Sangyub BAEK. 2012. An areal-typological
view on the distribution of WH correlatives in the Tungusic languages. Altai hakpo 22. 29-62. The Altaic Society
of Korea. Udihe, a Tungusic language of Russia, has correlative
constructions in which an interrogative pronoun in the subordinate clause
correlates with an interrogative or a demonstrative in the main clause.
Interestingly, similar constructions are widely seen not only in the Tungusic
languages, but also in the neighboring major languages (Chinese and Russian). This
paper aims to examine the possibility of language contact affecting correlatives by considering the
distribution of Tungusic correlatives from a typological view. Based on
collected data of Tungusic correlatives, the author attempts to make a
syntactic comparison of correlatives in Tungusic languages and two neighboring
languages, Chinese and Russian. In summary, given that each Tungusic language shares similar syntactic features of
correlatives with its adjacent major languages, we can conclude that there has
been some influence from Chinese and/or Russian on
Tungusic correlatives. In addition, we briefly examine
correlatives in some Mongolic and Turkic languages as well.
Keywords: Udihe, Tungusic, Correlative, Chinese, Russian,
Language Contact