Reexamining Relativization Strategies in Afaan Oromoo: Western Dialect in Focus

Abstract

This study investigates the relativization strategies employed in Afaan Oromoo, with a particular focus on the Western dialect. The research is conducted within a typological framework, aiming to identify how the language encodes the syntactic role of the head noun within relative clauses. Data for the study were gathered through a combination of elicitation from native speakers and introspection by the researcher, who is a native speaker of the dialect. The findings reveal that Afaan Oromoo employs a range of relativization strategies depending on the grammatical function of the relativized noun phrase. These include the pro in-situ strategy, where agreement markers on the verb refer back to a null pronominal subject or object; the gapping strategy, in which the relativized element is omitted altogether; the use of resumptive pronouns, in which a
pronoun-like element remains in the original position of the relativized noun phrase, carrying the appropriate case marking to indicate its grammatical role; and the stranded postposition strategy, in which locative postpositions are left behind in the syntactic position of the relativized noun phrase. Except for the gapping strategy, these relativization mechanisms have not been identified or described in previous studies. 
Moreover, contrary to claims made in earlier works, such as Abdo (2011), the findings demonstrate that Afaan Oromoo does not utilize a relative pronoun strategy. Overall, the study contributes new insights into the typology of relative clause formation in Afaan Oromoo and enriches the broader understanding of relativization strategies in Cushitic languages.