GRAMMATICAL RELATIONS AND THE URDU PRONOMINAL CLITICS

Abstract

The study discusses the grammatical relationships established by Urdu pronominal clitics and their role in materializing these relationships. In Urdu, pronouns alone are not always sufficient to fulfill the functions of subjects, objects, and indirect objects. They require assistance from other elements such as inflections, clitics, and postpositions to express the relational aspect of the syntax. In some cases, it is the clitics that differentiate a subject from an object. This means that the presence or absence of certain clitics can determine whether a pronoun functions as a subject or an object in a sentence. Furthermore, clitics are also essential in forming the oblique object if the noun phrase (NP) does not have the necessary inflection. The research emphasizes that Urdu pronominal clitics are crucial for establishing grammatical relationships in sentences. They work alongside pronouns, inflections, and postpositions to express the relational aspect of the syntax. Clitics play a key role in distinguishing subjects from objects and are necessary in forming the oblique object when the NP lacks the appropriate inflection.