Asteran Relative Pronoun

Asteran uses a declinable relative pronoun built around ts.

It means:

who / whom / whose / which / that

It does not distinguish people from things.

The form of the relative pronoun echoes its own case and number.

Relative Pronoun Declension

Pattern

The relative pronoun is built from:

case echo + ts + case ending

Examples:

ētsēn
= whose / of whom / of which
from ē + ts + ēn

aitsai
= to whom / for whom / toward which
from ai + ts + ai

ātsās
= whom/which plural as object
from ā + ts + ās

For nominative singular, the inherited/formulaic form is:

atsa
= who / which / that as subject

Examples

astor atsa malgam calei
= the cantor who binds the fracture

malc atsam astor calei
= the fracture that the cantor binds

astor ētsēn corda sacrau anei
= the cantor whose chord is sacred

faren utsul astor anei
= the room in which the cantor is

astorī ītsī malgam caleis
= the cantors who bind the fracture

malgaī ātsās astor calei
= the fractures that the cantor binds

Core Syntax Rule

The head noun takes its case from the main clause.

The relative pronoun takes its case from its role inside the relative clause.

Example:

malgam atsam astor calei cala
= I bind the fracture that the cantor binds.

Here:

malgam = fracture as object of the main clause
atsam = which as object inside the relative clause
astor = subject inside the relative clause
calei = binds
cala = I bind

Position of the Relative Pronoun

The relative pronoun normally stands at the front of the relative clause, directly after the head noun phrase.

This is a special relative-clause rule.

So Asteran says:

malc atsam astor calei
= the fracture that the cantor binds

Literally:

fracture which-ACC cantor binds

Not:

malc astor atsam calei

The relative pronoun is fronted inside the relative clause to mark the clause clearly.

Subject Relative Clauses

If the head noun is the subject inside the relative clause, the relative pronoun is nominative.

astor atsa malgam calei
= the cantor who binds the fracture

astorī ītsī malgam caleis
= the cantors who bind the fracture

The verb inside the relative clause agrees with the relative pronoun.

atsa is singular, so the verb is singular:

atsa malgam calei
= who binds the fracture

ītsī is plural, so the verb is plural:

ītsī malgam caleis
= who bind the fracture

Object Relative Clauses

If the head noun is the object inside the relative clause, the relative pronoun is accusative.

malc atsam astor calei
= the fracture that the cantor binds

malgī ātsās astor calei
= the fractures that the cantor binds

If the whole noun phrase is also an object in the main clause, the head noun takes accusative case:

malgam atsam astor calei cala
= I bind the fracture that the cantor binds.

Dative Relative Clauses

If the head noun is the recipient, beneficiary, target, or direction inside the relative clause, the relative pronoun is dative.

astor aitsai nan cordam cala
= the cantor for whom I bind the chord

Literally:

cantor to-whom I chord-ACC bind

Plural:

astorī ītsīs nan cordam cala
= the cantors for whom I bind the chord

Genitive Relative Clauses

If the head noun is the possessor inside the relative clause, the relative pronoun is genitive.

astor ētsēn corda sacrau anei
= the cantor whose chord is sacred

Literally:

cantor whose chord sacred is

Plural:

astorī ōtsōn cordaī sacrawī aneis
= the cantors whose chords are sacred

The genitive relative pronoun stands before the possessed noun inside the relative clause.

Ablative Relative Clauses

If the head noun is the source, separation point, means, or agent-like source inside the relative clause, the relative pronoun is ablative.

corda ōtsō astor malgam calei
= the chord by which the cantor binds the fracture

For authority or agency, Asteran usually uses ol + ablative:

astor ol ōtsō malc caleit
= the cantor by whom / by whose authority the fracture is bound

Locative Relative Clauses

If the head noun is a place, position, or state inside the relative clause, the relative pronoun is locative.

faren utsul astor anei
= the room in which the cantor is

faren utsul astor malgam calei
= the room in which the cantor binds the fracture

Plural:

farenī ītsīl astorī aneis
= the rooms in which the cantors are

Relative Clauses with Prepositions

When the relative pronoun belongs to a prepositional phrase, the preposition stands before the relative pronoun.

Examples:

faren mel utsul astor anei
= the room inside which the cantor is

corda lun ōtsō astor malgam calei
= the chord by means of which the cantor binds the fracture

malc tas atsam astor caltei
= the fracture against which the cantor will act

astor sam ōtsō nan malgam cala
= the cantor with whom I bind the fracture

farenī ham ītsīl astorī aneis
= the rooms among which the cantors are

Relative Clauses After Full Noun Phrases

The relative clause follows the full noun phrase, including adjectives and genitive possessors.

Structure:

Degree Marker + Adjective + Noun + Genitive Possessor + Relative Clause

Examples:

sacrau astor nanēn atsa malgam calei
= my sacred cantor who binds the fracture

calaut malc leinēn atsam astor calei
= his/her/its bound fracture that the cantor binds

tson sacrawī astorī nainōn ītsī malgam caleis
= our most sacred cantors who bind the fracture

Restrictive and Non-Restrictive Relative Clauses

Asteran does not use a different relative pronoun for restrictive and non-restrictive clauses.

The difference is shown through context, pause, or punctuation.

Restrictive:

astor atsa malgam calei
= the cantor who binds the fracture

Non-restrictive:

astor, atsa malgam calei, sacrau anei
= the cantor, who binds the fracture, is sacred