The Significance of Word Order Variation in Iraqw Sentences
Corresponding Author(s) : Chrispina Alphonce
Journal of Humanities & Social Science (JHSS),
Vol. 10 No. 4 (2021)
Abstract
This paper investigates the significance of word order variation in Iraqw, a Southern Cushitic language found in Tanzania. The paper is based on the communicative approach in analysing the variation of word order beyond the grammatical point of view. By scrutinizing the syntax of Iraqw, this paper hopes to make a welcome contribution to the comparative syntax of Cushitic languages scattered across the northern sub-Saharan area (Sudan, e.g., Beja; Ethiopia, e.g., Oromo; Somalia, e.g., Somali; Eritrea, e.g., Afar; and Tanzania, e.g., Gorwa, Alagwa, and Burunge). The primary data presented in this paper were collected from a sample of Iraqw native speakers living in Mbulu. Supplementary data came from Iraqw documentary materials. The findings revealed new generalizations about Iraqw syntax. Firstly, although the basic word order of the Iraqw sentence is SOV1, this order is not always fixed in that it is affected by the communicative needs of the communicator. Secondly, grammatical agreement between the arguments and the verb enables flexible positioning of elements to reflect their information status in the discourse. Thus, either the subject or object and the verb can be re-ordered. Thirdly, the re-ordering of elements follows the rule that communication always develops from what is known (topic) to what is unknown (comment) in the context. The topic thus tends to occur in sentence-initial position, and the comment is placed in sentence-final position. It could be concluded that permutation of elements in the sentences is therefore determined by pragmatic and informational criteria.
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- Alphonce, A. 2010. The Significance of Word Order Variation in Iraqw Sentence Structure: Unpublished M a Dissertation, University of Dar es Salaam. Comrie, B. 1989. Language Universals and Linguistic Typology (2nd Edn.). Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Dryer, M. S. 1997. On the 6–Way Word Order Typology. Studies in Language, 21: 69–103. —. 2007. Word Order. in T. Shopen. (Ed.): Language Typology and Syntactic Description, III: Grammatical Categories and the Lexicon, (2nd Edn ): 61–131. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Firbas, J. 1992. Functional Sentence Perspective in Written and Spoken Communication. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Givo?n, T. 2001. Syntax: An Introduction II. Amsterdam: John Benjamin?S Publishing Company. Greenberg, J. H. (Ed.),. 1966. Universals of Languages. Cambridge: M.I.T Press.
- Gundel, J. K. & T. Fretheim. 2004. Topic and Focus. in L. Horn and G. Ward (Eds.): Handbook of Pragmatic Theory, 175–196. Malden/Oxford: Blackwell. Halliday, M. 1967. Notes on Transitivity and Theme in English. Part 1 and 2. Journal of Linguistics, 3: 37–81. 199–244. Kiessling, R. 1998. Iraqw Text. Köln: Rüdiger Köppe. —. 2000. Some Salient Features of Southern Cushitic (Common West Rift). Hamburg. Lambrecht, K. 1994. Information Structure and Sentence-Form: Topic, Focus and the Mental Representation of Discourse Referents. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Lirola, M. M. 2006. An Approximation to the Communicative Values of Reversed-Pseudo Cleft Sentences in Alan Paton’s Novels. Revista Virtual De Estudos Da Linguagem, 4(6). Maghway, J. B. 1995. Some Salient Linguistic Features of an Iraqw Narrative Text. Tokyo: FUJIWARWA Printing Co. Ltd. —. 2003. The Prosody of Question in Iraqw. Journal of Linguistics and Languages in Education, 5: 51–65. Mous, M. 1993. A Grammar of Iraqw. Köln: Rüdiger Köppe. —. 2001. Alagwa Basic Syntax. in Z. Andrzej (Ed.): New Data and New Methods in Afroasiatic Linguistics. 125–135. Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz. Mwamzandi, M. Y. 2014. Swahili Word Order Choices: Insights from Information Structure. PhD dissertation, the University of Texas at Arlington. Nordbustad, F. 1988. Iraqw Grammar: An Analytical Study of Theiraqw Language. Berlin: Dietrich Reimer. Rafajlovi?ova?, R. 2010. Variation of Clause Patterns: Reordering the Information in a Message. In A. Ka?ma?rova? (Ed.), English Matters: A Collection of Papers by the Department of English Language and Literature Faculty, 30–36. Prešov: University of Prešov. Stockwell, R. P. 1977. Foundations of Syntactic Theory, Los Angeles, University of California.
References
Alphonce, A. 2010. The Significance of Word Order Variation in Iraqw Sentence Structure: Unpublished M a Dissertation, University of Dar es Salaam. Comrie, B. 1989. Language Universals and Linguistic Typology (2nd Edn.). Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Dryer, M. S. 1997. On the 6–Way Word Order Typology. Studies in Language, 21: 69–103. —. 2007. Word Order. in T. Shopen. (Ed.): Language Typology and Syntactic Description, III: Grammatical Categories and the Lexicon, (2nd Edn ): 61–131. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Firbas, J. 1992. Functional Sentence Perspective in Written and Spoken Communication. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Givo?n, T. 2001. Syntax: An Introduction II. Amsterdam: John Benjamin?S Publishing Company. Greenberg, J. H. (Ed.),. 1966. Universals of Languages. Cambridge: M.I.T Press.
Gundel, J. K. & T. Fretheim. 2004. Topic and Focus. in L. Horn and G. Ward (Eds.): Handbook of Pragmatic Theory, 175–196. Malden/Oxford: Blackwell. Halliday, M. 1967. Notes on Transitivity and Theme in English. Part 1 and 2. Journal of Linguistics, 3: 37–81. 199–244. Kiessling, R. 1998. Iraqw Text. Köln: Rüdiger Köppe. —. 2000. Some Salient Features of Southern Cushitic (Common West Rift). Hamburg. Lambrecht, K. 1994. Information Structure and Sentence-Form: Topic, Focus and the Mental Representation of Discourse Referents. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Lirola, M. M. 2006. An Approximation to the Communicative Values of Reversed-Pseudo Cleft Sentences in Alan Paton’s Novels. Revista Virtual De Estudos Da Linguagem, 4(6). Maghway, J. B. 1995. Some Salient Linguistic Features of an Iraqw Narrative Text. Tokyo: FUJIWARWA Printing Co. Ltd. —. 2003. The Prosody of Question in Iraqw. Journal of Linguistics and Languages in Education, 5: 51–65. Mous, M. 1993. A Grammar of Iraqw. Köln: Rüdiger Köppe. —. 2001. Alagwa Basic Syntax. in Z. Andrzej (Ed.): New Data and New Methods in Afroasiatic Linguistics. 125–135. Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz. Mwamzandi, M. Y. 2014. Swahili Word Order Choices: Insights from Information Structure. PhD dissertation, the University of Texas at Arlington. Nordbustad, F. 1988. Iraqw Grammar: An Analytical Study of Theiraqw Language. Berlin: Dietrich Reimer. Rafajlovi?ova?, R. 2010. Variation of Clause Patterns: Reordering the Information in a Message. In A. Ka?ma?rova? (Ed.), English Matters: A Collection of Papers by the Department of English Language and Literature Faculty, 30–36. Prešov: University of Prešov. Stockwell, R. P. 1977. Foundations of Syntactic Theory, Los Angeles, University of California.