Lombard/Relative clauses

The reference orthography for this page of Lombard course is New Lombard orthography

The relative clause is a sentence included in the main one that serves to say something more than a noun or a pronoun of the main clause.

Relative clauses in which a name or pronoun of the main clause plays the role of the subject

... the rest of the main clause up to the name or the pronoun on which the relative clause is constructed..., + che + (weak subject)* + Predicate, + ...the rest of the relative clause... + (the rest of the main clause)

* weak subject, often it is not put in the spoken form, however more or less mandatory depending on the dialect

Example (in Milanese dialect):

El March, che l' è 'l fioeul del Giovann, l'è un bravo bagai

(transalted into English: Mark, who is the son of John, is a good boy)

or (more literary form)

... the rest of the main clause up to the name or pronoun on which the relative clause is constructed..., + el qual "m"/la qual "f" + (Weak subject)* + Predicate, + ...the rest of the relative clause... + (the rest of the main clause)

Example:

El March, el qual l' è 'l fioeul del Giovann, l'è un bravo bagai MI

(translated into English: Mark, who is the son of John, is a good boy)

At the end of the day che, el qual, la qual, i quai are pronouns, called "relative pronouns".

Relative clauses in which a noun or pronoun of the main clause plays the role of the object complement

...the rest of the main clause up to the name or the pronoun on which the relative clause is constructed... + che + ( Strong subject) + (Weak subject)* + Predicate + ...the rest of the relative clause... + (the rest of the main clause)

* weak subject, often it is not put in the spoken form, however more or less mandatory depending on the dialect

Example (in Milanes dialect):

El liber che i bagai (i) hann legiud l'era interessant

(translated into English: The book that the boys read was interesting)

Relative clauses in which the subject or a complement of the main clause plays the role of the specification complement in the relative clause

(outspoken form)

... the rest of the main clause up to the name or the pronoun on which the relative clause is constructed... ', + che el/la + possessive adjective¹ + (Strong subject² ) + (Weak subject)* + Predicate + ...the rest of the relative clause...', + (the rest of the main clause)

* weak subject, often it is not put in the spoken form, however more or less mandatory depending on the dialect

¹ the possessive adjective must agree with the noun to which the relative sentence refers;

² strong subject of the relative clause.

Example (in Milanese dialect):

L'om, che la soa otomobil l' era stada brusada, l'era sgiamò pover

(translated into English: the man whose car had been burned was already poor)

or (more literary form)

... the rest of the main clause up to the noun or the pronoun on which the relative clause is constructed..., + (Strong subject²) + del qual "m" / de la qual "f" / di quai (pl.) + (Sogetto debole)* + Predicate, + ...the rest of the relative clause... + (the resto f the main clause)

Example (in Milanese dialect):

L'om, l'otomobil del qual l'era stada brusada , l'era sgiamò pover

(Translated into English: The man whose car had been burned was already poor)

Relative clauses in which the subject or a complement of the main clause plays the role of the complement of term in the relative clause

(outspoken form)

...the rest of the main sentence to the noun on which the sentence is constructed... + che + (Strong subject² ) + (Weak subject)* + ghe³ + Predicato + ...the resto f the relative clause... + (the rest of the main clause)

* weak subject, often not used in the spoken form, however more or less mandatory depending on the dialect

² strong subject of the relative clause.

³ o ‘’ga’’ depending on the dialect .

Example (in Milanese dialect):

La tosa che gh’hoo imprestad el liber l'è una bela fioeula

( translated into English: The girl to whom I lent the book was a beautiful girl)

or (more lirerary form)

... the rest of the main clause up to the noun on which the relative clause is constructed... + al qual "m" / a la qual"f" / ai quai (pl.) + (Strong subject² ) + (Weak subject)* + ghe + Predicate + ...the rest of the relative clause... + (the rest of the main clause)

Example:

La tosa a la qual gh'hoo imprestad el liber l'è ona bella fioeula MI

(translated into Italian: The girl I lent the book to was a beautiful girl)

(where “ghe” is the proniminal particle of third person singolar/plural that acts as complement of term)

Relative clauses in which the subject or a complement of the main clause plays the role of the complement of topic in the relative clause

(outspoken form)

... the rest of the main clause up to the noun on which the relative clause is constructed... + che + (Strong suject² ) + (Weak subject)* + Predicate + ...the rest of the relative clause... + (the rest of the main clause)

* weak subject, often not used in the spoken form, however more or less mandatory depending on the dialect

² strong subject of the relative clause.

Example (in Milanese dialect):

La tosa che te disevi l'è una bella fioeula

(Translated into English: The girl about whom I was telling you is a beautiful girl)

or (more literary form)

... the rest of the main clause up to the noun on which the relative clause is constructed... + del qual "m" / de la qual"f" / di quai (pl.) + (Strong subject² ) + (Weak suject)* + ghe + Predicate + ...the rest fo the relative clause... + (the rest of the main clause)

Example (in Milanese dialect):

La tosa de la qual te disevi l'è una bella fioeula

(Translated into English: The girl about whom I was telling you is a beautiful girl)

Relative clause in which the subject or a complement of the main sentence plays the role of the complement of companion in the relative clause

...the rest of the main sentence up to the name on which the relative sentence is constructed..., + che + (Strong subject² ) + (Weak subject)* + ghe + Predicate+ (direct object of the relative clause) + insema + ...the rest of the relative clause..., + (the resto f the main clause)

* weak subject, often not used in the spoken form, however more or less mandatory depending on the dialects

² strong subject of the relative clause.

Example (in Milanese dialect):

La tosa, che gh’ hoo parlad insema, l'è una bella fioeula

(Translated in English: The girl with that I spoke is a beautiful girl)

(outspoken form in the presence of modal verb)

...the rest of the main clause up to the noun on that the relative clause is constructed..., + che + (Strong subject² ) + (Weak subject)* + + Predicate+ -gh + (direct object of the relative clause) + insema + ...the rest of the relativa clause..., + (the rest of the main clause)

* Weak subject, often not used in the spoken form, however more or less mandatory depending on the dialects

² strong subject of the relative clause.

Example (in Milanese dialect):

La tosa, che vorevi parlàgh insema, l'è una bella fioeula
(where "ghe" is the adverbial particle as a complement of state in place)

(Translated into English: The girl I wanted to talk to is a beautiful girl)

or (more literary form)

...the rest of the main clause up to the noun on which the sentence is constructed..., + cont el qual "m" / con la qual"f" / coi quai (pl.) + (Strong subject² ) + (Weak subject)* + ghe + Predicate + ...the rest of the relative clause..., + (the rest of the main clause)

Example (in Milanese dialect):

La tosa, con la qual hoo parlad, l'è una bella fioeula

(Translated into English: The girl to whom I spoke is a beautiful girl)

La tosa, con la qual volevi parlà, l'è una bella fioeula

(Translated into English: The girl to whom I wanted to talk is a beautiful girl)

or (more authentic Lombard, since the previous is derived from Italian)

...the rest of the main clause up to the noun on which the relative clause is constructed..., + con che + (Strong subject² ) + (Weak subject)* + ghe + Predicate + ...the rest of the relative clause..., + (the rest of the main clause)

Example (in Milanese dialect):

La tosa, con che hoo parlad, l'è una bella fioeula

(Translated into English: The girl to whom I spoke is a beautiful girl)

La tosa, con che volevi parlà, l'è una bella fioeula

(Translated into English: The girl to whom I wanted to talk is a beautiful girl)

Relative clauses in which the subject or a complement of the main clause plays the role of the complement of state in place or motion to place in the relative clause

... the rest of the main sentence up to the name on which the relative sentence is constructed..., + indove + (Strong subject² ) + (Weak subject)* + Predicate + (direct object of the relative clause) + ...the rest of the relative clause + (the rest of the main clause)

* Weak subject, often not used in the spoken form, however more or less mandatory depending on the dialects

² strong subject of the relative clause.

Example (in Milanese dialect):

El post indove son stad l'era bell

(translated into English: The place where I have been was nice.)

or ...the rest of the main sentence up to the name on which the relative clause is constructed..., + che (relative pronoun) + (Strong subject² ) + (Weak subject)* + ghe (adverbial particle) Predicate + (direct object of the relative clause) + ...the rest of the relative clause... + (the rest of the main clause)

* Weak subject, often not used in the spoken form, however more or less mandatory depending on the dialects

² strong subject of the relative clause.

Example (in Milanese dialect):

El post che ghe son stad l'era bell

(translated into English: The place where I have been was nice)

Relative clauses in which the subject or a complement of the main sentence acts as a complement the relative clause (a complement other than the ones already been mentioned above)

The above forms called "more literary" are used, with their preposition depending on the complement.

Example (in Milanese dialect):

La reson per la qual scombatom l'è la liberazzion

(translated into English:The reason we fight for is liberation)

In case the verb of the relative clause is "vesser" (as in the case above) it is better to construct the sentences like this:

Verb "vesser" in the third person singular + preposition + nominal predicate in the literary form + che + verbo f the relative clause in the literary form (+ the resto f the relative clause)

That is, the example of before becomes:

A l'è per la liberazzion che scombatom ( MI )

References

• Claudio Beretta, A lezione di grammatica milanese, Circolo Filologico Milanese, pag.94 MI