The Triangular Clause Relationship in Aelfric’s Lives of Saints and in Other Works

The triangular clause relationship not previously studied in detail comprises two subordinate clauses relating back to one head clause. Because of the comparative tightness of such a relationship, preferred patterns and possible influencing factors of the clause order can be discerned in AElfric’s Lives of Saints, which then provides a basis for comparative studies of other works using the same or a similar source, showing that the use of the triangu- lar clause relationship is a stylistic marker of some considerable interest.