1. Aspectual and focal functions of Cognate Head-Dependent Constructions: Evidence from Africa.
- Author
-
Bond, Oliver and Anderson, Gregory D. S.
- Subjects
- *
COGNATE words , *LEXICAL access , *AFRICAN languages , *SYNTAX (Grammar) , *REDUPLICATION (Linguistics) , *ETYMOLOGY - Abstract
Cognate Head-Dependent Constructions (CHDCs) are employed across numerous genera in Africa to signpost alternations in the aspectual characteristics of a predicate or the information focus of a clause. The co-occurrence of a finite lexical verb (the cognate head) and an etymologically related (deverbal) noun or non-finite verb form (the cognate dependent) in such structures is interpreted with reference to the scalar semantics of events and properties. Within this areal typology, CHDCs are employed to indicate either (i) a high point relative to a norm on a semantic scale or (ii) a conventionally low-ranked possibility, in order to implicitly contrast possible alternatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2014
- Full Text
- View/download PDF