Indefiniteness in the Zulu Noun Phrase (NP)

Abstract

In this article, the property of indefiniteness is explored within the generative framework of the theory of Government and Binding to clarify the position of the property within the theory and the extent of its influence in the Zulu noun phrase. The property of indefiniteness is associated with the internal argument of predicate structures in Zulu where it is influenced by the negative element. It is also associated with the adjunct NP in expletive sentences with khona (there) as a copulative predicate. The property of indefiniteness is seen to influence the genitive modifiers of all classes of genitive, as an optional property in the NP. However a definiteness feature associated with some modifiers of the NP, can prevent the influence of the indefiniteness property being associated with all modifiers of the Zulu NP.