Motion Event Constructions in Oromo: Semantic and Morpho-Syntactic Properties

Abstract

Framing of motion events involves realization of the component schema encoded in verb roots or in other elements out of the verb root which identifies a certain language into its category of the motion event pattern. The present paper tries to outline major points about motion event systems in Oromo in terms of semantic and morpho-syntactic characteristics in which some syntactic and pragmatic patterns are also slightly treated. The semantic core schemas are mainly considered, and the component elements of the framing verb —figure, motion, path, ground and co-events (manner and cause) are distinctly addressed as they are realized in Oromo. Three forms of lexicalizing core schemas have been identified as figure conflating, path conflating and co-event conflating types in the language. The ground in motion events is marked by using case patterns, and the verb argument mainly occurs in monovalent structure though few motion verbs seem to be bivalent by assigning accusative case to their direct objects.