A SYNOPSIS OF ROLE AND REFERENCE GRAMMAR 123
order" in German is SVFIN0 or SOVFIN overlooks the fundamental fact that
the two are not functionally equivalent. VFIN0 word order indicates that
the clause is within the PFD, while OVFIN order signals that the clause is
outside of the PFD. This contrast will have major implications for linking in
complex sentences, which will be discussed in section 7.3.
6.7 Complex NPs
Relative clauses and noun complement constructions have not been discus
sed, because the theory of clause linkage applies to the joining of clauses
and subclausal units with each other; these constructions involve the linking
of a clause with a nominal head. However, the concepts from the theory of
clause linkage can be extended to provide a framework for their analysis.
Noun complement constructions like the rumor that Fred saw a UFO
involve a clause as a core argument of a nominal nucleus; this may be rep
resented as in Figure 39. Restrictive relative clauses in a language like Eng
lish, on the other hand, are non-argument, i.e. peripheral, modifiers of the
nominal core and are structurally analogous to adverbial subordinate
clauses (see Figure 36). This is represented in Figure 40. Complex NP struc
ture represents a major focus for future work in RRG.
