LANGUAGE IN INDIA

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Volume 25:4 April 2025
ISSN 1930-2940

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Comparative Study of Adverbial Clauses in Lai, Mizo and Mara:
A Syntactic Analysis

Esther Malsawmkimi, Research Scholar and
Saralin A. Lyngdoh, Associate Professor

Abstract

Subordinate clauses that alter their super-ordinate clauses are known as adverbial clauses (Sæbø, 2011). In this study we will examine on the intricate construction of adverbial clause in three Tibeto-Burman languages spoken in and around the state of Mizoram, India namely Lai, Mizo and Mara. Adverbial clauses are identified by adverbial subordinators, which indicate a specific semantic connection between the main and adverbial clauses (Diessel 2001). Likewise in these languages, adverbial clauses are constructed with the help of the lexical adverbial subordinators. These adverbial particles help in labelling and categorizing the adverbial clause with respect to the semantic roles they play.

As mentioned, the semantic content of the constituent to which the participle is linked typically determines the type of adverbial sentence that is generated, including conditional, temporal, causal, manner, purpose, substitutive, and additive clauses. These adverbial clauses are examined in detailed in this study. In several languages, the position of adverbial subordinate clauses is one of its characteristics (Thompson, Longacre, & Hwang, 1985). Lai, Mizo and Mara are also classified as a non-rigid ADV-S/SVP language according to Diessel's (2001) classification as its adverbial clauses usually come before the main clause or predicate, however they can also commonly appear at the end of a sentence. However, this does not affect the grammaticality of the sentence. Furthermore, the embedded predicates are in Stem II form in Lai and Mizo but not in Mara for adverbial clause while this is not the case for its relative clause where the embedded predicates are always in the form of Stem I.

Keywords: Mizo, Mara, Lai, Adverbial Clause, Subordinate Clause, Tibeto-Burman

I. Introduction

Lai, Mizo and Mara are Tibeto-Burman languages spoken in neighbouring (and overlapping) areas of Chin State, Myanmar and Mizoram State, India. These three language speakers contribute to the majority of the population in Mizoram, with Mizo being the official language along with English, and Lai and Mara having their own autonomous administration in the south. As a Tibeto-Burman language they are tonal, meaning that variations in pitch can change the meaning of a word. Nominalization is a prominent feature, where verbs are converted into noun-like forms, often used to create complex clauses even for adverbial clause. However, in these languages they required the presence of an adverbial subordinator and cannot be constructed without additional conjunctions. While flexibility exists, many Lai, Mizo and Mara tend to follow a Subject-Object-Verb (SOV) word order. They share lexical similarities on a core set of vocabulary, especially in basic domains like kinship terms, numbers, and nature. Highlighting the fundamental linguistic properties of these languages shows how these features unify these three Tibeto-Burman languages, however each language also possesses unique traits that reflect its cultural and geographical heritage. A syntactic comparation in an adverbial clause is used here to compare two actions or events, typically marked by conjunctions, temporal connectors, etc. which allow for a nuanced comparison of events within a sentence, highlighting differences in manner, degree, or time. Data were collected from two native speakers of each language, ranging in age from 25 to 65. Informants come from a variety of backgrounds, including master's students and teacher pensioners.

This is only the beginning part of the article. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE IN PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION.

Esther Malsawmkimi
PhD Research Scholar, Department of Linguistics
North Eastern Hill University
Shillong, Meghalaya
esthermaske@gmail.com

Saralin A. Lyngdoh
Associate Professor, Department of Linguistics
North Eastern Hill University
Shillong, Meghalaya
saralinlyngdoh21@gmail.com
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