Classification and Terminology of Dependent Sentences in Croatian Grammar Books

Sa？etak This paper is motivated by the problems, which the authors encountered while defining some linguistic terms within the project Croatian Web Dictionary – Mre？nik as well as by Ivo Pranjkovi？’s paper Vrste zavisnoslo？enih re？enica (The Types of Dependent Clauses) and follows the direction of that paper. The difference is that in addition to giving an overview of different classifications of dependent sentences the focus of this paper is on terminology. The paper analyses these problems: inconsistency in writing of certain terms (as compounds or as two words), the use of terms of Croatian or international origin, terms for sentences in which the dependent clause is embedded into the main clause in the place of an apposition, terms for sentences in which the dependent clause is embedded in the place of an adverbial modifier: prilo？ne/adverbne/adverbijalne re？enice, terms for sentences in which the dependent clause is embedded in the place of an adverbial modifier of manner which expresses comparison: poredbene/usporedne/usporedbene re？enice and their relation to sentences of manner, terms for sentences in which the subordinate clause is embedded in the place of an adverbial modifier of condition in the main clause: pogodbene/uvjetne/kondicionalne re？enice (conditional sentence); terms apozicijska/apozitivna re？enica (appositive sentence), and their relation to the attributive clause. Different definitions of the terms odnosna/relativna re？enica, objasnidbena re？enica, and dopunska re？enica (relative clause, explanatory clause, embedded clause) are analyzed. The aim of this paper is to suggest a classification of dependent sentences within the framework of traditional grammar, primarily for school grammar books and textbooks, to solve some terminological problems and to encourage further discussion on certain problems of classification and terminology of dependent sentences