Doctoral Degrees (African Languages)

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Browsing Doctoral Degrees (African Languages) by Subject "Chimakonde language"

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    The internal syntax of the Chimakonde determiner phrase
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2019-04) Makanjila, Dominick; Visser, Marianna W.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Science. Dept. of African Languages.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In the Government-and-Binding theory of generative syntax (cf. Chomsky, 1981), it was posited that a functional head D(eterminer) heads a noun phrase (NP). This view is referred to as a Determiner Phrase (DP) hypothesis (Abney, 1987). English articles are uncontroversially viewed as instantiations of D. Consequently, some scholars hold that a DP projects only in languages with articles (cf. Bruening, 2009). However, the universal view of the DP hypothesis, which this study also invokes, is that both languages with and without articles project a DP (cf. Veselovská, 2014). It is argued that articles (like those found in English) are not the only forms through which the functional category D can manifest. Different languages have different manifestations of the functional category D. The category D is viewed as the locus of (in)definiteness and (non-)specificity). As Chindonde (the Chimakonde dialect of which this study investigates the DP) does not exhibit articles nor does it have preprefixes which are also assumed to be instantiations of the functional category D in some Bantu languages (cf. Asiimwe, 2014 for Runyankore-Rukiga), the question which the present study investigated was, therefore, how the functional category D is realised morpho-syntactically in Chimakonde. To this end, the interpretation of the DP when a nominal modifier occurs pre-nominally and post-nominally was examined. This study assumed the minimalism and cartography programs as theoretical framework. These two generative syntax programmes were complemented by the semantic approaches to of (in)definiteness) and (non-)specificity posited in Lyons (1999) as well as the key notions of information structure postulated in Lambrecht (1994). The data were collected through introspection, supplemented by consultation with other native speakers of Chimakonde throughout the period of the study. Through introspection and consultations with Chimakonde native speakers, it was possible to collect non-linguistic information about Chimakonde and the data regarding various morpho-syntactic aspects relevant to the study. Furthermore, relevant studies on Chimakonde such as descriptive grammars, dissertations and articles were also consulted. The major finding of the study demonstrates that Chimakonde provides evidence for positing the functional category D in the form of the core demonstrative roots a- and u-. In Chimakonde, these roots occur optionally in postnominal position to encode deictic meaning. However, they occur obligatorily in prenominal position to encode contrastive focus, emphasis or added specificity. In light of the interpretations of the demonstrative root which obtain in prenominal position, it is postulated in this study that the demonstrative root bears the added specificity and contrastive focus features, thus instantiating the functional Determiner category (D) which heads a Chimakonde DP.