Komposita in Noord-Sotho

Abstract

The object of this research was to study the compounds of Northern Sotho. In Chapter 1 the problem, aims and the method were established In Chapter 2 a survey of the general bibliography on the subject was given. This study is mainly structural of nature, but preliminary remarks about the T.G.G. on the subject were also taken into account. A broad discussion an the structural view was given In terms of General Linguistics as applied to the African languages. In Chapter 3 language structure and language system was discussed in order to establish a framework wherein the compound could be studied according to the different language disciplines. In Chapter 4 the position of the compound in relation to the other language symbols were established by applying the different word tests of Van Wyk. After it was established that the compound is a word, the linguistic disciplines for example morphology, syntax, semantics and phonology, were appalled in order to describe the compound scientifically. In Chapter 5 the compound was studied morphologically. Its different morphemes were identified. This was followed by describing the syntactic structures o f the compound. It was established that the underlying structure of the compound is a word group. In this process it was found that the syntactic processes, for example reduction and substitution played a major role In the establishment of the compound. In Chapter 6 the semantics of the compound was studied. Paradigmatic and syntagmatic semantic characteristics of the compound in Northern Sotho were identified. It was established that the paradigmatic semantic characteristics of word correlates are inhibited by the syntagmatic relation in order to bring about an unambiguous interpretation. The metaphor was found t o be even more profound in compounds than in non-compounded words. In Chapter 7 the phonological aspects of the compound were discussed. It was discovered that occlusivation played a major role in the establishment of the compound. In Chapter 8 the statistics of 2472 compounds which were compiled in the appendix, were given. It was found that the noun and the verb stem were the most productive components in the formation of compounds. A summary and conclusions were given in Chapter 9. The conclusion was reached that the compound certainly has a place in the language system and that it belongs to the sub-system of the word on grounds of its morphological, syntactic, semantic and phonological characteristics.