IDEOPHONES AS LINGUISTIC “REBELS”: THE EXTRA-SYSTEMATICITY OF IDEOPHONES IN XHOSA (PART 1)

• Authors: Andrason Alex
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

This paper contributes to the study of structural distinctiveness of the category of ideophony. The author analyses the extent to which Xhosa ideophones exhibit the so-called extra-systematic properties, which cross-linguistically tend to distinguish ideophones from other lexical classes. The analysis demonstrates that ideophones are relatively extra-systematic in Xhosa, although their extra-systematicity is not unitary. It is the largest in morphology, slightly less visible in phonology, and only residual in syntax. It is proposed that the distinct degrees of extra-systematicity are related to differences in grammaticalization and a gradual integration of ideophones into the Xhosa grammar – with the adjustment in syntax occurring faster than the morphological adaptation. In this paper – the first in a series of two articles – the author deals with methodological issues and introduces evidence related to the phonology and morphology of ideophones in Xhosa.

Keywords

EN

IDEOPHONES; XHOSA; COGNITIVE LINGUISTICS

• Publisher: Institute of Oriental Studies, Slovak Academy of Sciences
• Journal: Asian and African Studies
• Year: 2020
• Volume: 29
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 119 – 165

Contributors

author

Andrason Alex

• Department of Ancient Studies, Department of African Languages, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, 7600, South Africa