The Structure and Typology of Yemsa Relative Clauses: An Empirical Study

Abstract

This study explores the internal structure of relative clauses in Yemsa, an area yet to be examined in existing literature. The research aims to address this gap by answering the following questions: What is the internal structure of the Yemsa relative clause? What kind of relative clause types occur in Yemsa, and what morphological markers are involved in the relativization process? What are the strategies in relative clause formation? What are the relativized noun phrase (NP) positions in Yemsa? Empirical data were collected through the elicitation technique through informant interviews about the structure of relative clauses in Yemsa. A descriptive approach was employed for analysis, independent of any theoretical framework. The findings reveal that headed relative clauses in Yemsa are prenominal, allowing for the relativization of subject, direct object, indirect object, oblique, and possessor NPs. The relativization strategy for the subject, direct or indirect object, is pro in situ. The oblique NP position employs a gap strategy. The relativization of possessor NP has a possessive person suffix in the possessed noun. The indicative verb is relativized in its perfective and imperfective forms. The relative verbs do not have a relativizer. The headless relative clause appears without an overt nominal head. The relativized noun phrase can be a subject, an object, or an oblique noun phrase in the headless relative clause. The role of the noun phrase within the relative clause is recoverable from the agreement suffixes attached to the relative verb. The negative relative clause is formed through the suffixation of a negative morpheme. The negative morpheme neutralizes aspects and person markers. This study contributes syntactic data to the comparative syntactic analysis of Omotic languages, enhancing our understanding of this linguistic group.