A study of Kiluguru syntax with special reference to the transformational history of sentences with permuted subject and object

Description

This thesis is divided into three parts. Part I is a general introduction to Kiluguru. It aims at supplying basic information about Kiluguru phonology, morphology and syntax. The layout and terminology is basically the same as that found in introductory Grammars of other Bantu lansuages. Part II studies a particular type of sentences, namely, sentences with permuted Subject and Object. After showing that these sentences are remarkably different from Passive Sentences, it is argued that the sentences in question arise from the placement of focal emphasis on the Subject. This is normally expressed by a pseudo-cleft construction in which the Subject appears as predicate nominal. It is subsequently argued that sentences with permuted Subject and Object result from the reduction of the pseudo-cleft construction to a deceptively simple structure through Relative-Pronoun deletion and other subsidiary transformations. It is further argued that the construction in question is derived not directly but by way of analogy. Numerous examples are used to illustrate each stage of the argument. Part III explores briefly the question of 'focus' and related concepts and argues that the form in which a sentence can occur in surface structure in Kiluguru is partly determined by the rules governing the distribution and realization of sentence stress. It is further suggested that the use of the absolute form of the verb and of double negatives is intimately connected with this phenomenon.