Full Text Available
Note: Clicking the button above will open the full text document at the original institutional repository in a new window.
A lexical semantic analysis of selected verbs in Northern Sotho
The main purpose of this study is to investigate the properties of selected monotransitive verbs in Northern Sotho as regard their argument structure and event structure. These Northern Sotho verbs will be examined within the general theoretical framework of Generative Lexicon Theory postulated by P...
Saved in:
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch
2008
|
| Subjects: | |
| Tags: |
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1867614108475457536 |
|---|---|
| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Phasha, Maction Nkgoropo |
| author2 | Visser, M. W. |
| author_browse | Phasha, Maction Nkgoropo Visser, M. W. |
| author_facet | Visser, M. W. Phasha, Maction Nkgoropo |
| author_sort | Phasha, Maction Nkgoropo |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | University of Stellenbosch |
| description | The main purpose of this study is to investigate the properties of selected monotransitive verbs in Northern Sotho as regard their argument structure and event structure. These Northern Sotho verbs will be examined within the general theoretical framework of Generative Lexicon Theory postulated by Pustejovsky (1996). This theory is in essence concerned with the account of word meaning as it relates to lexical semantic properties of lexical items in composition with other lexical items in a sentence. The arguments of the Northern Sotho verbs examined will include an agentive subject argument, the external argument, and a patient/theme object argument, the internal argument. In addition, a locative internal argument occurs in the sentences, which may have the status of a true argument, a shadow argument, or a default argument, in Pustejovsky’s classification of arguments.
The Northern Sotho verbs examined demonstrate accomplishment events in that they entail a change of state and are telic (i.e. they have a logical culmination or endpoint). This telicity property of the verb is often the result of the occurrence of the internal arguments, i.e. the patient/theme argument and locative argument of the verb.
The verb classes examined for Northern Sotho include (i) verbs of putting, (ii) verbs of removing, (iii) verbs of sending and carrying, (iv) verbs of exerting force/push/pull verbs), (v) verbs of change of possession, (vi) learn verbs, (vii) verbs of throwing, (viii) verbs of contact by impact, (ix) verbs of cutting, (x) verbs of separating and disassembling, (xi) verbs of creation and transformation, (xii) verbs of communication, (xiii) verbs of ingesting, (xiv) verbs of change of state, and (xv) verbs of motion. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/2154 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:46:47.817Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2008 |
| publishDateRange | 2008 |
| publishDateSort | 2008 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/2154 A lexical semantic analysis of selected verbs in Northern Sotho Phasha, Maction Nkgoropo Visser, M. W. University of Stellenbosch. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of African Languages. Dissertations -- Northern Sotho language Theses -- Northern Sotho language Pustejovsky, James Northern Sotho language -- Verb Northern Sotho language -- Semantics Lexical grammar Argument structure Event structure The main purpose of this study is to investigate the properties of selected monotransitive verbs in Northern Sotho as regard their argument structure and event structure. These Northern Sotho verbs will be examined within the general theoretical framework of Generative Lexicon Theory postulated by Pustejovsky (1996). This theory is in essence concerned with the account of word meaning as it relates to lexical semantic properties of lexical items in composition with other lexical items in a sentence. The arguments of the Northern Sotho verbs examined will include an agentive subject argument, the external argument, and a patient/theme object argument, the internal argument. In addition, a locative internal argument occurs in the sentences, which may have the status of a true argument, a shadow argument, or a default argument, in Pustejovsky’s classification of arguments. The Northern Sotho verbs examined demonstrate accomplishment events in that they entail a change of state and are telic (i.e. they have a logical culmination or endpoint). This telicity property of the verb is often the result of the occurrence of the internal arguments, i.e. the patient/theme argument and locative argument of the verb. The verb classes examined for Northern Sotho include (i) verbs of putting, (ii) verbs of removing, (iii) verbs of sending and carrying, (iv) verbs of exerting force/push/pull verbs), (v) verbs of change of possession, (vi) learn verbs, (vii) verbs of throwing, (viii) verbs of contact by impact, (ix) verbs of cutting, (x) verbs of separating and disassembling, (xi) verbs of creation and transformation, (xii) verbs of communication, (xiii) verbs of ingesting, (xiv) verbs of change of state, and (xv) verbs of motion. Masters 2008-07-24T09:07:41Z 2010-06-01T08:41:43Z 2008-07-24T09:07:41Z 2010-06-01T08:41:43Z 2006-03 Thesis http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/2154 en University of Stellenbosch application/pdf Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch |
| spellingShingle | Dissertations -- Northern Sotho language Theses -- Northern Sotho language Pustejovsky, James Northern Sotho language -- Verb Northern Sotho language -- Semantics Lexical grammar Argument structure Event structure Phasha, Maction Nkgoropo A lexical semantic analysis of selected verbs in Northern Sotho |
| title | A lexical semantic analysis of selected verbs in Northern Sotho |
| title_full | A lexical semantic analysis of selected verbs in Northern Sotho |
| title_fullStr | A lexical semantic analysis of selected verbs in Northern Sotho |
| title_full_unstemmed | A lexical semantic analysis of selected verbs in Northern Sotho |
| title_short | A lexical semantic analysis of selected verbs in Northern Sotho |
| title_sort | lexical semantic analysis of selected verbs in northern sotho |
| topic | Dissertations -- Northern Sotho language Theses -- Northern Sotho language Pustejovsky, James Northern Sotho language -- Verb Northern Sotho language -- Semantics Lexical grammar Argument structure Event structure |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/2154 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT phashamactionnkgoropo alexicalsemanticanalysisofselectedverbsinnorthernsotho AT phashamactionnkgoropo lexicalsemanticanalysisofselectedverbsinnorthernsotho |