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  • 17 - Relativisation

  • from Part II - Tracking Change in the History of English
  • Edited by Joan C. Beal, University of Sheffield
  • Book:
    The New Cambridge History of the English Language
    Published online:
    23 October 2025
    Print publication:
    23 October 2025, pp 480-504

  • Summary

    This chapter presents an overview of relative clauses and relativisation processes from Old English to Contemporary English, as well as in varieties of English around the world. It centres on adnominal restrictive relative clauses and addresses the factors determining the distribution of relativisers used to introduce the relative clause. Of particular interest will be the changing frequency of each relativiser over time, and the changing weight of the relevant predictors used, focusing on those of a semantic, morphosyntactic, social or stylistic nature. Also included will be a micro-analysis of recent changes in relation to relative constructions and individual relativisers, especially in less formal language, such as the demise of which in favour of that and the specialisation of who with human antecedents in subject function. Already widely reported in both standard and World Englishes, these innovations are likely to become part of the grammatical core of standard English.