Abstract
Abstract In this paper I discuss adverbial subordinate clauses from the point of view of their function in discourse. It is shown that in various languages there are parallels between the levels of simple sentence and complex sentence in respect to the expression of discourse meaning: (a) adverbial subordinate clauses, like thematic elements (e.g. the subject) at the simple‐sentence level, present old information; (b) there is homophony between simple‐sentence theme‐markers and conjunctions at complex‐sentence level; and, furthermore, (c) the order of constituents plays an important role as marker of discourse meaning at both levels: at the level of simple sentence, subject position is shown to be the basic marker of the theme (or “communicatively less important”; element) while at the level of complex sentence the order of clauses has the same function as, or (in the cum‐inversum sentences in European languages) actually overrides, conjunctions in signalling the relation of subordination of the clauses.
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