Relativization in English and Embosi

Abstract

The goal of this paper is to contrast the syntactic mechanisms that English and EmbQsí resort to derive relativization. It appears that relative pronouns are lexical property based in English whereas they are noun class prefix dependent in EmbQsí. In addition, they are postnominal in the two languages under discussion. Furthermore, relative pronouns are phonologically and morphologically free in English whilst they are bound morphemes and affixed to the verb in EmbQsí. In addition to subjacency conditions, locality principle, relativization resorts to copy theory to meet grammaticality requirements. What distinguishes the two languages is the lexical item that is copied. In this respect, when English makes use of preposition copying as a repair strategy to avoid ungrammaticality, EmbQsí, on the contrary, allows the copy of a pronoun that refers back to the noun that has been raised. Finally, this work confirms Accessibility Hierarchy Hypothesis as  it illustrates subject, direct object, indirect object, oblique object and genitive relativization.