Nominalization in Pulaar

Abstract

There are a few strategies to construct nominal structures and phrases. The Pulaar infinitive, for instance is used genitive nominalization and other non-finite clauses with nominal properties. Relative clause (RC) nominalization (headed relative clause and factive clauses) is also another nominalization process in the language. This dissertation lays out a description of these nominalization processes with a main focus on constructions involving the infinitive and relative clause nominalizations. The infinitive in Pulaar can have both nominal and verbal properties and this is usually indicated by an agreeing determiner but also through adjectival or adverbial modification. RC nominalization is a very prominent and productive in the language. The verb within the relative clause can occur with functional morphemes such as tense, aspect and negation. In addition, a relativized verb can have derivational morphemes like valency-changing affixes attached to it. The factive RC nominals can have an event, factive and manner interpretation whereas the GN nominal can have a generic, event and factive interpretation. This dissertation also places Pulaar within the typology with respect to this type of nominalization with similar nominalization types found in related African languages like Wolof, Ewe, Gungbe, Yoruba and other related languages, thus showing that Pulaar nominalization types fits within the typology of nominalization. Also, a brief parallel is drawn with English nominal constructions built on the gerund