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Difference between revisions of "Sentence syntax - Norwegian"

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From one point of view, the shape of a Norwegian declarative clause can be depicted as follows.  The subject precedes all verbs, objects immediately follow the main verb and precede any oblique arguments or adverbials; when there are two objects, the indirect object is the NP occurring closest to the main verb. Case is marked only on personal pronouns, with a subject – non-subject distinction. The items marked in boldface are obligatory.
+
This page relates to the application '''A Norwegian Grammar Sparrer''', see [[A Norwegian Grammar Sparrer]].
  
−
  '''Subject''' Modal  ''ha''  Modal  ''bli''  '''Vmain'''  Indirect object  Direct object  Oblique  Adverbial
+
On clicking on the icon below, you will come to the Sparrer:  
  
−
Of the verbal categories here shown, 'Modals' comprise the auxiliaries ''ville'', ''skulle'', ''måtte'', ''burde'', ''kunne''. In the positions indicated for 'Modals', these can occur alone or in combination. ''Ha'' is called the ''perfect auxiliary'', and ''bli'' the ''passive auxiliary''. The order among these items is rigid. ''Vmain'' subsumes full verbs and copulas. Of copulas there are two, ''være'' and ''bli'' (distinct from the passive auxiliary). For all of these verb categories, there are six possible forms of inflection; for their full conjugational realizations, see ''Verb Conjugation'', while below we exemplify with one of the conjugational patterns, the ''-et'' pattern:
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[[File:Troll1.jpeg‎|100px|link=http://regdili.hf.ntnu.no:8081/studentAce/parse]],  
  
−
- infinitive (in the ''-et'' pattern a form ending in ''-e'')
+
Instructions for its use are found at [[Classroom:Norwegian Grammar Checking]]
  
−
- imperative (a form relating to an ''e''-infinitive by dropping the ''-e'')
 
  
−
- present (a form relating to an ''e''-infinitive by adding ''-r'')
+
===Main sentence patterns===
 +
The basic shape of a Norwegian clause can be depicted as in (I) below.  The subject precedes the verb, objects immediately follow the verb and precede any oblique arguments or adverbials. When there are two objects, the indirect object is the one occurring closest to the main verb. ''Case is marked only on personal pronouns, with a subject – non-subject distinction.'' (See [[Personal pronouns in Norwegian]].) Subject and Main Verb (marked in boldface in (I)) are generally necessary for making a grammatically wellformed clause.
 +
 
 +
  (I)  '''Subject'''  '''Vmain'''  IndirectObject  DirectObject  Oblique  Adverbial
 +
 
 +
 
 +
(1)  Example with the pattern  [ '''Subject  Vmain  IndirectObject  DirectObject    Adverbial''' ]:
 +
<Phrase>23119</Phrase>
 +
Subject    Vmain          Indir.Obj.  DirectObject              Adverbial
 +
 
 +
 
 +
(2)  Example with the pattern  [ '''Subject  Vmain    Oblique  Adverbial''' ]:
 +
<Phrase>23120</Phrase>
 +
Subject    Vmain            Oblique                  Adverbial
 +
 
 +
Grammar traditions often classify sentence constituents according to whether they are 'required', or 'valence bound', by the main verb; those that are, are often called '''arguments''', and those that are not, '''adjuncts'''. (Traditions often suggest that constituents fall neatly into one or the other category, and that no further alternatives obtain, both of these assumptions may be questionable.) Among the constituents shown above, ''subject'', ''object'' (both types) and ''oblique'' are commonly considered as ''arguments'' relative to the main verb, while ''adverbials'', whether in final, fronted or nexal position (see below) are ''adjuncts''.
 +
 
 +
===Auxiliary verbs and main verbs===
 +
There is a functional distinction between '''main verbs''' and '''auxiliary verbs''': '''main verbs''' are those that can carry a sentence by themselves, while '''auxiliary verbs''' may come in addition to the main verb, and cannot (generally) carry a sentence by themselves. Auxiliary verbs precede the main verb. There are three auxiliary categories: '''modals''', '''perfective''' auxiliary and '''passive''' auxiliary. 'Modals' comprises the auxiliaries ''ville'' ('would'), ''skulle'' ('should'), ''måtte'' ('must'), ''burde'' ('ought'), ''kunne'' ('could'); these items can occur alone or in combination. ''Ha'' is the ''perfect auxiliary'', and ''bli'' the ''passive auxiliary''. The order among these items is rigid. ''Vmain'' subsumes '''full verbs''' and '''copulas'''. Of copulas there are two, ''være'' ('be') and ''bli'' ('become') (distinct from, but obviously related to the passive auxiliary).
 +
 
 +
For all of these verb categories, there are six possible forms of inflection, exemplified in one of these conjugational patterns, the ''-et'' pattern (see [[Past and Perfective patterns in Norwegian]] for all the patterns):
 +
 
 +
- '''infinitive''' (in the ''-et'' pattern having a form ending in ''-e'')
 +
 
 +
- '''imperative''' (with a form relating to an ''e''-infinitive by dropping the ''-e'')
 +
 
 +
- '''present''' (with a form relating to an ''e''-infinitive by adding ''-r'')
 
   
 
   
−
- past (a form relating to an ''e''-infinitive by adding ''-t'')
+
- '''past''' (with a form relating to an ''e''-infinitive by adding ''-t'')
 
   
 
   
−
- past participle (a form identical to the past form)
+
- '''past participle''' (with a form identical to the past form)
  
−
- present participle (a form relating to an ''e''-infinitive by adding ''-nde''),
+
- '''present participle''' (with a form relating to an ''e''-infinitive by adding ''-nde'').
  
 +
Of these forms, the ''present'' and the ''past'' are called '''finite''' forms, while the ''infinitive'' and the participles are called ''non-finite'' forms. These are considered contrasts along the dimension of '''Tense'''. ''Imperative'' is a value along the '''Mode''' dimension, and in the verbal morphology, all the other forms mentioned represent '''Indicative'''. No further values of Mode are expressed in the verbal morphology in Norwegian (but can be expressed by other means). A further category often realized in languages' verbal morphology is '''Aspect'''; however, Norwegian has no verbal inflectional form for aspectual values (but they can be expressed by other means). Finally, the category of '''Voice''' is reflected in Norwegian verb morphology through an affix ''-s'' being used in '''Passive''' while the forms without ''-s'' count as '''Active'''. Relative to the ''-et'' pattern, the forms listed above are thus ''active'', while the corresponding ''passive'' forms are shaped as follows; only ''Vmain'' can have these inflections:
  
−
Of these forms, the ''present'' and the ''past'' are called '''finite''' forms, while the ''infinitive'' and the participles are called ''non-finite'' forms. The choice among these categories is connected to the sentence schema shown above:
+
- '''infinitive passive''' (in the ''-et'' pattern) having a form relating to an ''e''-infinitive by adding ''-s''
  
−
- The first verb in a sentence is ''finite'', whichever of the verb categories occurs first.
+
- '''present passive''' being like infinitive passive
 +
 +
- '''past passive''' (in the ''-et'' pattern) having a form relating to an ''e''-infinitive by adding ''-des'' (not much used).
 +
 
 +
(Notably, as mentioned, for expressing passive, Norwegian also has a 'periphrastic' strategy with ''bli'' plus participle.)
 +
 +
These categories are connected to the sentence schema as follows:
 +
 
 +
- The ''first'' verb in a sentence is ''finite'', whichever of the verb categories occurs first.
  
 
- The verb immediately following a ''modal'' is in ''infinitive'' form.
 
- The verb immediately following a ''modal'' is in ''infinitive'' form.
  
 
- The verb immediately following the auxiliary ''ha'' or the auxilary ''bli'' is in the ''past participle'' form.  
 
- The verb immediately following the auxiliary ''ha'' or the auxilary ''bli'' is in the ''past participle'' form.  
 +
 +
It is possible for a modal to follow another modal, and a modal can follow ''ha'', but not ''bli''. Thus, a pattern like (II) is possible:
 +
 +
  (II)  '''Subject'''  Modal  ''ha''  Modal  ''bli''  '''Vmain'''  IndirectObject  DirectObject  Oblique  Adverbial
 +
 +
Here are examples:
 +
 +
(3)  Finite verb only:
 +
<Phrase>23125</Phrase>
 +
 +
(4)  Finite verb first, past participle after ''ha'':
 +
<Phrase>23124</Phrase>
 +
 +
(5)  Finite verb first, infinitive form after Modal, past participle after ''ha'':
 +
<Phrase>23123</Phrase>
 +
 +
(6)  Finite verb first, followed by two modals each with an infinitive form following, and then past participle after ''ha'':
 +
<Phrase>23122</Phrase>
 +
 +
(7) A 'maximal' example of auxiliary sequencing:
 +
<Phrase>23121</Phrase>
 +
 +
===Placement of adverbial constituents, and differences between main and subordinate clauses===
 +
Relative to the above schema, '''adverbial''' elements, in addition to the final position, can also occur adjacent to the finite verb, a position often referred to as the '''nexus''' ''position''. At this point there is a distinction between '''main''' and '''subordinate''' clauses: in a main clause, the adverbial comes ''after'' the finite verb, in subordinate clauses ''before'' the finite verb. (See also [[Sentence adverbials in Norwegian]].)
 +
 +
(8)  Time adverbial in nexal position in main clause:
 +
<Phrase>23126</Phrase>
 +
 +
(9)  Negation adverbial in nexal position in main clause:
 +
<Phrase>23127</Phrase>
 +
 +
(10)  Time adverbial in nexal position in subordinate clause:
 +
<Phrase>23128</Phrase>
 +
 +
(11)  Negation adverbial in nexal position in subordinate clause:
 +
<Phrase>23129</Phrase>
 +
 +
For '''declarative''' clauses, another distinction between main and subordinate clauses is that in main clauses, the ''initial'' position can be held by an adverbial element or a topicalized element, where in either case the subject is then moved ''behind'' the finite verb; this is generally referred to as '''Subject-Verb Inversion'''. (See [[Subject-Verb Inversion in Norwegian]].)
 +
 +
(12)  Fronted adverbial in declarative main clause, with Subject-Verb Inversion:
 +
<Phrase>23130</Phrase>
 +
 +
(13)  Topicalized noun phrase in declarative main clause, with Subject-Verb Inversion:
 +
<Phrase>23131</Phrase>
 +
 +
 +
In subordinate declarative clauses no such fronted position is available, however, these clauses are standardly introduced by a complementizer, such as '''''at''''' when the clause serves as an argument relative to the verb.
 +
 +
===Interrogative clauses===
 +
'''Interrogative''' clauses come in two varieties, '''yes-no-questions''' and '''constituent questions''', the latter inquiring about the value of a constituent of the sentence, the former inquiring about the truth-value of the entire sentence. Yes-no-questions are marked by ''Subject-Verb Inversion'' with no element fronted, while constituent questions are marked by 'Subject-Verb Inversion'' together with ''fronting'' of a constituent carrying the morphological shape of an interrogative constituent, namely the initial letters ''hv-''  -  what may be referred to as the ''questioned constituent''.
 +
 +
(14)  Main clause yes-no-question:
 +
<Phrase>23132</Phrase>
 +
 +
(15)  Main clause constituent question:
 +
<Phrase>23133</Phrase>
 +
 +
 +
As '''subordinate''' interrogative clauses, the counterpart of yes-no-questions are marked by the complementizers ''om'' or ''hvorvidt'', and no inversion, while constituent questions are marked by a clause initial occurrence of the questioned constituent (marked by ''hv-''), and no inversion.
 +
 +
(16)  Subordinate clause yes-no-question:
 +
<Phrase>23134</Phrase>
 +
 +
(17)  Subordinate clause constituent question:
 +
<Phrase>23135</Phrase>
 +
 +
===Infinitival clauses===
 +
Structurally close to the types of subordinate clauses now described - which may all be called ''finite'' subordinate clauses - are '''infinitival clauses''': these are introduced by the infinitival marker '''''å''''', they have no subject, and their ''first'' verb is in ''infinitive''. They otherwise have the same internal build-up as finite subordinate clauses, and can serve as constituent or part of constituent in a clause, as in the following example, where the infinitival clause serves as part of the '''Oblique''' constrituent ''om å måtte bli skjenket et sverd'': 
 +
 +
(18)  Infinitival clause exhibiting clausal structure:
 +
<Phrase>23136</Phrase>
 +
                                  Inf-mark  Modal      Passive  Vmain                DirectObject
 +
Subject Vmain            Oblique
 +
 +
Given this parallellism, one may subsume finite and infinitival subordinate clauses alike under the notion ''subordinate clauses''. (Other languages also display subordinate structures built around ''participial'' forms, those built around present participles often called ''gerunds'', and those built around past participles as ''absolutives''; since these types only to a very limited extent can be used in Norwegian, we don't include them in this enumeration.)
 +
 +
Not all occurences of infinitives count as clauses: the occurrences of infinitival forms following ''modals'' (see above) are not counted as constituting separate clauses.
 +
 +
Infinitival forms following ''modals'' are also not preceded by '''å'''. Further types of occurrence of infinitives without '''å''' are seen in constructions like the following.
 +
 +
In (19), the 'omission' of '''å''' may be seen as connected to the governing verb ''be'' ('ask'), contrasting for instance with the otherwise parallel verb ''befale'' ('order'), which requires '''å''', as in ''Jeg befaler deg å komme'' ('I order you to come').
 +
 +
(19)
 +
<Phrase>422022</Phrase>
 +
 +
The pattern in (20) is used by a small group of verbs like ''se'' ('see'), ''høre'' ('hear'), ''føle'' ('feel'), ''kjenne'' ('sense'):
 +
 +
(20)
 +
<Phrase>422023</Phrase>
 +
 +
In both cases, what follows the main verb has a clausal content, that is, 'I ask her ''that she comes'' ' in (19) and 'I see ''that she comes'' ' in (20). Although infinitive clauses with clausal content generally use the '''å'''-marker, there are thus some verb-dependent cases where this is not so.
 +
 +
The infinitive marker '''å''', corresponding to English ''to'', is pronounced in the same way as the coordination marker '''og''', corresponding to English ''and''. They cannot be used one for the other. (See also [[Coordination marking in Norwegian]].)
 +
 +
This section is largely rephrased at the page [[Infinitives in Norwegian]].
 +
 +
===Subordinate clauses in or as adverbial constituents===
 +
Subordinate clauses, whether finite or infinitival, can serve as either arguments or adjuncts, and as arguments, in all of the functions mentioned above. When serving as adjuncts/adverbials, they mostly do so as complements to a preposition, but for finite subordinate clauses, there are also specific complementizers dedicated to signaling ''time'', ''place'', ''reason'' and other connections that the clause may express relative to the main verb.
 +
 +
(21)  Adverbial subordinate clause with temporal reading:
 +
<Phrase>23137</Phrase>
 +
 +
(22)  Adverbial subordinate clause with causal reading:
 +
<Phrase>23138</Phrase>
 +
 +
As illustrated above, the possibility for subordinate clauses to be governed by a preposition is also essential when they serve as ''obliques''.
 +
 +
(23)  Oblique with finite subordinate clause governed by a preposition:
 +
<Phrase>23139</Phrase>
 +
 +
(24)  Oblique with infinitival subordinate clause governed by a preposition (cf. also (18)):
 +
<Phrase>23140</Phrase>
 +
 +
===Related pages===
 +
 +
 +
[[Subject-Verb Inversion in Norwegian]]
 +
 +
[[Sentence adverbials in Norwegian]]
 +
 +
[[Verb Complementation - Norwegian]]
 +
 +
[[Infinitives in Norwegian]]
 +
 +
[[Past and Perfective patterns in Norwegian]]
 +
 +
[[Personal pronouns in Norwegian]]
 +
 +
[[Reflexives - Norwegian]]
 +
 +
[[The Noun Phrase - Norwegian]]
 +
 +
[[Agreement in Norwegian noun phrases]]
 +
 +
[[Definite determiners in Norwegian]]
 +
 +
[[Possessive constructions in Norwegian]]
 +
 +
[[Gender in Norwegian nouns]]
 +
 +
[[Coordination marking in Norwegian]]
 +
 +
[[Reflexive verbs in Norwegian]]
 +
 +
[[Verb - Preposition expressions in Norwegian]]
 +
  
  
−
Relative to the above schema, adverbial elements, in addition to the final position, can also occur adjacent to the finite verb. At this point there is a distinction between '''main''' and '''subordinate''' declarative clauses: in a main clause, the adverbial comes ''after'' the finite verb, in subordinate clauses ''before'' the finite verb.
 
  
 +
--[[User:Lars Hellan|Lars Hellan]] ([[User talk:Lars Hellan|talk]]) 18:40, 25 December 2015 (CET)
  
−
[to be continued]
+
[[Category:Norwegian Grammar]]

Latest revision as of 19:36, 23 April 2016

This page relates to the application A Norwegian Grammar Sparrer, see A Norwegian Grammar Sparrer.

On clicking on the icon below, you will come to the Sparrer:

Troll1.jpeg,

Instructions for its use are found at Classroom:Norwegian Grammar Checking


Main sentence patterns

The basic shape of a Norwegian clause can be depicted as in (I) below. The subject precedes the verb, objects immediately follow the verb and precede any oblique arguments or adverbials. When there are two objects, the indirect object is the one occurring closest to the main verb. Case is marked only on personal pronouns, with a subject – non-subject distinction. (See Personal pronouns in Norwegian.) Subject and Main Verb (marked in boldface in (I)) are generally necessary for making a grammatically wellformed clause. 

 (I)  Subject  Vmain  IndirectObject  DirectObject  Oblique   Adverbial


(1) Example with the pattern [ Subject Vmain IndirectObject DirectObject Adverbial ]:

Jeg skjenker deg et sverd før slaget.
“I give you a sword before the battle”
Jeg
jeg
1SGNOM
PN
skjenker
skjenker
givePRES
V
deg
deg
2SGACC
PN
et
et
INDEFNEUTSG
ART
sverd
sverd
sword
N
før
før
before
PREP
slaget
slaget
battleNEUTSGDEF
N
Subject     Vmain           Indir.Obj.   DirectObject               Adverbial


(2) Example with the pattern [ Subject Vmain Oblique Adverbial ]:

Jeg snakket om henne etter slaget.
“I talked about her after the battle”
Jeg
jeg
1SGNOM
PN
snakket
snakket
talkPRET
V
om
om
about
PREP
henne
henne
3SGFEMACC
PN
etter
etter
after
PREP
slaget
slaget
battleNEUTSGDEF
N
Subject     Vmain             Oblique                  Adverbial

Grammar traditions often classify sentence constituents according to whether they are 'required', or 'valence bound', by the main verb; those that are, are often called arguments, and those that are not, adjuncts. (Traditions often suggest that constituents fall neatly into one or the other category, and that no further alternatives obtain, both of these assumptions may be questionable.) Among the constituents shown above, subject, object (both types) and oblique are commonly considered as arguments relative to the main verb, while adverbials, whether in final, fronted or nexal position (see below) are adjuncts.

Auxiliary verbs and main verbs

There is a functional distinction between main verbs and auxiliary verbs: main verbs are those that can carry a sentence by themselves, while auxiliary verbs may come in addition to the main verb, and cannot (generally) carry a sentence by themselves. Auxiliary verbs precede the main verb. There are three auxiliary categories: modals, perfective auxiliary and passive auxiliary. 'Modals' comprises the auxiliaries ville ('would'), skulle ('should'), måtte ('must'), burde ('ought'), kunne ('could'); these items can occur alone or in combination. Ha is the perfect auxiliary, and bli the passive auxiliary. The order among these items is rigid. Vmain subsumes full verbs and copulas. Of copulas there are two, være ('be') and bli ('become') (distinct from, but obviously related to the passive auxiliary).

For all of these verb categories, there are six possible forms of inflection, exemplified in one of these conjugational patterns, the -et pattern (see Past and Perfective patterns in Norwegian for all the patterns):

- infinitive (in the -et pattern having a form ending in -e)

- imperative (with a form relating to an e-infinitive by dropping the -e)

- present (with a form relating to an e-infinitive by adding -r)

- past (with a form relating to an e-infinitive by adding -t)

- past participle (with a form identical to the past form)

- present participle (with a form relating to an e-infinitive by adding -nde).

Of these forms, the present and the past are called finite forms, while the infinitive and the participles are called non-finite forms. These are considered contrasts along the dimension of Tense. Imperative is a value along the Mode dimension, and in the verbal morphology, all the other forms mentioned represent Indicative. No further values of Mode are expressed in the verbal morphology in Norwegian (but can be expressed by other means). A further category often realized in languages' verbal morphology is Aspect; however, Norwegian has no verbal inflectional form for aspectual values (but they can be expressed by other means). Finally, the category of Voice is reflected in Norwegian verb morphology through an affix -s being used in Passive while the forms without -s count as Active. Relative to the -et pattern, the forms listed above are thus active, while the corresponding passive forms are shaped as follows; only Vmain can have these inflections:

- infinitive passive (in the -et pattern) having a form relating to an e-infinitive by adding -s

- present passive being like infinitive passive

- past passive (in the -et pattern) having a form relating to an e-infinitive by adding -des (not much used).

(Notably, as mentioned, for expressing passive, Norwegian also has a 'periphrastic' strategy with bli plus participle.)

These categories are connected to the sentence schema as follows:

- The first verb in a sentence is finite, whichever of the verb categories occurs first.

- The verb immediately following a modal is in infinitive form.

- The verb immediately following the auxiliary ha or the auxilary bli is in the past participle form.

It is possible for a modal to follow another modal, and a modal can follow ha, but not bli. Thus, a pattern like (II) is possible: 

 (II)  Subject  Modal   ha   Modal   bli   Vmain  IndirectObject  DirectObject  Oblique   Adverbial

Here are examples:

(3) Finite verb only:

Hun kommer.
“she comes”
Hun
hun
3SGFEM
PN
kommer
kommer
comePRES
V


(4) Finite verb first, past participle after ha:

Hun har kommet.
“she has come”
Hun
hun
3SGFEM
PN
har
har
havePRES
AUX
kommet
kommet
comePRFPTCP
V


(5) Finite verb first, infinitive form after Modal, past participle after ha:

Hun må ha kommet.
“she must have come”
Hun
hun
3SGFEM
PN
må
må
mustPRESMOD
AUX
ha
ha
haveINF
AUX
kommet
kommet
comePRFPTCP
V


(6) Finite verb first, followed by two modals each with an infinitive form following, and then past participle after ha:

Hun vil måtte ha kommet.
“it will be the case that she must have come”
Hun
hun
3SGFEM
PN
vil
vil
willPRESMOD
AUX
måtte
måtte
mustINFMOD
AUX
ha
ha
haveINF
AUX
kommet
kommet
comePRFPTCP
V


(7) A 'maximal' example of auxiliary sequencing:

Hun vil skulle kunne ha måttet bli skjenket et sverd.
“it will be the case that it ought to be the case that it has been possible that it has been necessary that a sword has been given to her”
Hun
hun
3SGFEM
PN
vil
vil
willPRESMOD
AUX
skulle
skulle
shallINFMOD
AUX
kunne
kunne 
couldINFMOD 
AUX
ha
ha
haveINF
AUX
måttet
måttet
mustPRFMODPTCP
AUX
bli
bli
beINF
AUX
skjenket
skjenket
givePRFPTCP
V
et
et
aINDEFNEUTSG
ART
sverd
sverd
sword
N


Placement of adverbial constituents, and differences between main and subordinate clauses

Relative to the above schema, adverbial elements, in addition to the final position, can also occur adjacent to the finite verb, a position often referred to as the nexus position. At this point there is a distinction between main and subordinate clauses: in a main clause, the adverbial comes after the finite verb, in subordinate clauses before the finite verb. (See also Sentence adverbials in Norwegian.)

(8) Time adverbial in nexal position in main clause:

Hun har idag hoppet.
“she today has jumped”
Hun
hun
3SGFEM
PN
har
har
havePRES
AUX
idag
idag
today
ADVtemp
hoppet
hoppet
jumpPRFPTCP
V


(9) Negation adverbial in nexal position in main clause:

Hun har ikke hoppet.
“she has not jumped”
Hun
hun
3SGFEM
PN
har
har
havePRES
AUX
ikke
ikke
NEG
ADVneg
hoppet
hoppet
jumpPRFPTCP
 


(10) Time adverbial in nexal position in subordinate clause:

Jeg vet at hun idag har hoppet.
“I know that she has jumped today”
Jeg
jeg
1SG
PN
vet
vet
PRES
V
at
at
that
COMP
hun
hun
3SGFEM
PN
idag
idag
today
ADVtemp
har
har
havePRES
AUX
hoppet
hoppet
jumpPRFPTCP
V


(11) Negation adverbial in nexal position in subordinate clause:

Jeg vet at hun ikke har hoppet idag.
“I know that she hasn't jumped today”
Jeg
jeg
1SG
N
vet
vet
knowPRES
V
at
at
thatDECL
COMP
hun
hun
3SGFEM
PN
ikke
ikke
NEG
ADVneg
har
har
havePRES
AUX
hoppet
hoppet
jumpPRFPTCP
V
idag
idag
today
ADVm


For declarative clauses, another distinction between main and subordinate clauses is that in main clauses, the initial position can be held by an adverbial element or a topicalized element, where in either case the subject is then moved behind the finite verb; this is generally referred to as Subject-Verb Inversion. (See Subject-Verb Inversion in Norwegian.)

(12) Fronted adverbial in declarative main clause, with Subject-Verb Inversion:

Idag har hun hoppet langt.
“today she has jumped far”
Idag
idag
today
ADVtemp
har
har
havePRES
AUX
hun
hun
3SGFEM
PN
hoppet
hoppet
jumpPRFPTCP
V
langt
langt
 
ADV


(13) Topicalized noun phrase in declarative main clause, with Subject-Verb Inversion:

Gaver skjenket hun ham hver dag.
“gifts she gave him every day”
Gaver
gaver
giftPL
N
skjenket
skjenket
givePRET
V
hun
hun
she3SGFEMNOM
N
ham
ham
3SGMASCACC
PN
hver
hver
everyCOMMSG
QUANT
dag
dag
day
N


In subordinate declarative clauses no such fronted position is available, however, these clauses are standardly introduced by a complementizer, such as at when the clause serves as an argument relative to the verb.

Interrogative clauses

Interrogative clauses come in two varieties, yes-no-questions and constituent questions, the latter inquiring about the value of a constituent of the sentence, the former inquiring about the truth-value of the entire sentence. Yes-no-questions are marked by Subject-Verb Inversion with no element fronted, while constituent questions are marked by 'Subject-Verb Inversion together with fronting of a constituent carrying the morphological shape of an interrogative constituent, namely the initial letters hv- - what may be referred to as the questioned constituent.

(14) Main clause yes-no-question:

Hoppet du?
“did you jump?”
Hoppet
hoppet
jumpPRET
V
du?
du?
2SG
PN


(15) Main clause constituent question:

Hva skjenket du henne?
“what did you give her?”
Hva
hva
whatNEUTSGQ
PROint
skjenket
skjenket
givePRET
V
du
du
2SGNOM
PN
henne?
henne?
3SGFEMACC
PN


As subordinate interrogative clauses, the counterpart of yes-no-questions are marked by the complementizers om or hvorvidt, and no inversion, while constituent questions are marked by a clause initial occurrence of the questioned constituent (marked by hv-), and no inversion.

(16) Subordinate clause yes-no-question:

Vi gjetter om du hoppet.
“we are guessing whether you jumped”
Vi
vi
1PL
PN
gjetter
gjetter
 PRES
V
om
om
about
PREP
du
du
you2SG
PN
hoppet
hoppet
jumpPRET
V


(17) Subordinate clause constituent question:

Vi gjettet hva du hadde skjenket henne.
“we guessed what you had given her”
Vi
vi
1PL
PN
gjettet
gjettet
guessPRET
V
hva
hva
what3SGNEUTQ
PROint
du
du
2SGNOM
PN
hadde
hadde
havePRET
V
skjenket
skjenket
givePRFPTCP
V
henne
henne
3SGFEMACC
PN


Infinitival clauses

Structurally close to the types of subordinate clauses now described - which may all be called finite subordinate clauses - are infinitival clauses: these are introduced by the infinitival marker å, they have no subject, and their first verb is in infinitive. They otherwise have the same internal build-up as finite subordinate clauses, and can serve as constituent or part of constituent in a clause, as in the following example, where the infinitival clause serves as part of the Oblique constrituent om å måtte bli skjenket et sverd:

(18) Infinitival clause exhibiting clausal structure:

Jeg snakker om å måtte bli skjenket et sverd.
“I talk about having to be given a sword”
Jeg
jeg
1SG
PN
snakker
snakker
talkPRES
V
om
om
about
PREP
å
å
toINF
COMP
måtte
måtte
mustINF
AUX
bli
bli
beINF
AUX
skjenket
skjenket
givePRFPTCP
V
et
et
aINDEFNEUTSG
ART
sverd
sverd
sword
N
                                  Inf-mark  Modal      Passive   Vmain                 DirectObject
Subject Vmain            Oblique

Given this parallellism, one may subsume finite and infinitival subordinate clauses alike under the notion subordinate clauses. (Other languages also display subordinate structures built around participial forms, those built around present participles often called gerunds, and those built around past participles as absolutives; since these types only to a very limited extent can be used in Norwegian, we don't include them in this enumeration.)

Not all occurences of infinitives count as clauses: the occurrences of infinitival forms following modals (see above) are not counted as constituting separate clauses.

Infinitival forms following modals are also not preceded by å. Further types of occurrence of infinitives without å are seen in constructions like the following.

In (19), the 'omission' of å may be seen as connected to the governing verb be ('ask'), contrasting for instance with the otherwise parallel verb befale ('order'), which requires å, as in Jeg befaler deg å komme ('I order you to come').

(19)

Jeg ber henne komme
“I ask her to come”
Jeg
jeg
1sg
PN
ber
ber
askPRES
V
henne
henne
3sg.FemOBJACC
PN
komme
komme
comeINF
V


The pattern in (20) is used by a small group of verbs like se ('see'), høre ('hear'), føle ('feel'), kjenne ('sense'):

(20)

Jeg ser henne komme
“I see her coming”
Jeg
jeg
1sg
PN
ser
ser
seePRES
V
henne
henne
3sg.FemOBJACC
PN
komme
komme
comeINF
V


In both cases, what follows the main verb has a clausal content, that is, 'I ask her that she comes ' in (19) and 'I see that she comes ' in (20). Although infinitive clauses with clausal content generally use the å-marker, there are thus some verb-dependent cases where this is not so.

The infinitive marker å, corresponding to English to, is pronounced in the same way as the coordination marker og, corresponding to English and. They cannot be used one for the other. (See also Coordination marking in Norwegian.)

This section is largely rephrased at the page Infinitives in Norwegian.

Subordinate clauses in or as adverbial constituents

Subordinate clauses, whether finite or infinitival, can serve as either arguments or adjuncts, and as arguments, in all of the functions mentioned above. When serving as adjuncts/adverbials, they mostly do so as complements to a preposition, but for finite subordinate clauses, there are also specific complementizers dedicated to signaling time, place, reason and other connections that the clause may express relative to the main verb.

(21) Adverbial subordinate clause with temporal reading:

Han snakker mens han spiser.
“he talks while he eats”
Han
han
3SGMASC
PN
snakker
snakker
talkPRES
V
mens
mens
while
COMP
han
han
3SGMASC
PN
spiser
spiser
eatPRES
V


(22) Adverbial subordinate clause with causal reading:

Han snakker fordi han spiser.
“he talks because he eats”
Han
han
3SGMASC
PN
snakker
snakker
talkPRES
V
fordi
fordi
because
COMP
han
han
3SGMASC
PN
spiser
spiser
eatPRES
 


As illustrated above, the possibility for subordinate clauses to be governed by a preposition is also essential when they serve as obliques.

(23) Oblique with finite subordinate clause governed by a preposition:

Han snakker om at jeg sover.
“he talks about my sleeping”
Han
han
3SGMASC
PN
snakker
snakker
talkPRES
V
om
om
about
PREP
at
at
that
COMP
jeg
jeg
1SG
PN
sover
sover
sleepPRES
V


(24) Oblique with infinitival subordinate clause governed by a preposition (cf. also (18)):

Han snakker om å sove.
“he talks about sleeping”
Han
han
he3SGMASC
PN
snakker
snakker
talkPRES
V
om
om
about
PREP
å
å
toINF
COMP
sove
sove
sleepINF
V


Related pages

Subject-Verb Inversion in Norwegian

Sentence adverbials in Norwegian

Verb Complementation - Norwegian

Infinitives in Norwegian

Past and Perfective patterns in Norwegian

Personal pronouns in Norwegian

Reflexives - Norwegian

The Noun Phrase - Norwegian

Agreement in Norwegian noun phrases

Definite determiners in Norwegian

Possessive constructions in Norwegian

Gender in Norwegian nouns

Coordination marking in Norwegian

Reflexive verbs in Norwegian

Verb - Preposition expressions in Norwegian



--Lars Hellan (talk) 18:40, 25 December 2015 (CET)

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