Nominalizations in Bodic languages

Abstract

Tibeto-Burman languages, and in particular those in the Bodic subgroup, make extensive use of nominalizations, which serve a wide variety of functions (noun and verb complementation, purpose clause, agent and patient nominals, etc.) far beyond their expected use of naming activities and events. My aim in this paper is to address a number of key issues relating to the history of these extended functions of nominalizations in the Bodic languages. Special attention will be paid to the use of nominalizations in the modification of nouns, that is, as relative clauses. Among other topics, I will discuss the relevance of areality to the phenomenon of nominalization–relativization syncretism, the various sources of nominalizing suffixes, the relativization with the genitive, and the innovations in the system of nominalizations.