A survey of Northern Sotho grammatical descriptions since 1876

Abstract

Language is inherently a dynamic system, a fact which is also reflected in the grammatical treatment of Northern Sotho. The various changes which have marked the linguistic description of this Bantu language in the course of its history, have prompted the present survey. The thesis also presents a bird's-eye view on as many contributions and views as possible which have appeared on Northern Sotho grammatical issues, since this language received its first authoritative grammar book In 1876 by Karl Endemann. In order to place the linguistic inquiry of Northern Sotho into perspective before individual grammatical descriptions are attended to, the survey is organised into two parts. Part ONE reflects on the nature of linguistic periods in general (Chapter 1) and on four major periods which rnay be identified in the development of Bantu grammar, namely the traditional period (Chapter 2), the functional or Dokeian period (Chapter 3), the structural period or Van Wyk era (Chapter 4) and the modern period (Chapter 5). The boundaries of these periods as well as the theories which have risen to prominence during the four arbitrary time spans are especially considered through the glasses of the Northern Sotho grammarian. It is indicated that the analysis of grammatical phenomena at different times In the history of Bantu linguistics, does not necessarily correspond with concurrent developments in general linguistic science. Some theories applied on the international level only filtered through to Bantu linguistics when their novelty had already started wearing off. Not all frameworks which became available have impacted the grammatical description of the Bantu languages in general and of Northern Sotho In particular to the same extent. In addition, not all grammatical categories are equally susceptible to treatment within certain schools of thought. Frameworks of linguistic inquiry therefore have had to be uniquely identified for Northern Sotho. In Part TWO selected word categories as they have been treated in various Northern Sotho contributions since 1876, are brought into focus against the background of the grammatical periods. While Chapter 6 investigates non-predicative categories, Chapter 7 retraces the development of certain predicative categories and constructions.