Types of Relations in Asyndetic Sentences in German
https://doi.org/10.24224/2227-1295-2026-15-4-9-36
Abstract
The present study aims to establish criteria for identifying the type of relation characteristic of certain asyndetic complex sentences in German. The research is based on examples extracted from the DWDS corpus and German literary texts. A definition of the term “asyndetic sentences” is proposed. By employing transformational analysis, descriptive methods, and componential analysis, the paper demonstrates that subordinate clauses introduced by conjunctions exhibit varying degrees of integration within the sentence structure, which, in turn, accounts for the difficulties in determining the type of relation in asyndetic constructions. A set of criteria is developed to identify the nature of the connection in asyndetic sentences, including: the degree of semantic cohesion between the parts; the presence of one or multiple focal exponents; the ability to fall within the scope of negation in the main clause; and the capacity to function as a constituent of the main clause. Based on these criteria, a differentiation of asyndetic sentences is proposed: (1) asyndetic sentences with subordination; (2) asyndetic sentences with coordination. Asyndetic sentences of the first type display varying degrees of integration into the overall utterance. It is shown that the interpretation of semantic relations between the parts of an asyndetic compound sentence is largely determined by the text type
About the Author
A. V. Averina
Moscow State Linguistic University
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Anna V. Averina – Doctor of Philology, Professor, Department of German Grammar and History
Moscow
References
1. Abraham, W. (2013). Deutsche Syntax im Sprachenvergleich. Grundlegung einer typologischen Syntax im Deutschen. Tübingen: Stauffenburg Verlag. 707 S. ISBN 9783823347422. (In Germ.).
2. Admoni, W. (1986). Der deutsche Sprachbau. Moscow: Prosveshchenie Publ. 336 p. (In Germ.).
3. Averina, A. (2020). Nebensätze aus der Sicht ihrer Modalisierung: Tiefenstruktur und Semantik. Sprachwissenschaft, 45 (4): 425—471. (In Germ.).
4. Averina, A. V. (2021). Modal particles in the German language. Moscow: Moscow State University. 142 p. (In Russ.).
5. Averina, A. V. (2025). The illocutionary force of circumstantial subordinate clauses (based on the material of the German language). Nauchnyj dialog, 8: 9—39. DOI: https://doi.org/10.24224/2227-1295-2025-14-8-9-39. (In Russ.).
6. Beloshapkova, V. A. (1967). Complex sentence in modern Russian. Moscow: Prosveshchenie Publ. 130 p. (In Russ.).
7. Belunova, N. I., Chernyaeva, A. B. (2016). On the issue of a non-union complex sentence in modern Russian. International scientific journal “Innovative Science”, 6: 105—109. (In Russ.).
8. Cheremisina, M. I., Kolosova, T. A. (2010). Essays on the theory of complex sentences. Moscow: URSS. 226 p. ISBN 978-5-397-00982-9. (In Russ.).
9. Christofaro, S. (2003). Subordination. Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press. 372 S. ISBN 9780199252794. (In Germ.).
10. Coniglio, M. (2011). Die Syntax der deutschen Modalpartikeln. Ihre Distribution und Lizenzierung in Haupt- und Nebensätzen. Berlin: De Gruyter. 230 S. ISBN 9783050051697. (In Germ.).
11. Frey, W. (2012). On the types of adverbial clauses allowing root phenomena. In: Main Clause Phenomena. New Horizons: John Benjamins Publishing Company. 405—428. (In Germ.).
12. Goncharova, E. A., Shishkina, I. P. (2005). Interpretation of the text. German language: studies. Manual. Moscow: Higher School. 368 p. ISBN 5-06-005421-7. (In Russ.).
13. Gulyga, E. V. (1971). Theory of compound sentences in modern German. Moscow: Vysshaya Shkola Publ. 206 p. (In Russ.).
14. Helbig, G., Buscha, J. (1996). Deutsche Grammatik. Ein Handbuch für den Ausländerunterricht. Leipzig: Langenscheidt. 735 S. (In Germ.).
15. Hentschel, E., Weydt, H. (2013). Handbuch der deutschen Grammatik. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter. 484 S. ISBN 9783110629651. (In Germ.).
16. Kolosova, T. A., Cheremisina, M. I. (1984). On the principles of classification of complex sentences. Questions of linguistics, 6: 69—80. (In Russ.).
17. Kotin, M. L. (2011). Konnektoren als prototypische Tempusmarker. In: Konnektoren im Deutschen und im Sprachenvergleich. Beschreibung und grammatische Analyse. Tübingen: Narr. 311—323. ISBN 978-3-8233-6558-7. (In Germ.).
18. Kuraleva, T. V., Vakhrameeva, A. S. (2016). Compositional and subordinate connection in English: points of intersection. Nauchnyj dialog, 1: 32—42. (In Russ.).
19. Lang, E. (1977). Semantik der koordinativen Verknüpfung. Berlin: Akademie-Verlag. 320 S. (In Germ.).
20. Marillier, J.-F. (2000). Syntaktische vs. semantische Subordination. In: Subordination in Syntax, Semantik und Textlinguistik. Tübingen: Stauffenburg Verlag. 69—83. (In Germ.).
21. Moskalskaja, O. I. (2004). Grammatik der deutschen Gegenwartssprache. Moscow: Akademiya Publ. 352 p. ISBN 5-7695-1400-0. (In Germ.).
22. Peshkovsky, A. M. (2001). Russian syntax in scientific coverage. Moscow: Languages of Slavic Culture. 545 p. ISBN 5-94457-019-9. (In Russ.).
23. Pirogov, N. A., Zenchenko, M. A. (2006). Non-union complex sentences of the Russian and German languages in comparative terms (based on the material of fiction). Bulletin of the South Ural State University. Series: Linguistics, 6 (61): 19—23. (In Russ.).
24. Reis, M., Wöllstein, A. (2010). Zur Grammatik (vor allem) konditionaler V1-Gefüge im Deutschen. Zeitschrift für Sprachwissenschaft, 29 (1): 111—179. (In Germ.).
25. Rusetskaya, O. N., Lazareva, V. A. (2009). Compositional speech forms and structural organization of the text. Bulletin of the AmSU, 44: 116—118. (In Russ.).
26. Schendels, E. I. (1982). Deutsche Grammatik. Morphologie, Syntax, Text. Moscow: Vysshaya Shkola Publ. 401 S. (In Germ.).
27. Semenyuk, N. N. (2010). The development of complex sentences in the German language of the XII—XVIII centuries. Moscow, Kaluga: Eidos. 170 p. ISBN 978-5-902948-81—X. (In Russ.).
28. Shiryaev, E. N. (1986). An unconnected complex sentence in modern Russian. Moscow: Nauka Publ. 227 p. (In Russ.).
29. Testelets, Ya. G. (2001). Introduction to general syntax. Moscow: RGGU. 805 p. ISBN 5-7281-0343—X. (In Russ.).
30. Valentin, P. (2000). Was ist Subordination? In: Subordination in Syntax, Semantik und Textlinguistik. Tübingen: Stauffenburg Verlag. 13—22. (In Germ.).
31. Valgina, N. S. (1973). Syntax of the modern Russian language. Moscow: Vysshaya Shkola Publ. 422 p. (In Russ.).
32. Wegener, H. (2000). Koordination und Subordination — semantische und pragmatische Unterschiede. In: Subordination in Syntax, Semantik und Textlinguistik. Tübingen: Stauffenburg Verlag. 33—44. (In Germ.).
Review
For citations:
Averina A.V. Types of Relations in Asyndetic Sentences in German. Nauchnyi dialog. 2026;15(4):9-36. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.24224/2227-1295-2026-15-4-9-36
Views:
211
JATS XML
Email this article 