Thesis (PhD (African Languages))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The relationship between deverbative noun classification and their effect on the semantic
meaning of the derived deverbal nominal has been the focus of many studies in linguistics,
with special reference to African languages in recent years. The study maintains that the
descriptive analysis of deverbal nominals in African languages does not fully interrogate the
predicate argument structures of the verbs that host these deverbal nominals. This thesis is an
investigation of how the syntactic properties of verbs from which deverbal nouns are derived
are invoked in explaining the argument structure and event structure properties of deverbal
nouns, particularly in Xhosa. The analysis presented here is situated in terms of a lexical
semantic representation drawing on Pustejovsky (1996) and Busa (1996), which aims to
capture linguistically relevant components of meaning.
Chapter 1 presents the purpose and aims of the study, and states the theoretical paradigm on
which this study is couched, namely Pustejovsky’s (1996) generative lexicon theory as well as
the methodology for conducting the research.
Chapter 2 contains a literature review on deverbal nominals in African languages. This
chapter explores the general definitions of concepts, the descriptive nature of deverbal
nominals from various African languages, noun classification and the morphology of African
nouns.
Chapter 3 reports on an examination of the generative lexicon theory. This theory contains
multiple levels of representation for different types of lexical information required, namely
the argument structure, the event structure, the qualia structure and the lexical inherent
structure. For the purposes of this study, the first three levels of representation were used for
analysis.
Chapter 4 contains the systematic classification of deverbal nominals that are derived from
various semantic verb classes and are considered under their derivation from intransitive,
transitive and di-transitive verbs, respectively. The first lexical schematic representation for
each verb class gives a classification of various deverbal noun classes 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9, 11 and
14 in instances where the noun class applies. The second schematic representation details how
these various verb classes are classified/categorised in terms of their semantic type. There are various noun class nominalisations for each verb class, which serve as a representative for
each group of the various verb classes.
Chapter 5 provides a detailed analysis of various deverbal nouns derived from different verb
classes utilising the generative lexicon theory as a source of reference, particularly the first
three levels of representation. The compositionality and the semanticality of derived nominals
within the predicate argument structures are demonstrated.
Chapter 6 summarises the findings of all previous chapters in this study. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die verhouding tussen die klassifikasie van deverbatiewe selfstandige naamwoorde en hul
uitwerking op die semantiese betekenis van die afgeleide deverbatiewe nominaal was die
fokus van talle studies in linguistiek, met spesiale verwysing na Afrikatale in die afgelope
jare. Hierdie studie doen aan die hand dat die deskriptiewe analise van deverbatiewe nominale
in Afrikatale nie die predikaat-argumentstrukture van die werkwoorde wat hierdie
deverbatiewe nominale bevat, ondersoek nie. Die tesis behels ’n ondersoek na die manier
waarop die sintaktiese eienskappe van werkwoorde waaruit deverbatiewe selfstandige
naamwoorde afgelei word, aangewend word om die argumentstruktuur- en
gebeurestruktuureienskappe van deverbatiewe selfstandige naamwoorde, veral in Xhosa, te
verklaar. Die analise is gegrond op ’n leksikaal-semantiese ontlening aan Pustejovsky (1996)
en Busa (1996), met die doel om linguisties toepaslike betekeniskomponente vas te lê.
In hoofstuk 1 word die doel en doelstellings van die studie uiteengesit, asook die teoretiese
paradigma waarop die studie berus, naamlik Pustejovsky (1996) se generatieweleksikonteorie.
Die navorsingsmetodologie word ook in hierdie hoofstuk uiteengesit.
Hoofstuk 2 bevat ’n literatuuroorsig oor deverbatiewe nominale in Afrikatale. In hierdie
hoofstuk word ondersoek ingestel na die algemene definisies van konsepte, die beskrywende
aard van deverbatiewe nominale in verskeie Afrikatale, die klassifikasie van selfstandige
naamwoorde asook die morfologie van selfstandige naamwoorde in Afrikatale.
In hoofstuk 3 word verslag gedoen oor die ondersoek van die generatieweleksikon-teorie.
Hierdie teorie bevat veelvuldige vlakke van verteenwoordiging vir verskillende soorte
leksikale inligting wat vereis word, naamlik die argumentstruktuur, die gebeurestruktuur, die
qualiastruktuur en die leksikaal-inherente struktuur. Vir die doel van hierdie studie is op die
eerste drie vlakke van verteenwoordiging tydens die analise gefokus.
Hoofstuk 4 bevat die stelselmatige klassifikasie van deverbatiewe nominale wat uit verskeie
semantiese werkwoordklasse afkomstig is, en oorweging geniet op grond van hul afstamming
van onderskeidelik intransitiewe, transitiewe en ditransitiewe werkwoorde. Die eerste
leksikaal-skematiese verteenwoordiging vir elke werkwoordklas gee ’n klassifikasie van
verskeie klasse van deverbatiewe selfstandige naamwoorde, naamlik 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9, 11 en 14,
in gevalle waar die selfstandigenaamwoordklas van toepassing is. Die tweede skematiese verteenwoordiging sit uiteen hoe hierdie verskillende werkwoordklasse in terme van hul
semantiese soort geklassifiseer/gekategoriseer word. Daar is verskeie nominaliserings vir
selfstandigenaamwoordklasse vir elke werkwoordklas, wat as ’n verteenwoordiging vir elke
groep van die onderskeie werkwoordklasse dien.
Hoofstuk 5 bevat ’n gedetailleerde analise van verskeie deverbatiewe selfstandige
naamwoorde wat uit verskillende werkwoordklasse afgelei is met behulp van die
generatieweleksikon-teorie as ’n verwysingsbron, spesifiek die eerste drie vlakke van
verteenwoordiging. Die samestelling en semantiek van afgeleide nominale in die
predikaatargument-strukture word ten toon gestel.
Hoofstuk 6 bevat ’n opsomming van die bevindinge in die voorafgaande hoofstukke.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/5402 |
| Date | 12 1900 |
| Creators | Mletshe, Loyiso Kevin |
| Contributors | Visser, M. W., University of Stellenbosch. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of African Languages. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | Unknown |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 606 p. |
| Rights | University of Stellenbosch |
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