Relative Clause Structure in Mesoamerican Languages

As the first major survey of relative clause structure in the indigenous languages of Mesoamerica, this volume comprises a collection of original, in-depth studies of relative constructions in representative languages from across Mexico and Central America, based on empirical data collected by the authors themselves. The studies not only reveal the complex and fascinating nature of relative clauses in the languages in question, but they also shed invaluable light on how Mesoamerica came to be one of the richest and most diverse linguistic areas on our planet.

Enrique L. Palancar is Senior Researcher at the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS). He received his Ph.D. from the Complutense University of Madrid in 2000. His area of expertise is the Oto-Manguean languages of Mexico, especially those of the Oto-Pamean branch. He has a broad interest in the linguistic typology of Mesoamerican languages from the perspective of inflectional morphology, morphosyntax and syntax.

Roberto Zavala Maldonado is Research Professor at the Centro de Investigaciones y Estudios Superiores en Antropología Social (CIESAS) in San Cristóbal de las Casas. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Oregon in 2000. His primary research area is the documentation of Mayan and Mixe-Zoquean languages, with particular emphasis on historical and comparative syntax, as well as language contact in Mesoamerica.

Claudine Chamoreau is Senior Researcher at the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS). She received her Ph.D. from the René Descartes University in 1998. Her research is in the domains of morphology, syntax and information structure in Purepecha (a language isolate from Mexico) and Pesh, a Chibchan language from Honduras, on which she carries extensive language documentation. Her broad interest is in the linguistic typology of Mesoamerican languages and on the documentation and description of Chibchan languages.