African languages from a Role and Reference Grammar perspective: Studies on the syntax-semantics-pragmatics interface

book: African languages from a Role and Reference Grammar perspective

Open Access Published by düsseldorf university press 2023

African languages from a Role and Reference Grammar perspective

Studies on the syntax-semantics-pragmatics interface

Edited by: Jens Fleischhauer and Claudius Patrick Kihara

https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110795295

Overview
Contents

About this book

Open Access

The volume is a collection of papers which apply Role & Reference Grammar (RRG) to African languages. RRG is a functional theory of syntax which has been developed on the basis of two leading questions: First, how would a syntactic theory look like which starts from ‘exotic’ languages rather than English? Second, how can the interaction between syntax, semantics and pragmatics in different grammatical systems best modelled and explained? Although RRG took linguistic diversity serious from its very beginning, African languages have been underrepresented in the development of the theory. Given the sheer number African languages deserve a wider coverage in a syntactic theory which takes linguistic diversity seriously. The volume is intended to fill this gap and comprises a selection of papers which investigate different aspects related to the syntax-semantics-pragmatics interface of different African languages. This includes: argument doubling and dislocation in iziZulu, complex referential phrases in Gĩkũyũ, serial verb constructions in Igbo, locative complements in Hausa and Zarma Chiine and focus constructions in Emai. The papers will extent the current RRG approach to new languages and phenomena.

Application of a syntactic theory on scientifically hitherto underrepresented African languages
Extension of the the current Role & Reference Grammar (RRG) approach to new languages and phenomena

Author information

Jens Fleischhauer, Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany; Claudius P. Kihara, Chuka University, Chuka, Kenya.

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	I
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	VII
African languages from a Role and Reference Grammar perspective: An introduction Jens Fleischhauer and Claudius Patrick Kihara Open Access Download PDF	1
A Functional Typology of Igbo Multi-verb Constructions Maduabuchi Sennen Agbo Open Access Download PDF	25
The syntax-semantics interface of serial verb constructions in Kwa languages Anna Riccio Open Access Download PDF	51
Postverbal Qualifiers and Constraints on Contrastive Focus Ronald Schaefer and Francis Egbokhare Open Access Download PDF	77
A Case for the Antipassive in Babungo Ciara Anderson Open Access Download PDF	101
The Morphosyntax of the Gĩkũyũ Complex Reference Phrase Claudius Patrick Kihara Open Access Download PDF	131
Argument doubling and right-dislocation – An RRG analysis of head-marking in isiZulu Jens Fleischhauer Open Access Download PDF	163
Index Open Access Download PDF	193
Language index Open Access Download PDF	195

(Deutsch)

Language: English
Publisher: düsseldorf university press
Audience: linguists, scholars with an interest in functional syntax, the syntax-semantics-pragmatics interface and/or African languages
Pages
- Front matter: 5
- Main content: 196
Illustrations
- Illustrations: 42
- Tables: 1
Keywords: African languages; Argument (linguistics); Information structure; Grammar

eBook

Published: May 8, 2023
ISBN: 9783110795295

Paperback

Published: May 8, 2023
ISBN: 9783110794977