clausehood

Clausehood is a linguistic concept denoting whether a string of words functions as a clause rather than a smaller phrase. In many theories, a clause is a syntactic unit that centers on a verbal predicate and typically includes a subject or a subject trace, and it bears finite morphology such as tense, aspect, mood, person, and number. Clausehood serves to distinguish clauses from non-clausal phrases like noun phrases, prepositional phrases, or certain nonfinite constructions.

In practice, researchers assess clausehood using multiple criteria. Finite morphosyntax is a common indicator: the presence of a finite verb form and related agreement or tense marking. The ability to bear clause-level features such as subject-verb disagreement, mood, or tense, and to participate in clause-level operations (such as movement to specifier positions or embedding under complementizers) also signals clausehood. Nonfinite clauses (infinitives, participles) or bare phrases typically lack these properties and are considered non-clausal. Some languages admit bare or nonfinite elements that nevertheless display certain clause-like behaviors, making clausehood a gradient or theory-dependent notion rather than a strictly binary one.

Crosslinguistically, the exact realization of clausehood varies with syntax and morphology. In languages with rich verbal inflection, finite clauses are overtly marked for tense and agreement and can function as independent clauses or embedded clauses with complementizers. The concept intersects with discussions of CP/TP structure, extraction, and subordination, and it remains central to analyses of clause boundaries, embedded clauses, and the syntax–prosody interface.