| dc.description.abstract | In examining certain structures of the East Cushitic language Hadiyya,
this thesis, in keeping with recent trends, adopts a mono-stratal framework,
framed in terms of the mathematical operation of Unification;
namely Head-driven Phrase Structure Grammar (HPSG). Chapter 1 is devoted
to an exposition of the model employing situation semantics.
Chapter 2 discusses the categories of noun, noun phrase, and verb. The
discussion centres on the basic morphological categories of Person, Number,
Gender and Case, and the variety of verbal forms which are relevant
to an appreciation of following chapters, and a tentative (partial) feature
system is set out.
Chapter 3 deals with the mono-clausal sentence, briefly expounding basic
sentence types, with the focus of the chapter on the issues of subcategorisation,
constituent order, "pro-drop", and agreement. Several revisions
of the formalism are proposed, and a general goal formulated.
Part II deals with nexus mechanisms. First is a short chapter, 4, on
canonical coordination as it occurs in Hadiyya, in which an attempt is
made to formalise resolution rules, and a broader, cross-linguistic look
is taken at the categories of Person, Gender and Number in coordinate
phrases. Some of Hadiyya's other lexical connectors are also briefly
considered. In the two final chapters, both subordinative and coordinative
systems are reviewed, and these chapters provide an end-focus to
the study. Chapter 5, discusses the adverbial clause, and the complementation
system, while Chapter 6 covers clause chaining/ serialisation,
switch reference, and the encoding of simultaneous events, in which
agreement and control questions are addressed.
A short final chapter brings together some of the major theoretical
suggestions arising.
- | en |
