dc.contributor.author | Munyao, Mariane K | |
dc.date.accessioned | 2018-09-06T10:09:25Z | |
dc.date.available | 2018-09-06T10:09:25Z | |
dc.date.issued | 2006 | |
dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/11295/103831 | |
dc.description.abstract | The study IS an investigation of the morpholosyntax of Kikamba verb derivations
within the minimalist program's framework as outlined by Chomsky. The research
problem focused on how the basic sentence structure in Kikamba is affected by
verbalderivations with valency changing power and how to account for the mismatch
between the logical and natural order of arguments that result from co-occurrence of
various valency changing morphemes.
To start with verb derivations with valency changing power affect the basic sentence
structure by adding an extra internal argument, re-arranging arguments and merging
existing arguments. Consequently the logical order of arguments in the sentence is
accounted for by implications and this brings the issue of interpretation that involves
pragmatics.
The study is divided into five chapters. Chapter one gives a general background
information of the study that includes language background statements of the problem,
guiding objectives and hypothesis in the study and rationale for the study. Theoretical
issues, review of related literature and research methodology are also highlighted here.
Chapter two dwells on the morphological aspects of the verbs in Kikamba. It ha s been
noted that a Kikamba verb can have ten morpheme slots and one of the slots is filled
by the derivational affixes. The Kikamba verb therefore exhibits an extra ordinary high
development in the conjugation with great wealth of verbal derivations and other
inflectional categories. The central concern in this chapter is to show the position of
verbal derivations in the verb. Other inflectional categories are also considered in the
analysis.
Chapter three describes the valency changing processes and presents an analysis using
the checking theory of the minimalist program. Valency increasing processes of
benefactive and causative and valency decreasing processes of passive, recipricoal and
v
reflexive are vividly analyzed usmg data from Kikamba. Such processes have been
shown to have an effect on the basic sentence structure and in some cases the one
to one correspondence between the basic and the derived sentences is not kept at
the syntactic and semantic levels. Under the minimalist program all valency changing
processes are considered as heads and valency changing processes that add an extra
argument build a new Spec- head relationship for the licensed head.
Chapter four is a development of chapter three as it discusses the combination of
several valency changing processes in the verb. To begin with co-occurrence of
valency increasing processes is analyzed followed by the co-occurrence of valency
decreasing processes. Further the valency increasing and decreasing processes are
combined in a co-occurrence test. Analysis of data in this chapter shows that valency
changing derivational affixes do not combine in haphazard manner in the verb but
there is an order of co-occurrence. The most complex Kikamba derived verb has four
valency changing affixes. The morphological and syntactic information presented by
the co-occurrence is well analyzed by the checking theory but implied arguments
cannot be represented.
Chapter five provides a summary of research finding and conclusion by giving are
review of research problem objectives and hypothesis of the study. | en_US |
dc.language.iso | en | en_US |
dc.publisher | University of Nairobi | en_US |
dc.rights | Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States | * |
dc.rights.uri | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/ | * |
dc.subject | The Morphosyntax of Kikamba Verb Derivations- a Minimalist Approach | en_US |
dc.title | The Morphosyntax of Kikamba Verb Derivations- a Minimalist Approach | en_US |
dc.type | Thesis | en_US |