Valency-Adjusting Constructions in Rayya Oromo: Causative and Middle

Abstract

Rayya Afan Oromo is a scarcely studied variety of Oromo spoken in Northern Ethiopia. The objective of this study is describing valency-adjusting constructions that refer to either valency increasing or valency decreasing construction in the variety. To achieve this objective, causative construction and middle construction were selected purposively by convenient sampling technique. The study employed a descriptive qualitative research approach. Data for the study were obtained through field linguistics method which covered recording of communicative events and direct elicitation. The work discovered that morphologically derived causative verbs could come from a verb or a (verbalized-) noun and/or an adjective stem. Markers, -s- and -s(i) is- are used in interansitive verb roots/stems, whereas -s (i) is- is used in transitive verb roots/stems. In case of nouns and adjectives roots/stems, -s- is used. Additionaly, verbalized-noun roots/stems can be causativized by -siis-, whereas adjective roots/stems can be causativized by -e(e)ʃʃ-. Thus, the causativization results in increasing arguments by one or two to the basic structure and transform the arguments. In this case, the basic subject moves to the object position and the applied argument, that is, the causer argument becomes the subject of the derived causal structure. Concerning middle markers of the variety, -(a)at- is marking the middle in verb, noun and adjective roots/stems. However, -(a)aw- is also marking the middle in adjective roots/stems. And middle construction reduces the valency in the variety. In general, the Rayya Afan Oromo variety has markers of causative and middle constructions respectively for increase and decrease valencies in a nutshell.    

Keywords: causative, middle, inchoative, auto benefactive and valency