Word categories – prototypes and continua in southern bantu

Abstract

In contemporar?' cogiiitive~unctioiial approaches to major lexical word categoriesl the notion ofcontinuum is veiy much in evidence in the internal organi.sation of each qf the major categories N(oun) and V(erh), yet the.se two cutegorie,s are still regarded as separate and independent categorial entities. In our exploration of the interrelations between these lexical categories in Zulu we have found that even though protoppes of the muior categories N(oun) and V(erh) are essentially independent the), are actually linked to one another on a continuum where the tmditional Bantu categoty A(diective) pla-vs a significant role as central categol?' linking the N(oun) and V(erh) categories. Hence, we conclude that protoQpica1 N(oun) and V(erb) are not independent discrete categories, hut rather extreme poles on a continuum of 1e.xical categories. lit kontemporire kogniti&iunksionele henaderings tot die interne organisasie van ondcrskcidelik die primire leksikale kategoriee N(omina) en V(erba) staan die hegrip kontinuum sentraal. Nogtans word die prinidre kategoriee nog steeds as onderling onajhanklike en diskrete kategoriei gesien. In ons ondersoek van die interrelasies tussen die prinzlre leksikale kategoriei met verwtvsing na Zulu het om hevind dat alhoewel prototipes van die kategoriee N(omina) en V(erba) in wese onajl~anklike is word Izulle tog aan mekaar geskakel op 'n kontinuum. Op hierdie kontinuum vorm die tradisionele Bantukategorie A(djektiej die seiitrale .skakel tussen die twee ekstreme kategoriee. Vandaar die gevolgtrekking dat N(omina) en V(erha) nie diskrete onajhanklike kategorie2 is nie, maar we1 ekstreme pole op '11 kontinuum van leksikale kategoriei. S. Aji: Tvdskr. Taalk., Suppl. 20 ISSN 1018-7820 215 Word categories in Southern Bantu

Tagging an agglutinating language: A new look at word categories in the southern African indigenous languages

“…Hendrikse and Poulos (1994) also reached the conclusion that the categories N and V, though distinct, are actually linked on the N-V continuum.…”

“…In an earlier study of word categories in African languages (Hendrikse and Poulos 1994) we proposed a continuum for each of the major categories noun and verb, where the lexical units for each one of the respective categories are arranged on a continuum from typical instances to less typical members (according to Langacker's (1987) as well as Givon's (1979) definitions of the categories noun and verb. Hendrikse and Poulos (1994) also reached the conclusion that the categories N and V, though distinct, are actually linked on the N-V continuum.…”

The categorlal status of the possessive in zulu – a new perspective

“…Categorial status of the possessive in Zulu V continuuni as proposed by Hendrikse and Poulos (1994). So for example the coutinuum of the major calegories would look something like the following: Table 3.…”