What is the syntactic function of the non-finite clause "called a typedef" in the sentence "C provides a facility called a typedef."?
Asked
Active
Viewed 146 times
0
-
For a minute, I thought this was a programming question. – Mick Jan 20 '18 at 19:59
1 Answers
0
It is a subordinate (or dependent) clause. It is a little difficult to identify since the words that is have been omitted:
C provides a facility that is called a typedef.
With the relative pronoun that included, the rest of the sentence is easier to identify as a subordinate clause.
Mick
- 9,410
-
Linguists refer to this process as "whiz deletion" ('whiz' stands for 'which is'). – Colin Fine Jan 20 '18 at 20:37
-
@ColinFine I was wondering what the precise term was. I looked up elide, but that didn't seem to fit. – Mick Jan 20 '18 at 20:41
-
Thank you very much for your answer. Finally, I have found a similar structure in my prefered grammar reference, which calls such structures "reduced relative clauses", too. – Jan 20 '18 at 20:49
-
@Sinushyperbolikus I wouldn't accept answers straight away. Give it 24 hours. You may get a better (and more precise) answer. I am no expert. Accepting answers too soon may discourage other users from posting answers. – Mick Jan 20 '18 at 20:51
-
Such a construction can also be analyzed as a participial phrase, here modifying facility. – KarlG Jan 20 '18 at 20:52
-
There are over 100 hits in a search for 'reduced relative clause' on ELU. Other hits for 'whiz deletion'. – Edwin Ashworth Jan 20 '18 at 22:34