Complement pseudo-coordination in old Serbian

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to examine the phenomenon of complement pseudocoordination in the Old Serbian language, i.e. the paratactic connection between a complement-taking verb and its finite complement, with a special focus on the shift from paratactic clause-chaining to hypotactic embedding. Despite the attention devoted to one complex sentence type, the research aims to sketch a typological context of decreasing complement pseudo-coordination and increasing complement subordination. The use of coordinating conjunction for expressing conceptual subordination relation between higher-ranking (complement-taking) unit and its lower-ranking complement suggests that the complement pseudo-coordination could be one of the properties of non-configurational syntax, i.e. syntax without an integrated sentence hierarchy.