Research Articles (Unpublished)(African Languages)

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    The locative in Xitsonga
    (2016-10-20) Du Plessis, Jacobus A.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The locative in Xitsonga will be discussed with attention to the following: -Locative nouns with suffix –ini and prefix e- as a functional category -Locative class nouns with nominal modifiers -Place names -Locative prepositions -Prepositions with a locative -Locative as internal argument -Locative alternation
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    Derived verbs in Xitsonga
    (2016-10-20) Du Plessis, Jacobus A.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: There are ten derivational affixes in Xitsonga of which only the reflexive is a prefix of a verb. Many of these affixes have no syntactic influence on the structure of clauses but they are only semantic changing affixes. Only those affixes which have some influence on the syntactic structure of sentences have been given some attention. The syntactic structures in which these derived verbs appear are related to the structures which are developing within the Minimalist program. Within these structures a new syntactic category has been added for each verbal affix. Thus, for instance with the applicative affix [-el-] a syntactic category “app” has been added as head of a category “applicative phrase” (APP). With each verbal affix such a category appears with various other syntactic categories as complement, or such complements may appear in other positions within the structure as for instance in the passive construction. All these constructions have also been semantically interpreted. Special attention is also focused on causative alternation or causation where a category “cause” has been postulated as a possible solution to this alternation. Lastly, the verbal affixes may appear in combination with each other and two such combinations for these affixes have been examined. In each case the two affixes retain their specific categories, structures, complements and semantic interpretation.
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    The verb in Xitsonga
    (2016) Du Plessis, Jacobus A.
    Attention has been focused on the syntactic structure in which these verbs may appear, various features specific to these verbs as well as some verb classes in which these verbs regularly appear. The syntactic structure in which the intransitive verbs appear is the one developed within the Minimalist program with two verbal shells where the upper verbal shell is projected from a phonetically null light verb. The second verbal shell is assumed to be introduced by the [VP]. Intransitive verbs are distinguished as unergative and unaccusative verbs. They may appear with cognate objects, and idiomatic objects. Various verb classes with intransitive verbs have been dealt with e.g. state verbs and verbs relating to the body. Transitive verbs with one internal argument appear in the same type of structure as the intransitive verbs. Various features of transitive verbs have been high-lighted as for instance word order, focus on the object, objectival agreement, stylistic movement, coordinated objects and other issues, as well as specific verb classes in which transitive verbs appear. Lastly, ditransitive verbs appear in structures with the same categories as with other verbs, but each time with two internal arguments. Some features of these verbs are given as well as verb classes in which ditransitive verbs frequently appear.
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    Distribution and control properties of the Infinitive in Xitsonga
    (No publisher, 2009) Du Plessis, Jac A.
    The Infinitive has received some attention in the recent past, beginning with the Government and Binding Theory with control theory and an Infinitive subject designation as PRO (see i.a. Chomsky 1981, 1982 and Haegaman 1991). Various applications of the Government and Binding theory have been attempted for the South African Bantu languages and also specifically for the Infinitive (see i.a. Motaung 1991, Sadiki 1992, Du Plessis and Visser 1992, Tunzelana 1993, Du Plessis, Nxumalo, Visser 1995, and Visser 1998).
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    Comparative syntax of the African languages of South Africa ( Bantu languages) : the relative clause in the African languages of South Africa (Bantu languages)
    (2010-11-15) Du Plessis, J. A. (Jacobus A.)
    The aim of this article is to focus on a comparative study of the relative clause in the four major language groups of South Africa which will be represented here by four individual languages, i.e. isiXhosa, Xitsonga, Tshivenda and Sesotho. Within the relative clause, answers will be provided for the following issues which are basic to the relative clauses in these languages: The structure of a relative clause, the relative determiner and marker and the reasons for the optionality of some of them, the tenses of the relative verb and the types of resumption within the TP, the restrictive, appositive and free relatives and lastly, the problems engenderd by coordinated and stacked relative clauses.