Yusuf Opeyemi FADAIRO

LONG-DISTANCE DEPENDENCY PARSING: EXPLORING RESUMPTIVE PRONOUNS IN CHINESE AND YORUBA

Abstract

Long-distance dependencies in linguistics often pose challenges to sentence structure and comprehension. One strategy languages employ to address these challenges is the use of resumptive pronouns (RPs) (following Duan Zhangtao 2021, Ma Zhigang 2019, Xiong Zhongru 2017, among others). This study investigates RPs in two typologically distinct languages—Chinese and Yoruba—to uncover their mechanisms for resolving long-distance dependency issues. We examine the syntactic, semantic, and functional roles of RPs in these languages, with a focus on their presence in relative clauses (RCs), left-dislocation (LD) structures, and other complex sentence constructions. Our analysis highlights how RPs "repair" illicit long-distance dependencies. Through a comparative approach, we identify both shared patterns and language-specific variations in RP usage, illustrating how these languages navigate complexities like cross-referencing and co-reference. The study contributes to a broader understanding of linguistic strategies for handling syntactic challenges and offers a cross-linguistic perspective on the multifunctional role of RPs in facilitating effective communication.