Issues in Zimbabwean Ndebele relatives and relativisation.
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Date
2021
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Abstract
This study discusses issues in relatives and relativisation in Ndebele, a Nguni language that is mainly
spoken in western parts of Zimbabwe. The study focuses on four major issues: (1) the status and the
position of the prefix a- that occurs in Ndebele relative clauses, (2) the relation between the relative
operator/head noun and the resumptive pronoun inside the relative clause, (3) the morphosyntax of
predicative adjectives, and (4) the derivation of attributive adjectives in Ndebele. These issues are
examined within the parameters of the Distributed Morphology framework (Halle, 1990; Halle & Marantz,
1993; Marantz, 1995; Embick & Noyer, 2007; Embick, 2010; 2012 and others). My main submissions in
this thesis are the following: (1) the a- prefix that occurs in Ndebele relative clauses is a complementiser
marker. I argue that there is Complementiser-to-Tense head movement that lowers the complementiser
head after syntax in the formation of strategy 1 relatives. The lowering of the complementiser head to the
Tense head results in the complementiser appearing in an unexpected position in strategy 1 relatives.
(2) The relative operator merges as a complement of a resumptive pronoun in an n*P. The relative
operator is then extracted and copied to spec C leaving the resumptive pronoun stranded in the
relativisation site. I maintain that resumptive pronouns are realisations of the n* layer that selects DPs
and that the n* head can be realised as pro, as a resumptive clitic or as a full resumptive pronoun. (3)
The subject of the adjective is merged as the argument of the root, and then moves to its surface position.
(4) There are three types of adjectives, and all the three types of adjectives are complements of copular
verbs. I maintain that the attributive function of adjectives is fulfilled by a relative clause construction
rather than by an attributive word mainly because Ndebele does not have an attributive adjective word
group.
Description
Doctoral Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.