Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2001. / English Abstract: This research project examines the syntax of negative sentence constructions in Sesotho
and explores implications of the empirical data on negation within the framework of the
Minimalist Program. According to Minimalist Program, language consists of a lexicon and
Computational System where the operations Merge and Move generate sets of structural
descriptions, it is driven by the principle of economy, which entails that movement should
take place only when necessary for the purpose of Case feature checking. It is also
concerned with the expansion of syntactic structures in terms of X-bar theoretic properties,
where functional category gives full categorical status.
This project further considered the morphology of negation in Sesotho where Sesotho data
is refined within the Lexeme-morpheme base morphology, where bound grammatical
morphemes such as the negative morphemes in Sesotho are defined in terms of
morphological spelling operations.
Within these two theoretical frameworks, sentence constructions which realize negation by
means of negative morphemes over a full range of tense, aspect and mood distinctions
were examined, including sentence construction that realize negation in subordinate
clauses as well as those that entail issues of topic and focus, and scope of negation.
Constituent negation, with constituents such as subjects, objects and adjuncts is also
investigated. Various ways of negating constituents in Sesotho were examined: they are
cleft sentences, pseudo-cleft sentences, sentence construction with locative AgrS [ ho ]
and sentence constructions with subject inversion as well as sentences where constituents
are negated within the VP. All these methods were considered with regard to noncopulative
and copulative verbs.
The issue of focus which entails plain focus, restrictive and contrastive foci, the issue of
topic, which entails stage topics, modified topics and multiple topics are investigated and
interpreted within the Focus Structure theory, a theory which assigns focus structures to
sentences of the language. Negative sentences are assigned two focus structure viz.
main focus structure and the subordinate focus structure.
Finally, this study also looks into the scope of negation in Sesotho, where negative
criterion (Neg-criterion) stipulates various positions of negative morphemes or words which
in turn determines the scope of negation. Scope of negation is also examined in terms of
focus, with constituents such as NP's, NP Lac's and NP's in subordinate clauses. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie navorsingsprojek ondersoek die sintaksis van konstruksies met negatiewe sinne in
Sesotho en gaan die implikasies na van die empiriese data oor ontkenning binne die
raamwerk van die Minimalistiese Program. Volgens die Minimalistiese Program, bestaan
taal uit In leksikon en In rekenaarsisteem waar die bewerkinge Saamsmelt en Skuif
versamelings strukturele beskrywings genereer, dit word aangedryf deur die beginsel van
ekonomie wat inhou dat Skuif slegs plaasvind wanneer dit nodig is vir die doel van die
nagaan van die Kasus kenmerk: dit het ook te doen met die uitbreiding van sintaktiese
strukture in terme van die teoretiese kenmerke van die X-balk, waar die funksionele
kategorie volle kategoriale status verkry.
Dié projek het ook verder die morfologie van ontkenning in Sesotho oorweeg waar die
Sesotho data verfyn is binne die Lekseem-Morfeem Basis Morfologie, waar grammatikale
morfeme soos die negatiewe morfeme in Sesotho gedefinieer word in terme van
morfologiese spellingsbewerkings. Binne hierdie twee teoretiese raamwerke, is daar
ondersoek ingestel na sinskonstruksies wat negatief realiseer deur middel van negatiewe
morfeme binne In volledige reeks van onderskeidinge van tyd, aspek en modus,
insluitende sinskonstruksies waar die negatief realiseer in die bysin, asook daardie
negatiewe wat gaan oor sake soos Topiek en Fokus, en die omvang van ontkenning.
Konstituent ontkenning is ondersoek waaronder konstituente soos onderwerpe, voorwerpe
en adjunkte. Verskeie wyses om konstituente in Sesotho te ontken is ondersoek, naamlik:
klef en pseudo-klef sinne, sinskonstruksie met die lokatiewe kongruensie [ho] en
sinskonstruksies met subjeksinversie asook sinne waar konstituente ontken word binne In
werkwoordfrase. AI hierdie wyses is nagegaan met nie-kopulatiewe en kopulatiewe
werkwoorde.
Die probleem van fokus is ondersoek wat insluit eenvoudige fokus, beperkende en
kontrastiewe fokus, asook die probleem van topiek wat verskeie soorte topiek insluit.
Hierdie ondersoek is gedoen en uiteindelik geïnterpreteer binne die Fokus Sruktuur teorie,
In teorie wat fokusstrukture toeken aan sinne van In taal. Negatiewe sinne word twee
fokusstrukture toegeken, naamlik: die hoof fokus struktuur en die onderskikkende fokus
struktuur.
Laastens het die studie ook gekyk na die omvang ('scope') van ontkenning in Sesotho
waar die negatiewe kriterium verskeie posisies van negatiewe morfeme of woorde
stipuleer wat dan weer die omvang van ontkenning bepaal. Die omvang van ontkenning is
ook ondersoek in terme van fokus waar kontrastiewe fokus die uitbreiding van omvang
bepaaloor konstituente soos naamwoordfrases, lokatiewe naamwoordfrases en
naamwoordfrases in onderskikkende klouse.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/52352 |
| Date | 03 1900 |
| Creators | Malete, Elias Nyefolo |
| Contributors | Du Plessis, J. A., Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences. Dept. of African Languages. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | en_ZA |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 350 p. |
| Rights | Stellenbosch University |
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