Caponigro, IvanoTorrence, HaroldCisneros, Carlos2014-07-102014-07-102013-01Ivano Caponigro, Harold Torrence, and Carlos Cisneros. (2013). Free Relative Clauses in Two Mixtec Languages. International Journal of American Linguistics, 79(1):61-96. http://www.dx.doi.org/10.1086/6686080020-7071https://hdl.handle.net/1808/14686This is the publisher's version, also available electronically from http://www.jstor.org/stable/info/10.1086/668608Two previously unstudied Mixtec languages—Nieves Mixtec and Melchor Ocampo Mixtec—are investigated, with special emphasis on free relative clauses and two related wh-constructions: interrogative wh-clauses and headed relative clauses. It is shown that both Mixtec languages make use of most wh-words found in interrogatives to form free relatives, i.e., non-interrogative wh-clauses like the bracketed one in Luca tasted [what Adam cooked]. Both languages exhibit the three kinds of free relatives that are attested cross-linguistically: definite free relatives (with the distribution and interpretation of defnite descriptions like in the example above), existential free relatives (occurring in the complement position of existential constructions), and -ever free relatives (occurring as arguments like I'll do [whatever you say] or as clausal adjuncts like [Whatever you say], I won't change my mind). Similarities and diferences are discussed between free relative clauses and headed relative clauses in both languages and between Mixtec wh-constructions and cross-linguistic patternsNieves MixtecMelchor Ocampo Mixtecwh-wordwh-constructionsFree relative clausesArticle10.1086/668608openAccess