complementizer appears in a position other than the front or end of the subordinate clause.


(1) mā wɔ̄š-n lūt-ǝm ūlas-em-ǝn ɔ̄mǝs-l-ǝm.

I town-loc buy-pst.ptc chair-1sg-loc sit-prs-1sg

‘I’m sitting on the chair we bought in the town.’ (S. O.)


(2) miša jāsta-s, luw xalewat wōš-a man-l.

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

‘Misha said, he was going to the town tomorrow.’ (S. O.)


(3) mā tum ūlas-em-ǝn ɔ̄mǝs-l-ǝm, āmati wɔ̄š-n lūt-s-ǝm.

I that chair-1sg-loc sit-prs-1sg which town-loc buy-pst-1sg

‘I’m sitting on the chair that I bought in the town.’ (S. O.)


(4) muŋ xanti xojat-lǝw wērǝt-l-ǝt ki, tāś xɔ̄t-ǝn jax-l-ǝt.

we Khanty people-1pl can-prs-3pl if herd place-loc walk-prs-3pl

‘We Khanty people, when we can, work as reindeer shepherds.’ (Onina 2011: 31)


(5) wɔ̄j wēl-ti ki jaŋx-ǝs, matti wɔ̄j ki mośat-ǝs,

animal kill-inf if go-pst.3sg something animal if get-pst.3sg

jētǝn joxi joxet-l pā mośat-ǝm wɔ̄j-lal śita

evening home arrive-prs.3sg and get-pst.ptc animal-pl.3pl there

lēśat-l-elli.

make-prs-obj.3sg

‘When he was hunting and managed to bring down some animal, having arrived home, 

he prepared the bagged animal there.’ (Onina 2011: 14‒15)


In Synja Khanty, the primary way of subordination is the participle construction (1). It is also frequent to barely juxtapose the clauses without connective elements or relative pronouns (2). In this case, only the context and the logical relationship between the clauses signal the subordination. Relative connectives are typically pronouns, particles or conjunctions borrowed from Russian (Honti 1984: 102‒106, Nikolaeva 1999a: 45‒49). They usually appear at the beginning of the subordinate clause. Conjunctions grammaticalized from interrogative pronouns initiate the clause (3). The conjunction ki ‘if’ is typically put at the end of the clause (4), but it can also be in the middle of it (5) (Nikolaeva 1999a: 46, Riese 1984: 101‒106, Sipos 2014). The topic requires further research.

Author: 

Nikolett F. Gulyás