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    The complementiser clitic
    quickinfo

    Interrogative pronouns can be used to introduce embedded questions. In addition, wa who can be used as a prepositional complement in relative clauses, and waans whose and wa syn who his can be used as possessors in relative clauses. In these cases (except for the case of possessors), written language requires that interrogative pronouns are written with a final -t.

    Table 1
    Main clause Embedded clause
    Who wa wa't
    What wat wat
    What (prepositional complement) wêr wêr't

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    This -t has been argued to be the remainder of the complementiser oft whether (Hoekstra (1993)). It is still written sometimes:

    1
    Wa oft it set hat witte wy net
    who whether it put has know we not
    We do not know who put it there

    The complementiser oft is in free variation with the complementiser as. This complementiser is also used to introduce conditional clauses, just as English if. It cannot be the source of the clitic complementiser, because it lacks a -t. An example with the complementiser as has been given below:

    2
    Wy witte krekt wat as de minsken jouwe
    we know exactly what COMP the people give
    We know exactly what people give

    The -t may also be found after Adposition Phrases (PPs) containing the interrogative pronoun wa who:

    3
    De beide dames, mei wa't er sa gesellich riden hie
    the both ladies with who.COMP he so cosily driven had
    The two ladies, who had been such good company on his trip

    The -t is generally absent after Noun Phrases (NP) containing the interrogative possessor:

    4
    a. Wa syn jierdei it is kin ek neat skele
    who his anniversary it is can also nothing care
    It does not matter whose anniversary it is
    b. *Wa syn jierdei't it is kin ek neat skele
    who his anniversary.COMP it is can also nothing care
    It does not matter whose anniversary it is

    The generalisation seems to be that the clitic can attach to an interrogative pronoun occurring on the right-hand side of the sentence-initial constituent in which it is contained. In agreement with this, the clitic cannot occur on interrogative pronouns not occurring on the right-hand side of the constituent containing them:

    5
    a. Witst noch hoe'n moaie tiid oft we doe hân hawwe?
    know.2SG still how.a nice time COMP we then had have
    Do you still remember what a wonderful time we had?
    b. *Witst noch hoe'n moaie tiid 't we doe hân hawwe?
    know.2SG still how.a nice time COMP we then had have
    Do you still remember what a wonderful time we had?
    c. *Witst noch hoe'n 't moaie tiid we doe hân hawwe?
    know.2SG still how.a COMP nice time we then had have
    Do you still remember what a wonderful time we had?
    References
    • Hoekstra, Jarich1993The Split CP Hypothesis and the Frisian Complementizer systemUnpublishedFryske AkademyLjouwert
    About this article
    Author(s): Eric Hoekstra
    Category: Frisian Syntax
    Keywords: interrogative pronouncomplementiser clitic
    Version: 1.0, December 2015
    Version history:
    version editor(s) date remarks
    1.0 Eric Hoekstra December 2015
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