‘It’ subject constructions in Xitsonga

Abstract

This article examines the referential and the non-referential pronoun ‘it’ subject constructions in Xitsonga, both of which manifest themselves in different forms and contexts. The various forms of the referential subject pronoun follow the class grouping of the antecedent noun or noun-equivalent from which the pronoun is morphosyntactically derived. Specifically, ten forms of the referential subject ‘it’ are distinguished in Xitsonga. These are wona, rona, xona, yona, rona, byona, kona, kona, kona and dyona. It is argued that the form of the non-referential pronoun is informed by the types of clauses in which it occurs. The form ku (it is) appears in subject constructions pinpointing weather clauses, and the form i (it is) occurs in subject expressions referring to time, distances, clefts, identity as well as in noun/infinitive constructions. This article holds that ‘it’ is a subject construction in Xitsonga, and that the referential subject is a semantic-bearing element, whereas the non-referential subject is an empty constituent. This study differs from other studies within the Bantu language family in that it examines the notion of subjecthood from three different theoretical frameworks: the functionalist-typological approach, markedness theory, and theta as a sub-theory of Government and Binding (GB) theory.

Southern African Linguistics and Applied Language Studies 2013, 31(1): 39–59