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The (crucial yet neglected) category of interjections in Xhosa

  • Alexander Andrason EMAIL logo and Mawande Dlali
Published/Copyright: August 17, 2020

Abstract

The present paper analyzes the category of interjections in Xhosa within a prototype approach. The evidence demonstrates the robustness and internal complexity of the interjectional category. Interjections ranges from canonical and asystematic to non-canonical and (relatively) systematic, with emotive primary interjections entertaining the highest extent of interjectionality and asystematicity.


Corresponding author: Alexander Andrason, Stellenbosch University, Department of African Languages/Department of Ancient Studies, Ryneveld Street, Matieland, 7602, South Africa, E-mail:

Abbreviations
1 … 15

noun classes

1st

first person

2nd

second person

abs

absolute pronoun

Afr.

Afrikaans

bf

Buffer

cons

consecutive

cop

copulative

dem

demonstrative

Eng.

English

hort

hortative (kha- or ma-; Visser 2015:31)

imp

imperative

loc

locative affix

neg

negative

oa

object agreement

part

particle

pass

passive

past

past tense (the A tense)

perf

perfect (the ILE tense)

pl

plural

pres

present

poss

possessive

pot

potential

rec. comp

recent compound tense (Visser 2015:12–13)

refl

reflexive

rel

relative

sa

subject agreement

sg

singular

sit

situative

subj

subjunctive

voc

vocative

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Published Online: 2020-08-17
Published in Print: 2020-08-27

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