Much has been written on the Afrikaans verb system and verb categories. This, however, has been unconnected research which does not define the complete picture of the Afrikaans verb system. In research reports various categories of verbs are referred to comprehensively, while only five to six primary categories such as transitive, intransitive, copulative, prepositional and reflexive verbs, and to a lesser degree, "assistant" verbs, are referred to in some textbooks. In addition, research reports indicate that conventional identical verbs are sometimes named differently which raises the question whether the same verb can simultaneously belong to different verb categories. Sometimes the categorization results from a syntactical approach, while the naming of Afrikaans main verbs often result from a semantic perspective. In this study two different approaches of categorization are researched in order to establish which approach should apply as primary principle. The relevant approaches to categorization taken under scrutiny are the traditional or classic approach according tot which the limits of categories are relatively limited, and the prototype approach which provides for typical as well as peripheral categorical examples. The study aims to highlight the great number of Afrikaans verb categories and to place these in a semantic-syntactic framework. Two relevant models of categorization are taken as a basis to systemize the Afrikaans verb system. The method employed is to present an alphabetical exposition of the verb categories and then to establish within which semantic-cognitive image schemata such verbs are found. The part which metaphorical transfer, as principle of classification plays in the process of categorization is reviewed and illustrated. In addition, the semantic and syntactic characteristics of specific main verb categories are highlighted. From this study the following can be concluded: ▪ Afrikaans main verbs may simultaneously belong to different categories. Different 'categories' of main verbs are sometimes a single category with different names. ▪ Categorization from a syntactic perspective is systematic and simplistic and should be used as a point of departure. Verbs are firstly transitive, intransitive, copulative, prepositional, reflexive or "assistant" verbs, and may then be simultaneously connected to different semantic categories such as communicative verbs, verbs of weather conditions or process verbs. ▪ Categorization based only on semantic grounds provides a magnitude of categories which can be reduced by means of syntactic categorization. ▪ The traditional and prototype approaches to categorization do not exclude but complement each other and should be used interdependently as a categorical approach, the semantic subordinate to the syntactic. / Prof. A.E. Coetzee
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:uj/uj:14686 |
| Date | 07 December 2007 |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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