THE LOCATIVE IN LUGANDA: A SYNTAX- INTERFACES APPROACH By NKONGE D. KIYINIKIBI Dissertation presented for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at Stellenbosch University Supervisor: Professor Marianna Visser March 2021 Stellenbosch University https://scholar.sun.ac.za DECLARATION By submitting this dissertation electronically, I declare that the entirety of the work contained therein is my own, original work, that I am the sole author thereof (save to the extent explicitly otherwise stated), that reproduction and publication thereof by Stellenbosch University will not infringe any third party rights and that I have not previously in its entirety or in part submitted it for obtaining any qualification Date: March 2021 Copyright © 2021 Stellenbosch University All rights reserved i Stellenbosch University https://scholar.sun.ac.za ABSTRACT This dissertation investigates intransitive and transitive active, passive, neuter-passive (stative) verb constructions with locatives, including locative inversion constructions in Luganda, a Bantu language spoken in Uganda. Locatives and locative inversion have received considerable attention in research on Bantu languages, however limited research has been done on constructions containing locatives for Luganda adopting a syntax-interfaces approach, as is assumed for the current study. This study examines the permissibility of locative inversion with intransitive and transitive verbs, and their associated interpretations in the constructions in which they occur, with respect to properties of argument structure, definiteness and specificity, information structure and event semantics. The interpretative properties exemplified in active, passive and neuter-passive (stative) verb constructions containing a locative, are thus correlated with their properties of argument structure, i.e. thematic role interpretation of DP constituents in various structural positions, such as the subject position and the postverbal position, including locative inversion, as an argument alternation construction. The study furthermore examines the properties of argument structure exemplified in active passive and stative verb constructions as these relate to the analysis of event semantics, particularly the causative/anti-causative distinction, relevant to identifying aspectual verb class, i.e. situation type, as posited by Smith (1997). The study thus investigates how the interpretative properties of intransitive and transitive active, passive and stative verb constructions containing a locative, including locative inversion constructions, correlate with particular morphosyntactic properties of argument structure and the event structure these constructions exemplify. Taking into account these properties a small clause analysis is proposed for (some) locative inversion constructions that have an anti-causative interpretation Thus, the properties of argument structure and event semantics interpretation are invoked in providing evidence for positing an ergative verb syntax for (some) locative inversion constructions in terms of proposals by Hoekstra and Mulder (1990), and views of Pross (2020) concerning a dispositional ascription reading for the subject argument of some locative inversion constructions. The study thus explores the syntax interface of argument structure and event semantics (i.e. aspectual verb type), taking into account the properties of the event expressed in the sentence variants with respect to the features [+/- Dynamic], (where causative semantics is generally, but not exclusively, associated with agentivity), [+/- ii Stellenbosch University https://scholar.sun.ac.za Telic], and [+/- Durative] in determining the situation type of various sentences as an activity, accomplishment, achievement event/situation, or an (habitual) state (according to proposals of Smith, 1997; Boneh and Doron, 2013; Choi and Fara, 2018). The study furthermore examines the semantic-pragmatic properties of definiteness and specificity of DP constituents in a range of intransitive and transitive active, passive, and neuter-passive (i.e. stative) verb construction variants. These properties are explored in respect to the (non)-occurrence of the locative applicative suffix, the locative clitic, and the (non-)occurrence of the pre-prefix of the noun in the postverbal DP in some sentence constructions, invoking Lyons’s (1999) notions of familiarity, identifiability, inclusiveness and uniqueness, in analysing the semantic-pragmatic factors of the speaker and hearer/ addressee knowledge in discourse context. The study explores, in addition, the interface of syntax and information structure in active, passive and neuter-passive sentence constructions containing a locative in examining the information structural status of various constituents, including DP, v/VP, and the clausal projection, with regard to focus, topic, and contrast, invoking in particular, Repp’s (2016) three-fold distinction of explicit alternative, explicit alternative set, and implicit alternative, and views from Lambrecht (1994) and Krifka et al (1995) regarding the syntacticization of information structural notions. The interpretative properties of constituents examined in the intransitive and transitive active, passive, and neuter-passive (stative) verb construction variants are invoked to posit a focus phrase projection on the left edge (periphery) of DP, v/VP complex, and the clausal phrase, for particular constituents. The issues addressed in this examination, on the interface of information structure and morphosyntax, assumes, in particular, the cartography studies perspective of generative syntax concerning the postulation of discourse-related projections in the left-periphery of constituents, in positing structural representations, taking into account information structural properties in the respective sentence constructions. The Focus phrase, and the focus-related feature specification of the Focus head, receive particular attention in this regard. iii Stellenbosch University https://scholar.sun.ac.za OPSOMMING Hierdie proefskrif ondersoek intransitiewe en transitiewe aktiek, passief, en neutro-passief (statiewe) werkwoord konstruksies met lokatiewe, insluitende lokatief inversie konstruksies in Lunganda, ‘n Afrikataal van Uganda. Lokatiewe en lokatief inversie het aansienlike aandag ontvang in navorsing oor Afrikatale, maar beperkte navorsing is egter gedoen oor konstruksies wat lokatiewe bevat vir Luganda vanuit ‘n sintaksis-raakvlak benadering soos aanvaar word vir hierdie studie. Die studie ondersoek die toelaatbaarheid van lokatief inversie en intransitiewe en transitiewe werkwoorde, repektiewelik, en die geassosieerde interpretasies van die konstruksies waarin hulle verskyn, rakende die eienskappe van argumentstruktuur, bepaaldheid en spesifisiteit, informasiestruktuur, en gebeurtenis (‘event’) semantiek. Die interpretatiewe eienskappe vertoon in aktief, passief en neutro-passief (statief) werkwoordkonstruksies wat ‘n lokatief bevat word dus gekorreleer met hulle eienskappe rakende argumentstruktuur, dit is, tematiese rol interpretasie van DP konstituente in verskillende strukturele posisies, soos byvoorbeeld die subjekposisie en die na- werkwoordelike posisie, insluitende lokatief inversie, as ‘n argument alternasie konstruksie Die studie ondersoek voorts die eienskappe van argumentstruktuur vertoon in aktief, passief en neutro-passief (statief) werkwoordkonstruksies soos wat hierdie eienskappe verband hou met gebeurtenis (‘event’) semantiek, in die besonder die kousatief/anti-kousatief onderskeid, relevant tot die identifisering van aspektuele werkwoordklas dit is, situasie tipe, soos gepostuleer deur Smith (1997). Die studie ondersoek sodoende hoe die interpretatiewe eienskappe van intransitiewe en transitiewe aktief, passief en neutro-passief (statief) werkwoordkonstruksies wat ‘n lokatief bevat, insluitende lokatief inversie konstruksies, korrelleer met spesifieke morfosintaktiese eienskappe van argumentstruktuur en die gebeurtenis (‘event’) struktuur wat hierdie konstruksies vertoon. Met inagneming van hierdie eienskappe word ‘n ‘klein’ s in (‘small clause’) analise voorgestel vir sommige tipes lokatief inversie konstruksies wat ‘n anti-kousatiewe interpretasie het. Aldus, word die eienskappe van argumentstruktuur en gebeurtenis (‘event’) semantiek ontgin in die gee van evidensie vir die postulering van ‘n ergatiewe werkwoord sintaksis in terme van voorstelle van Hoekstra en Mulder (1990) en gesigspunte van Pross (2020) rakende ‘n disposisie toekennings interpretasie vir die subjek van sommge loaktief inversie konstruksies Die studie ondersoek sodoende die raakvlak van argumentstruktuur en gebeurtenis semantiek (dit is, aspektuele werkwoord tipe), met inagneming van die eienskappe van die gebeurtenis (‘event’) uitgedruk iv Stellenbosch University https://scholar.sun.ac.za in die verskillende sinsvariante met betrekking tot die kenmerke [+/- Dinamies] waar kousatiewe semantiek in die algemeen, maar nie uitsluitlik nie, geassoseer word met agentskap (‘agentivity’), [+/- Teliek], en [+/- Duratief] in die vasstelling van die situasietipe van verskillende sinne as ‘n aktiwiteit vervulling (‘accomplishment’), bereiking (‘achievement’), of ‘n (habituele) toestand (volgens voorstelle van Smith 1997; Boneh en Doron, 2013; Choi en Fara, 2018). Die studie ondersoek voorts die semanties-pragmatiese kenmerke van bepaaldheid en spesifisiteit van DP konstituente in verskillende intransitiewe en transitiewe aktief,