The relevance of deixis in the description of the predicative relative clause

Abstract

In previous studies we have argued for the relevance of the deictic approach to the description of the particular kind of relative clause in Romance languages used especially after verbs of perception (French: Je le vois qui arrive, Italian: Lo vedo che arriva). In this study we focus on the relation between verbs of perception and presentative constructions (French: Le voilà qui arrive, Italian: Eccolo che arriva). Preliminary studies indicate that the construction occurs most frequently in oral language in both French and Italian and diachronic analyses show that occurrences of the construction are first found in informal speech, later spreading to more formal registers. The use of the construction seems to be linked to concrete situations of communication, which physically involve the presence of a speaker and a listener.