Department of African Languages, University of the Free State –QwaQwa Campus
Vol.3 No.1 (Serial No.3) 2009
67-83
2009-10-01
This article examines constituent negation in Sesotho. It investigates negation of the object argument in clauses with non-copulative verbs. In the case of non-copulative verbs, transitive and di-transitive constructions will be considered. The article argues that Sesotho does not have a direct means of negating clausal constituents but employs clauses such as cleft sentences and clauses with AGRS [ho] as well as contrastive clauses to effect negation. It further examines negation in terms of Haegeman’s (1995) Neg-Criterion, the well-formedness condition that determines the distribution and interpretation of negative elements. It gives a brief overview of grammatical concepts regarding negation and the notion object argument in its focus and post verbal positions, and explains how constituent negation, [the object argument] is realized in Sesotho.
negation, object, Sesotho
doi:10.26478/ja2009.3.3.3
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