Swahili quasi-passives; the question of context

Russell, Joan

doi:10.1075/ssls.6.20rus

Cited by 27 publications

(9 citation statements)

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“…Patient inversion is better known in the literature as subject-object reversal, 5 and, with the possible exception of locative inversion, the construction has been described and analysed more extensively than other inversion constructions (Whiteley and Mganga 1969, Bokamba 1979, Russell 1985, Ndayiragije 1999, Morimoto 2000, Henderson 2011, Marten and Gibson 2013. Our choice of the term 'patient inversion' is in keeping with our use of thematic roles for classifying inversion constructions.…”

Section: Patient Inversion (Subject-object Reversal)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Restrictions on predicates have been extensively discussed with respect to variation in formal locative inversion, where it has been argued that different languages allow different predicate types to take part in the inversion (Demuth and Mmusi 1997, Marten 2006, Khumalo 2010. Similarly, with respect to patient inversion (subject-object reversal) Whiteley and Mganga (1969) and Russell (1985) provide a catalogue of predicates available in the construction, and Gibson (2008) describes different semantic constraints on participating predicates in terms of container and contained image schemas. The transitivity restrictions which appear to play an important part in variation of inversion constructions give rise to a specific implicational hierarchy of predicate types:…”

Section: Thematic/lexical Restrictions On (The Transitivity Of) the Pmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Another aspect of the construction is related to the verbs taking part in it, and it has been noted that semantic and pragmatic aspects of the construction vary with respect to the lexical semantics of the predicate (Russell 1985, Morimoto 2000, Gibson 2008). …”

Section: Patient Inversion (Subject-object Reversal)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Another aspect of the construction is that it may add emphasis not only on the logical subject but on the action overall (Whiteley and Mganga 1969, Whiteley 1972, Russell 1985 (27) Wimbo u-ta-imb-a wa-tu mia. [Swahili] 11.song SM11-FUT-sing-FV 2-person hundred 'A hundred people will sing the song.'…”

Section: Patient Inversion (Subject-object Reversal)mentioning

confidence: 99%

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A typology of Bantu subject inversion

Marten¹,

Wal²

2014

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This study charts variation in subject inversion constructions in Bantu languages. It distinguishes between seven types of inversion constructions: formal locative inversion, semantic locative inversion, instrument inversion, patient inversion, (clausal) complement inversion, default agreement inversion and agreeing inversion. Based on a set of nine surface variables, a matrix of inversion constructions is developed which identifies characteristics of the set of constructions overall as well as of each individual construction type. The distribution of the different inversion constructions is documented with reference to a sample of 46 Bantu languages, from which geographical and typological generalisations are drawn. For example, languages with instrument inversion or with patient inversion always have locative inversion (but not vice versa), or if a language has at least one inversion construction, it always has at least either default agreement inversion or agreeing inversion. Finally, underlying parameters potentially accounting for the variation are discussed, such as the status of preverbal locatives as DP or PP, the agreement parameter and the syntactic and thematic restrictions on the preverbal element.

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Section: Patient Inversion (Subject-object Reversal)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Thematic/lexical Restrictions On (The Transitivity Of) the Pmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Patient Inversion (Subject-object Reversal)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Patient Inversion (Subject-object Reversal)mentioning

confidence: 99%

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A typology of Bantu subject inversion

Marten¹,

Wal²

2014

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“…7-airfield SM7-PRS-land-FV 9.aeroplane 'An aeroplane has landed on the airfield (so the airfield is in use again).' (Whiteley & Mganga 1969, Whiteley 1972, Russell 1985 Bantu languages, subjects cannot be questioned (or focused) in-situ, and subject questions take either the form of a cleft, or an inversion construction (see e.g. Zerbian 2006).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Structure building and thematic constraints in Bantu inversion constructions

Marten

Gibson

2015

J. Ling.

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Bantu inversion constructions include locative inversion, patient inversion (also called subject–object reversal), semantic locative inversion and instrument inversion. The constructions show a high level of cross-linguistic variation, but also a core of invariant shared morphosyntactic and information structural properties. These include: that the preverbal position is filled by a non-agent NP triggering verbal agreement, that the agent follows the verb obligatorily, that object marking is disallowed, and that the preverbal NP is more topical, and the postverbal NP more focal. While previous analyses have tended to concentrate on one inversion type, the present paper develops a uniform analysis of Bantu inversion constructions. Adopting a Dynamic Syntax perspective, we show how the constructions share basic aspects of structure building and semantic representation. In our analysis, cross-linguistic differences in the distribution of inversion constructions result from unrelated parameters of variation, as well as from thematic constraints related to the thematic hierarchy. With some modification, the analysis can also be extended to passives.

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Grammatical Voice

Zúñiga

Kittilä

2019

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Swahili quasi-passives; the question of context

Cited by 27 publications

References 0 publications

A typology of Bantu subject inversion

A typology of Bantu subject inversion

Structure building and thematic constraints in Bantu inversion constructions

Grammatical Voice

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