Contrastiveness and the so-called absolute pronoun in Northern Sotho

Abstract

In this article the verb:object relationship is investigated with regard to indicative main clauses in Northern Sotho. The major objective is to prove that the verb:object relationship differs from the verb:subject relationship, in as much as objects are semantically more closely associated with verbs than subjects are. The Northern Sotho data which are presented in support of this hypothesis relate to the distributional properties of (a) the so-called ‘absolute pronouns’ and (b) the ‘imperfect tense morpheme a’ in the verb of indicative main clauses. It is concluded, inter alia, that traditional views on both the absolute pronoun and the ‘long form’ of the imperfect indicative verb need revision.