Head-internal relative clauses


I am trying to figure out head-internal relative clauses. A paper I looked at
presented two versions of the same sentence, one with the head word (りんご)
outside the relative clause:

> [皿の上にあった] **りんご** をくすねた。

And one version where it is inside the relative clause:

> [ **りんご** が皿の上にあった]のをくすねた。

Do these two sentences mean exactly the same thing, or are there differences
in nuance? When are head-internal relative clauses usually used in Japanese?




They are slightly different, if not much. The former sounds saying a fact
relatively objectively.

On the other hand, the latter rather means "although an apple was on the
plate, s/he stole it" and it sounds somehow accusive in the sense that it
should have been there. In grammar for old Japanese, a similar form is
considered a conjunction.

> When are head-internal relative clauses usually used in Japanese?

I forgot to answer to this part. Speaking of this usage of を, not specifically
to "head-internal relative clause", I personally use it like a weaker version
of のに in the point of paradoxical sense, mostly in the form of "…、それをさぁ～、…。".
So, I think I've been using it to some degree. I personally am used to the
form of HIRC with を too. But I'm not sure other native speakers share that
sense.

