CONCLUSIONES Y RECOMENDACIONES

Kemmer (1993: 144) characterizes spontaneous events as, “A common use of M[iddle] M[arking] S[ystem] across languages is in situations which designate changes of state of an entity, but in which no Agent entity receives coding.” In spon- taneous middles the subject participant undergoes change. Yet, the initiator and the endpoint of the middle event are not clearly identified. In Oromo, middle markings of spontaneous middles are verbalizers of adjectivals and nominal bases. I consider such verbalizers as middle verbs simply because they show change of state of an entity. On the basis of the conscious or subconscious self involvement in the middle event, spontaneous middles could be grouped into two main types: those middles in which the conscious self controls the material bodies of objects and those events where the subconscious self takes control over the material bodies of objects. Spon- taneous middles where the conscious self controls the material body of a participant

include middles which show behavioural and status change; whereas middles which show physical, physiochemical and time change of a participant are controlled by the subconscious self of a participant. Both types are discussed in the following pa- ragraphs.

As long as they show change of state of a participant, verbs which show behavioural change could be typed as a spontaneous middle. Verbs which show change of be- haviour of the corresponding participants are marked for the middle by the mor- pheme –oom. For instance, the verb nam-oom- ‘to have become intelligent’ shows an achievement that requires hard work and discipline to show that the conscious self of a participant is in control of such activity. The verb ogoom- ‘to be skilled’ also shows that a participant became a skilled person in some kind of professional activity. The training for such skill could be accessed through formal or non formal education. Similarly verbs such as gamn-oom- ‘to be wise’, arj-oom- ‘to be gen- erous’, dok’n-oom- ‘to be tight-fisted’, etc., show behavioural changes that a par- ticipant learns from experience. In all these behavioural changes the conscious self of a participant plays a leading role.

Verbs which show status change of a participant are also marked by the mor- pheme -oom-. Semantically, such middles indicate that the conscious self of a par- ticipant is in control of such middle events. For instance, the verb fir-oom- ‘to be considered as family’ shows that to become a relative to a group of people is consid- ered to be high in social class as compared to the verb alag-oom- ‘to be foreigner’ where one shuns away from a group of people. To become a relative is honourable and to become a foreigner is not, in social status. These behaviours are controlled by the conscious self of a participant. The verb garb-oom- ‘to be slave’ shows an op- posite instance where one looks down upon a group of people. The verb soor-om- ‘to become rich’ shows becoming high from low social class. Social status is some- thing that a participant consciously accepts according to the culture of a given soci- ety.

Many spontaneous middles which show physiological changes that are considered to be controlled by the subconscious self. These are of many types; they show general physical property of a participant or specific physical property of a participant such as height, width, volume, colour, etc. Middle events such as gudd-at- ‘to grow’, dull-oom- ‘to become old’, dargagg-oom- ‘to become youngster’, etc., are in con- trol by the subconscious self, not the conscious self. The verb gudd-at- ‘to grow’ shows general growth of a boy; it could be height or breadth. Similarly, dull-oom- ‘to become old’, dargagg-oom- ‘to become youngster’ show general condition of physical body of the corresponding participants. Both verbs show physical body of participants in time. Similarly middle verbs such as ɗeer-at- ‘to be tall’, gabaabb- at- ‘to be short’, balʔ-at- ‘to be broad’, ɗip’-at- ‘to be narrow’, k’alʔ-at- ‘to be thin’, hirʔ-at- ‘to decrease’, t’inn-aat- ‘to be small’, etc., show physiological changes.

Spontaneous middle verbs also show change in shape as shown below: 37. marg-i geeng-at-e grass-NOM coil-MID-3M:PF ‘Grass is rounded.’ 38. muk-ni jall-at-e tree-NOM bend-MID-3M:PF ‘Tree is bent.’ 39. baall-i kottonfat-e leaf-NOM shrink:MID-3M:PF ‘Leaf is shrunk.’

In (37-39) the participants are inanimate beings; yet they assume a subconscious self that controls the corresponding middle events. There are also colour middles which assume a subconscious self as shown below:

40. full-i-koo gurraač-ah-e face-NOM-my black-MID-3M:PF

‘My face became black.’ 41. bun-ni diim-at-e coffee-NOM red-MID-3M:PF

‘Coffee became red/ is red.’ 42. samii-n add-aat-e

sky-NOM white-MID-3M:PF ‘A sky became white.’

In (40) we observe a middle event where a participant is a body part which became black. Such change of state of a body part is not controlled by the conscious self, but by the subconscious self. In (41) and (42) the participants are inanimate beings. Yet, they assume a subconscious self that controls the corresponding middle events. Similarly, there are some spontaneous middles which show physiochemical changes as shown below:

43. hank’aak’uu-n aj-aah-e

egg-NOM rot-MID-3M:PF

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44. bišaa-n ha-aah-e

water-NOM sour-MID-3M:PF

‘Water became sour.’

45. haaduu-n dammeessah-e

knife-NOM rust:MID-3M:PF

‘A knife rusted.’

The participants of middle events shown in (43-45) are inanimate beings. These in- animate beings assume a subconscious self that controls the corresponding physio- chemical changes.

In this language time also assumes a subconscious self that controls motion as shown below:

46. yeroo-n barfat-e

time-NOM late in the morning-3M:PF

‘It is late (in the morning).’/ lit., ‘Time became late in the morning.’

47. yeroo-n guyy-aat-e

time-NOM before noon-MID-3M:PF

‘It is late (before noon).’/ lit., ‘Time is late in before noon.’

In (46-47) time is the initiator and endpoint of the corresponding actions. But the part of the time that functions as an initiator is beyond understanding, it is the sub- conscious self of time. But the end part is the one we use to measure or feel. It is also the case that a human subject could occupy the subject positions of (46-47) as in (48-49):

48. barataa-n barfat-e

student-NOM late in the morning:MID-3M:PF

‘A student is late (in the morning).’

49. barataa-n guyy-eess-at-e

student-NOM beforenoon-CAUS3-MID-3M:PF

‘A student is late (in the before noon).’

As compared to (46-47), in (48-49) middle events are controlled by the conscious self of the participant. This means that the participant could possibly be well pro- grammed not to be late.

50. bineens-i nu-irra-a fag-aat-e

animal-NOM we-LOC-LOC be far-MID-3M:PF ‘A beast moved away from us.’

51. bineens-i nu-tti ɗiy-aat-e

beast-NOM us-LOC be near-MID-3M:PF ‘A beast approached us.’

In (50) and (51), the participant is animate being. In (50) a beast is threatened by the presence of human being; thus it moved away from the threat. Such motion of a beast is controlled by its conscious self. In (51) the beast threaten the existence of human being in which case a beast moved towards human being. Such motion of a beast is also controlled by its conscious self. It is also the case that inanimate beings could occupy subject positions of (50) and (51) in which the subconscious self con- trols the corresponding middle events.

In summary, spontaneous middles which show change of behaviour of a human be- ing are marked by the morpheme –(o)om-; and these middle events are controlled by the conscious self. Many spontaneous middles which are marked by the mor- pheme -(a)at- show change of physical properties such as height, width, volume, colour, etc. Most of these middles are controlled by the subconscious self of the cor- responding participants. There are also some middle events which show spontaneous change of time and space. These types of middles have two characteristics: if ani- mate being becomes the subject participant, then the middle event is controlled by the conscious self; but, if inanimate becomes the subject, then, the middle event is controlled by the subconscious self.