The syntax of interjections in isiXhosa : a corpus-driven study

Date
2019-12
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Stellenbosch University
Abstract
This paper examines the syntactic properties of interjections in isiXhosa and their compliance with the interjectional prototype and its extra-systematicity as postulated in linguistic typology. By reviewing nearly two thousand uses of interjections in the comic genre, the authors conclude the following: in its integrity, the category of interjections is internally complex and diversified, containing members with varying degrees of canonicity and extra-systematicity. Although in various uses interjections comply with the interjectional prototype, and being extra-systematic in many others, their canonicity and extra-systematicity are significantly lower.
Description
CITATION: Andrason, A. & Matutu, H. 2019. The syntax of interjections in isiXhosa: A corpus-driven study. Stellenbosch Papers in Linguistics Plus. Stellenbosch Papers in Linguistics Plus, 58:1-16. doi:10.5842/58-0-833
The original publication is available at https://spilplus.journals.ac.za/pub
Keywords
African languages, IsiXhosa language, Xhosa language -- Grammar, Xhosa language -- Syntax, Grammar, Comparative and general -- Interjections, Xhosa language -- Interjections, Comic books, strips etc. -- Xhosa language -- Interjections
Citation
Andrason, A. & Matutu, H. 2019. The syntax of interjections in isiXhosa: A corpus-driven study. Stellenbosch Papers in Linguistics Plus. Stellenbosch Papers in Linguistics Plus, 58:1-16. doi:10.5842/58-0-833