| dc.description.abstract | This study is an attempt to describe the empty categories in Gichuka synchronic syntax
within the framework of Government-Binding theory as proposed in Chomsky (1981).
The research problem mainly focused on examining the evidence of empty categories in
Gichuka synchronic syntax. This thesis claims that the majority of the empty categories
suggested by Chomsky (1981) are not a property of universal grammar but parametric
variations or option-points whose presence or absence in a particular language is
determined by the structure of the language under investigation. Additionally, the thesis
claims that Government-Binding approach suggested by Chomsky (1981) cannot
independently provide an adequate account of the syntax of Gichuka since as it emerged
in the study, the language has a complex array of morphological operations and discourse
related factors such as stress and focus which are far beyond the descriptions suggested in
the modules of Government-Binding theory.
It is claimed in this thesis that interplay of morphology, syntax and discourse in Gichuka
syntax can best be captured through a morpho-syntactic approach since the Government-
Binding theory seems incapable of taking care of determining factors such as noun
incorporation, and complex word order that result from morphological processes of
verbal inflection and derivation. This is demonstrated in the thesis where Government-
Binding theory runs into theory internal tensions in handling morphological derivational
processes of passivization, refiexivization, subject incorporation, object incorporation and
other valence increasing and reducing mechanisms.
Chapter one of this thesis describes the background of the language, the research
problems, hypotheses, the rationale, scope and limitation, the review of literature, the
research methodology and the significance of the study.
Chapter two focuses on the argument positions in Gichuka, the morphological processes
such as refiexivization, passivization, subject prefixes, object prefixes and other valence
increasing and reducing mechanisms. The chapter also describes the X-bar syntax of
basic Gichuka sentence with the aim to outline the argument structure of the Gichuka
verbal complex.
Chapter three describes the empty categories in the syntax of Gichuka. It is in this chapter
that the presence and/or absence of the empty categories in Gichuka is determined.
In chapter four, the thesis assumes a comparative approach and describes the universality
of empty categories in the universal grammar but using Gichuka data as a point of
reference. It emerges in this chapter that only PRO and NP-traces are properties of
universal grammar unlike the rest of the empty categories suggested in Chomsky (1981)
which the thesis claims that they are parametric variations. Additionally, chapter four
resolves some of the theoretical problems suggested in chapter three using a feature
checking approach suggested in Chomsky (1993, 1995).
In chapter five, the thesis provides a detailed summary of the research findings and
relates them to the objectives of the study. This chapter ends with a set of
recommendations for further research areas in the language under consideration . | en |
