Thesis (MA)--University of Stellenbosch, 2001. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The purpose of this study is to identify the basic emotion verbs in Sesotho. Five basic emotions verb are identified: anger, anxiety, disgust, sadness, and fear. The verbs, expressions, as well as idiophones that express these emotions, are identified. Furthermore, the emotion words are semantically and syntactically analyzed. The outlay of the nine chapters is as follows: Chapter One is an Introduction in which reference is made to the aim of this study, methods used in compiling the data, and the analysis of the data. Chapter Two offers an overview of the basic emotions. A psychological overview of the work of the following scholars is undertaken: Le Doux (1998), Johnson-Laird and Oatley (1992), Tomkins (1962), Plutchik (1980), and Izard (1971); as well as a linguistic overview of the work of the following scholars: Kovecses (1989), Wierzbicka (1989), Frijda (1986), and Goddard (1998). Chapter Three deals with the lexical semantics which will be used in analyzing the different emotion words. Chapter Four deals with anger words. It starts with an overview of anger as treated by the following scholars: Taylor and Mbense (1998), Kovecses (1989), and Lakoff and Kovecses (1987). The treatment of the data (the expression of anger in Sesotho) starts with the definition of anger, followed by expressions of anger and the verbs of anger which are analyzed semantically and syntactically. Another form of the expression of anger, namely the threat, is also analyzed semantically and syntactically. Chapter Five deals with anxiety, Chapter Six with disgust, Chapter Seven with sadness and Chapter Eight with fear. In all these instances, the definition of the emotion word is followed by relevant expressions and verbs which are semantically and syntactically analyzed. The last chapter, Chapter Nine, offers conclusions regarding the five different types of emotion words in Se otho. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die doel van hierdie stu die is om die basiese emosie-werkwoorde in Sesotho te behandel. Vyf basiese emosies word geidentiflseer, naamlik toorn/woede, angstigheid, walging, droefheid en vrees. Die werkwoorde en uitdrukkinge, sowel as idiofone wat hierdie emosies uidruk, word geidentifiseer. Voorts word die emosie-woorde semanties en sintakties geanaliseer. Die uitleg van die nege hoofstukke is soos volg: Hoofstuk Een is die Inleiding, met besonderhede betreffende die doel van die stud ie, metodes gebruik in die inwin en opstel van die data, sowel as die analise van die data. Hoofstuk Twee behandel die basiese emosies oorsigtelik. 'n Psigologiese oorsig so os verwant in die werk van die volgende deskundiges word onderneem: Le Doux (1998), Johnson-Laird en Oatley (1992), Tomkins (1962), Plutchik (1980) en Izard (1971); daar is ook 'n linguistieke oorsig van die werk van Kovekses (1989), Wierzbicka (1989), Frijda (1986) en Goddard (1998). Hoofstuk Drie behandel die leksikale semantiek wat in die analise van die verskillende emosie-woorde gebruik sal word. Hoofstuk Vier behandel die woede-woorde. Dit begin met 'n oorsig van woede soos behandel in die werk van Taylor en Mbense (1998), Kovecses (1989) en Lakoff en Kovecses (1987). Die behandeling van die data begin met 'n definisie van woede, en word gevolg deur 'n semantiese en sintaktiese analise van uitdrukkinge en werkwoorde wat woede uitdruk. 'n Ander vorm van woedeuitdrukking, naamlik die dreigement, word ook semanties en sintakties geanaliseer. Hoofstuk Vyf behandel angstigheid, Hoofstuk Ses walging, Hoofstuk Sewe droefheid, en Hoofstuk Agt vrees. In elke hoofstuk word 'n definisie van die emosie-woord gevolg deur 'n behandeling van relevante werkwoorde en uitdrukkinge wat semanties en sintakties geanaliseer word. Die laaste hoofstuk, Hoofstuk Nege, bring sekere gevolgtrekkinge betreffende die vyf ver killende tipes van emo ie-woorde in Sesotho.

D.Litt. et Phil. (African Languages) / The verb categories of Northern Sotho pose a problem which is still vague and controversial, despite the fact that it has often been addressed in the literature. This divergence of opinion concerning verb categories can be attributed to many factors of which the approach towards the description of the verb categories surely is one of the most important. Two main approaches to the problem can be distinguished, namely the universalistic and descriptive approaches. In both approaches the perception of universals plays an important role which proves that it is essential to examine universals beforehand. Firstly, universals are viewed in historical context. The methods to determine universals are examined, clearly distinguishing indu ction and deduction. It was found-however that the rigid application of these two methods, as suggested by Bloomfield and Hjelmslev respectively, amongst others, has proved to be unsatisfactory. The methods followed by Chomsky and Reichling, as inductive as those of Bloomfield, supply a solution as both are concerned with the nature of language. Van Wyk, supporting the views of these two linguists, distinguishes between quantitative and qualitative induction. He also stresses the need for interaction between induction and deduction as well as between the two methods of induction. The following types of universals are distinguished, namely general features, essential features, hypothetical universals, universal principles and categories, absolute and available universals, universal tendencies and simple and complex universals. The essence of these types lies in the distinction between essential and general features. Universals also play a role in the description of verb categories. Thus it is essential to determine to which type of universals the verb categories belong and whether the appearance is similar in all languages. The notions tense, aspect and mood as they appear in the literature, are examined. These notions are not as simple as is generally accepted. The 'present tense', for example, doesn't necessarily refer to action taking place NOW. It can also refer to general and habitual actions. The 'future tense' is more an issue of modality than of tense, because modal auxiliary verbs are used to indicate the so-called future tense. The notion of aspect frequently appears in the Slavic languages. It is a morphological category used to indicate the perfection or imperfection of an action. Mood is a morphological category of the verb being used to express the speaker's attitude towards his utterance. A distinction is made between tense and time, aspect and actionsart and mood and modality. For the purpose of this study, only the first of each group, namely the morphological forin, is of importance. Therefore the universality of each should be determined. It was found that the notions of tense, aspect and mood are not universal, but only available categories which a language may use. When existing views concerning the named categories in the African languages are compared, different viewpoints and a fair amount of confusion arise. Some categories, for example, are classified by certain writers as tenses, while others classify them as moods. The notion of aspect, found in the African languages, has not yet fully been explored. Definitions, concerning the verb categories, lack sufficiency and description. Confusion concerning the verb categories in the African languages can be attributed to the perception and treatment of universals, as well as the methods used to describe verb categories. The universalistic and descriptive approaches towards language description are compared. The conclusion is drawn that the descriptive method is the most appropriate for language description as it is not based on preconceived ideas about language. The verb categories of Northern Sotho are identified, classified and defined according to the descriptive approach. The system of the verb categories of Northern Sotho is as follows: two main categories are distinguished, namely primary categories (consisting of single verbs) and secondary categories (consisting of construction with deficient verb stems). The primary categories are divided into aspects (imperfectum and perfectum) and contingent categories (indicative, situative and relative), clausal categories (subjunctive, consecutive and habitual), and non-predicative categories (infinitive and imperative). The secondary verb categories are the futuritive, potential, progressive and casual categories.

Thesis (MA)--University of Stellenbosch, 2001. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The break and bend verbs in Sesotho are investigated with a view to account for the unique properties of these verbs. The study gives a full account of the predicate argument structure of break and bend verbs. In Sesotho we have three types of predicates, namely, one-place, two-place and three-place predicates. The study also focuses on the number of arguments these verbs may assign. Some of these verbs are intransitive and therefore they assign one argument, which is an external argument. Other verbs are transitive and as such they assign more than one argument (i.e. external and internal arguments). These verbs are investigated as to whether they would select certain arguments to appear with them and it was found that when they do, they also select semantic features which these arguments must have in order to appear with such verbs. These verbs are also examined with the view to account for their difference. It was found that certain bend verbs show the same syntactic properties as the break verbs, except those bend verbs name reverse actions. Another observation was that not all break and bend verbs have zero-related nominaIs. When they do, the nominals describe the result of the action named by the verb. The study investigate these verbs as to whether they would allow cognate objects, verbal alternations and derived verbs (in the case of bend verbs), and it was found that some of them would allow such lexical items. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die breek en buig werkwoorde in Sesotho is ondersoek met die doel om die unieke kenmerke van hierdie werkwoorde te bepaal. Die studie verskaf 'n beskrywing van die predikaat argumentstruktuur van breek en buig werkwoorde in Sesotho. Ons het drie tipes predikate, te wete eenplek, tweeplek en drieplek predikate. Die studie fokus ook op die aantal argumente wat hierdie werkwoorde kan toeken. Sommige van hierdie werkwoorde is onoorganklik, derhalwe ken hulle een argument toe wat ekstern is. Ander werkwoorde is oorganklik, sodat meer as een argument, te wete ekstern en intern, toegeken word. Daar is ook ondersoek of hierdie werkwoorde argumente kan selekteer om met hulle te verskyn, en dit is bevind dat as hulle dit doen, hulle ook die semantiese kenmerk selekteer wat hierdie argumente moet he as hulle saam met daardie werkwoorde verskyn. Hierdie werkwoorde is ondersoek met die doel om hul verskil te bepaal. Daar is bevind dat sommige buig werkwoorde dieselfde sintaktiese eienskappe het as die breek werkwoorde, behalwe dat buig werkwoorde ook reversiet is. 'n Verdere kenmerk is dat nie alle breek en buig werkwoorde voorkom met nul-verwante nominaIe. As hulle dit doen, beskryf die nominale die uitslag van die handeling in die werkwoord. Daar is ondersoek of kognitiewe voorwerpe, werkwoord alternasies en afgeleide werkwoorde toegelaat kan word, en daar is bevind dat sommiges dit toelaat.

Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2003. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The subject of this study is the polysemy of the motion verbs in Sesotho. Motion verbs can be classified as verbs of process or transition. This study examines the semantic and the syntactic properties of motion verbs in Sesotho. These motion verbs include verbs denoting process e.g. -ya, -tla, -tsamaya, -baleha, -nyoloha and -theoha as shown in the sentences below: a. Monna 0 ya toropong. 'The man goes to town' b. Bashanyana ba tsamaya thoteng. 'The boys walk in the veld' c. Bana ba tla hae. 'The children come home' d. Bashemane ba balehile mophatong. 'The initiates run away from the initiation school' e. Tshwene e theoha sefateng. 'The baboon descends from the tree' f. Banna ba nyoloha thaba. 'Men ascend the mountain' The study demonstrates that motion verbs in Sesotho are semantically divided into verbs denoting 'to go' e.g. -ya, verbs denoting 'to walk', e.g. -tsamaya, verbs denoting 'to run away', e.g. -baleha, verbs denoting to ascend, e.g. -nyoloha, verbs denoting to descend, e.g. -theoha. The study further demonstrates that these verbs are canonically intransitive. The study provides evidence that motion verbs are characterized by specific selection restrictions and event structures. The study further demonstrates that motion verbs are used with different subjects denoting (groups of) people, animals, abstract nouns, mass nouns, nouns denoting food, intoxicating and nonintoxicating liquids, natural phenomena, artifacts, natural object, possession/property, humans and animals. Lastly the lexical conceptual paradigm, providing the different word senses of each verb, is examined. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die onderwerp van hierdie studie is die polisemie van bewegingswerkwoorde m Sesotho. Bewegingswerkwoorde kan gekarakteriseer word as werkwoorde van proses (aktiwiteit) of transisie. Hierdie studie ondersoek die semantiese en sintaktiese eienskappe van bewegingswerkwoorde in Sesotho. Hierdie werkwoorde sluit in werkwoorde wat 'n proses (aktiwiteit) aandui, byvoorbeeld -~, -tla, -tsamaya, -baleha, -nyoloha en -theoha, soos geïllustreer in die volgende sinne: a. Monna 0 ya toropong. 'Die man gaan dorp toe' b. Bashanyana ba tsamaya thoteng. 'Die seuns loop in die veld' c. Bana ba tla hae. 'Die kinders gaan huis toe' d. Bashemane ba balehile mophatong. 'Die inisiante hardloop weg van die inisiasieskool' e. Tshwene e theoha sefateng. 'Die bobbejaan daal afuit die boom' f. Banna ba nyoloha thaba. 'Die mans bestyg die berg' Die studie demonstreer dat bewegingswerkwoorde in Sesotho semanties geklassifiseer kan word in werkwoorde wat beteken 'om te gaan', bv. -~, werkwoorde wat beteken 'om te loop', bv. -tsamaya, werkwoorde wat beteken 'om (weg) te hardloop', bv. -baleha, werkwoorde wat beteken 'om te bestyg', bv. -nyoloha, en werkwoorde wat beteken 'om afte daal', bv. -theoha. Die studie demonstreer verder dat bewegingswerkwoorde in Sesotho tiperend onoorganklik is. Daar word aangetoon dat hierdie werkwoorde gekenmerk word deur spesifieke seleksiebeperkings en gebeure-strukture ('event structures'). Die studie toon op uitgebreide wyse aan dat bewegingswerkwoorde in Sesotho met onderwerpe gebruik kan word wat verskillende semantiese tipes verteenwoordig, en wat verskillende kenmerke het, insluitende onderwerpe wat menslike individue, groepe mense of diere aandui, abstrakte naamwoorde, massanaamwoorde, voedsel, vloeistowwe, natuurlike verskynsels, artifakte, natuurlike voorwerpe, of be sittings.

This thesis examines the argument structures of applicative and causative verbs in Sesotho, and proposes conditions which they must comply with. It is argued that the two conditions in question are in fact general conditions on argument structure rather than restrictions specific to the individual suffixes. The first, the Thematic Hierarchy Condition, which accounts for the unacceptability of unaccusative verbs and experiencer verbs with a Benefactive argument, follows from a universal tendency to have the highest thematic role as the external argument. The second, the Internal Argument Principle, which accounts for the unacceptability of the applicative and causative suffixes with verbs that take two obligatory internal arguments, follows from the fact that basic verbs across languages take no more than two internal arguments. It is argued that this second principle does not follow from Case Theory or Theta Theory. / This thesis also demonstrates that the distinction between structural and inherent Case plays an important role in morphology. It accounts for certain differences between causatives and applicatives, including the unacceptability of causative verbs with an S$ sp prime$ complement and the order in which the applicative and causative suffixes appear.

No description available.

Thesis (DLitt)--Stellenbosch University, 2008. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In this dissertation, the semantic and syntactic properties of deverbatives are analyzed in the context of Generative Lexicon theory, which is a model of lexical semantics. The aim of the analysis relates to the existence of the relationship between nominals derived directly from an event description and their inheritance of the properties of that event. The deverbal nouns in Sesotho are analyzed semantically within specific parameters taking into account the deverbal noun as a whole. This is done by viewing how word meaning interact with a set of generative mechanisms to account for the creative use of language. These mechanisms involve the levels of representations (i.e. argument, event and qualia structures) which provides information about the number and type of arguments; the event type of a lexical item and how these events are tied together within different relations. There are correlations between lexically encoded base forms and morphological derived forms. These correlations provide a need for a representational structure to distinguish between stage-level and individual-level nominals. Focusing on the role of events in the semantics of nouns, it is shown that stage-level and individual-level nouns differ in the type and the quantification of their defining event. This led to the adoption of the view that that nominals in general should be named after the events they each fulfil. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: In hierdie proefskrif word die semantiese en sintaktiese eienskappe van deverbatiewe in Sesotho ontleed binne die raamwerk van Generatiewe Leksikonteorie, ‘n model van leksikale semantiek. Die doel van die analise hou verband met die verhouding tussen nominale direk afgelei vanaf ‘n gebeurtenis (‘event’) beskrywing en die oorerwing van die eienskappe van daardie gebeurtenis (‘event’). Die Sesotho deverbatiewe word semanties ontleed binne spesifieke parameters met inagneming van die semantiese eienskappe van die deverbatief as geheel. Dit word gedoen deur ‘n ondersoek te doen na hoe woordbetekenis in interaksie is met ‘n stel generatiewe meganismes om ‘n verklaring te bied vir die kreatiewe gebruik van taal. Hierdie meganismes betrek die vlakke van representasie (nl. argumentstruktuur, gebeurtenis (‘event’) struktuur en qualia-struktuur) wat inligting voorsien omtrent die getal en tipes argumente (dit is, uitdrukkings wat tematiese rolle het), die gebeurtenis (‘event’) tipe van ‘n leksikale item, en hoe hierdie gebeurtenisse (‘events’) saamhang binne verskillende verbande. Daar is korrelasies tussen leksikaal ge-enkodeerde basisvorme en morfologiesafgeleide vorms. Hierdie ko-relasies bied ‘n behoefte vir ‘n verteenwoordigende struktuur om te onderskei tussen fase-vlak (‘stage-level’) en individuele-vlak nominale. Daar word aangetoon, met fokus op die gebeurtenisse (‘events’) in die semantiek van naamwoorde, dat fase-vlak en individuele-vlak verskil in die tipe en die kwantifisering van hulle definieerbare gebeurtenis. Dit lei tot die aanvaarding van die siening dat nominale in die algemeen benoem moet word na die gebeurtenisse waaraan elk voldoen.

Thesis (M. A. (African Languages) --University of Limpopo,2005 / The study aimsat finding out thecategorical status of copulatives in Northern Sotho. This will be achieved by examining the morphosemantic features of various copulatives. From a morphological perspective, thestudy focuses on the following types ofcopulative verbs: ke, se, ba, le, na, and COP. The study argues that the foresaid copulatives are not particles but are fully-fledged verbs. As far as the semantic nature of the copulatives is concerned, the study discovered a variety of meanings associated with copulatives, such as the following: the identifying, descriptive,locational and associative. Lastly, the study contends that any research on the copulative in Northern Sotho should be a morphosemantic one, as previous studies focused on one and neglected the other.

The main purpose of this study is to investigate the properties of selected monotransitive verbs in Northern Sotho as regard their argument structure and event structure. These Northern Sotho verbs will be examined within the general theoretical framework of Generative Lexicon Theory postulated by Pustejovsky (1996). This theory is in essence concerned with the account of word meaning as it relates to lexical semantic properties of lexical items in composition with other lexical items in a sentence. The arguments of the Northern Sotho verbs examined will include an agentive subject argument, the external argument, and a patient/theme object argument, the internal argument. In addition, a locative internal argument occurs in the sentences, which may have the status of a true argument, a shadow argument, or a default argument, in Pustejovsky’s classification of arguments. The Northern Sotho verbs examined demonstrate accomplishment events in that they entail a change of state and are telic (i.e. they have a logical culmination or endpoint). This telicity property of the verb is often the result of the occurrence of the internal arguments, i.e. the patient/theme argument and locative argument of the verb. The verb classes examined for Northern Sotho include (i) verbs of putting, (ii) verbs of removing, (iii) verbs of sending and carrying, (iv) verbs of exerting force/push/pull verbs), (v) verbs of change of possession, (vi) learn verbs, (vii) verbs of throwing, (viii) verbs of contact by impact, (ix) verbs of cutting, (x) verbs of separating and disassembling, (xi) verbs of creation and transformation, (xii) verbs of communication, (xiii) verbs of ingesting, (xiv) verbs of change of state, and (xv) verbs of motion.

Thesis (MA (African Languages))--University of Stellenbosch, 2006. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The topic of study is ‘go’ and ‘come’ verbs in Northern Sotho, which can be classified as verbs of state or motion. This study examines the semantics as well as the syntactic analysis of these verbs of state of motion within the framework of Pustejovsky’s Generative Lexicon Theory. This study will explore the polysemy of ‘ya’, as shown in the sentences below: 1. Bana ba ya nokeng. (The children go/are going to the river) 2. Bašimane ba ya šokeng. (The boys go/are going to the bush) The verb ya ‘go’ may end with the suffix –ile to realise the past tense of ya as illustrated in the following examples: 3. Bana ba ile nokeng. (The children went to the river) 4. Bašemane ba ile šokeng. (The boys went to the bush) The study also examines the polysemy of the verb –tla in Northern Sotho. The verb tla ‘come’ semantically denotes motion as shown in the sentences below. 5. Basadi ba tla monyanyeng. (The women come to the party) 6. Banna ba tla kopanong. (Men come/are coming to the meeting) The verb tla may end with the suffix –ile to demonstrate the past tense of –tla, as shown in the following sentences. 7. Ngwana o tlile sekolong. (The child came to school) 8. Mokgalabje o tlile kgorong. (The old man came to the headkraal) This study will demonstrate that the agent argument of the verbs –ya and –tla may regularly occur as complement of the preposition le in Northern Sotho. The range of data examined demonstrate that the verbs –ya and –tla exhibit a wide range of semantic selectional properties as regard to the subject argument and the locative argument. The study also analyses the aspectual properties of the sentences with –ya and –tla with reference to the activity and achievement situation types.