Restrictive Relative Clauses in Zahrani Spoken Arabic: A Minimalist Approach

This paper offers a thorough description of restrictive relative clauses in Zahrani Spoken Arabic (henceforth ZSA). It also provides a transformational analysis within Minimalist syntax. Restrictive relatives are classified into two types: definite relatives and indefinite relatives. The former type is initiated by the relativizer illi: “that” and modifies a definite antecedent/head noun, and the latter modifies an indefinite antecedent and lacks the relativizer illi: Two relativization strategies are available for ZSA restrictive relative clauses. The first strategy is the employment of resumptive clitics or pronouns, and the second one relates to the utilization of gaps. There is an alternation between the resumptive strategy and the gap strategy in subject and direct object positions. The optional use of gaps in direct object position is only possible when the relativized noun is definite. However, only the resumptive clitic is utilized in other positions (indirect object, prepositional object, and possessor position). In non-island contexts, both relative clauses involving gaps or resumptive clitics are accounted for by an empty operator movement. In island contexts, the null operator movement is not assumed.