{"title":"When prepositions and adverbs become nouns and locatives in Xitsonga","authors":"S. J. Kubayi","doi":"10.1080/02572117.2022.2094082","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"This article aims to clarify the lexical category membership of noun classes 16, 17 and 18 in Xitsonga. These noun classes can be described as both nominal and locational, but also have constrained membership. The study follows a criterion-based approach rather than a traditionalist definitional approach. In terms of their translation equivalents, the study finds that these noun classes constitute prepositions and adverbs. Morphologically, the prepositions take two parallel structures with the same functional properties. In relation to their syntactical distribution, the prepositions seem to co-occur meaningfully with other prepositions in order to form bound prepositions. It is observed that none of the members of these classes is a noun or a locative, prompting the conclusion that noun classes 16, 17 and 18 are non-existent in Xitsonga. It appears that the lexical category membership of these noun classes has been taken for granted as locative classes. Further research should be conducted in order to develop a deeper understanding of lexical category membership of these ‘noun classes’ across the Bantu languages.","PeriodicalId":42604,"journal":{"name":"South African Journal of African Languages","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.4000,"publicationDate":"2022-05-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"South African Journal of African Languages","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1080/02572117.2022.2094082","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"0","JCRName":"LANGUAGE & LINGUISTICS","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
This article aims to clarify the lexical category membership of noun classes 16, 17 and 18 in Xitsonga. These noun classes can be described as both nominal and locational, but also have constrained membership. The study follows a criterion-based approach rather than a traditionalist definitional approach. In terms of their translation equivalents, the study finds that these noun classes constitute prepositions and adverbs. Morphologically, the prepositions take two parallel structures with the same functional properties. In relation to their syntactical distribution, the prepositions seem to co-occur meaningfully with other prepositions in order to form bound prepositions. It is observed that none of the members of these classes is a noun or a locative, prompting the conclusion that noun classes 16, 17 and 18 are non-existent in Xitsonga. It appears that the lexical category membership of these noun classes has been taken for granted as locative classes. Further research should be conducted in order to develop a deeper understanding of lexical category membership of these ‘noun classes’ across the Bantu languages.
期刊介绍:
The South African Journal of African Languages is a peer-reviewed research journal devoted to the advancement of African (Bantu) and Khoi-San languages and literatures. Papers, book reviews and polemic contributions of a scientific nature in any of the core areas of linguistics, both theoretical (e.g. syntax, phonology, semantics) and applied (e.g. sociolinguistic topics, language teaching, language policy), and literature, based on original research in the context of the African languages, are welcome. The journal is the official mouthpiece of the African Language Association of Southern Africa (ALASA), established in 1979.