Coordination, relativization and finiteness in Dravidian

Abstract

In the Dravidian languages, finite clauses cannot be coordinated, relative clauses cannot be finite, and relative clauses cannot be coordinated. I offer an explanation of these facts by making a typological claim about the Dravidian clausal left periphery: apart from a high ForceP, there is only one position in this domain. The coordination marker, the relativizer, and the elements that instantiate Mood—Mood being the realization of finiteness in Dravidian—must compete for this position.