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The adjective in Tshivenda

Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2000. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In this study the adjective constructions in Tshiven~a are investigated within a
set of criteria in order to characterize the adjectival category and to
differentiate it from other categories. An adjective can be defined as a word
which modifies a noun that prototypically denotes visible or tangible objects.
Different linguists give different accounts which deal with criteria for
adjectives where they give attention to prototype and certain multiple criteria.
Dixon establishes seven different semantic types under which the adjectives
can be grouped, e.g. one of them is dimension.
It has been established by Schachter that there are languages that have no
adjectives at all, in which the meanings that they express are conveyed by
nouns or verbs. In other words what is universal is not adjectives but to
modify, or elaborate on the meaning of a noun.
Morphological adjectives are marked by a noun class prefix on the adjectival
stem. The prefix agrees in class with the noun to which it refers.
Morphological adjective can appear attributively and predicatively.
When adjectives are used attributively in Tshivenda they usually appear as
"
complements of a noun. But when they are used predicatively, they occur in
copulative constructions. Syntactic evidence relates to the fact that different categories of words have
different distributions. Adjective can not be identified by looking at it in
isolation, because the form of a word does not necessarily indicate its
syntactic function.
Descriptive possessives as semantic adjectives describe the noun they refer to
in a way that is different to that of possessives. The descriptive part can be
shown as the head of the noun and can also be shown as a complement of
possessive [-a-] where they indicate location, time, event and gender. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: In hierdie studie word die adjektief konstruksie in Tshivenda ondersoek
binne die raamwerk van 'n stel kriteria met die doelom 'n karakterisering te
gee van die adjektief kategorie en om dit te onderskei van ander kategorieë.
'n Adjektief kan gedefinieer word as 'n woord wat 'n naamwoord bepaal
wat prototipies verwys na konkrete voorwerpe.
Linguiste gee verskillende aannames wat handeloor kriteria vir adjektiewe
waarin hulle aandag gee aan prototipe en sekere meervoudige kriteria.
Dixon het sewe verskillende semantiese tipes bepaal waaronder adjektiewe
gegroepeer kan word bv. een daarvan is dimensie.
Daar is vasgestel deur Schachter dat daar tale is wat geen adjektiewe het nie
waarin die betekenisse wat hulle uitdruk gedra word deur naamwoorde of
werkwoorde. Wat dus universeel is, is nie adjektiewe nie maar om die
betekenis van 'n woord te modifieer.
Morfologiese adjektiewe is gemerk deur 'n naamwoord klasprefiks op die
adjektiefstam. Die prefiks kom ooreen in klas met die naamwoord waarna
dit verwys. Morfologiese adjektiewe kan attributief en predikatief voorkom.
Wanneer adjektiewe attributief gebruik word, verskyn hulle as komplement van die naamwoord. Maar wanneer hulle predikatief gebruik word kom
hulle voor in kopulatief konstruksies.
In sintaksis kan verskillende kategorieë van woorde verskillende distribusies
hê. Adjektiewe kan nie geïdentifiseer word deur na dit te kyk in isolasie
want die vorm van In woord dui nie noodwendig sy sintaktiese funksie aan.
Deskriptiewe possessiewe as semantiese adjektiewe beskryf die naamwoord
waarna hulle verwys op 'n wyse wat verskillend is van dié van possessiewe.
Die deskriptiewe deel kan aangetoon word as die kern van die naamwoord
groep en kan ook aangetoon word as In komplement van die possessiewe
[-a-] waar hulle plek, tyd, gebeurtenis en geslag aandui.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/51935
Date04 1900
CreatorsMutheiwana, Humbulani Doris
ContributorsDu Plessis, J. A., Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of African Languages
PublisherStellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
Source SetsSouth African National ETD Portal
Languageen_ZA
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeThesis
Format160 p.
RightsStellenbosch University

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