Relative Clause in Gawwada

No Thumbnail Available

Date

2010-09

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

Addis Ababa University

Abstract

The thesis deals with relative clause in Gawwada. The study focuses on the description of facts in the formation of the relative clause in the language. Accordingly, the necessary data are collected, and the analysis is carried on the bases of the typological parameters of the relative clauses as (Keenan and Comrie 1977, Keenan 1985, Downing 1978, Payne 1997) states. Gawwada relative clauses are external headed and postnominal type. The relative clause follows either a head nominal or a pronominal particle. Besides, there are two types of relative clauses in Gawwada: restrictive and non restrictive. The difference of the two types of relative clauses is mainly based on their modification relation to the head noun and intonation breaks. The strategy of relativization in various relativized NP positions, i.e., in subjects, objects (direct and indirect), oblique complements and possessor NP positions have also been examined. In relation to this, the accessibility hierarchy of the relative clause formation proposed by Keenan and Comrie (1977) has been justified in Gawwada. The strategy that is employed in the formation of relative clause in Gawwada has to be pro in situ in subject, object (direct and indirect) and oblique complement relativization, as in the case of Oromo (Baye 1987), Gumuz (Assfaw 1983), Chaha ( alemayehu 1990) and Silti ( Rawda 2003) and pronoun retention strategy in relativization of possessor NPs. Moreover, the study examines the property of verbs in Gawwada. Thus, in Gawwada, there are two forms of verbs: the perfective and the imperfective verbs. Both the perfective and the imperfective verbs drop preverbal subject marker in relative clause formation.

Description

Keywords

focuses on the description of, facts in the formation of the relative clause

Citation

Collections