A minimalist analysis of obligatory reflexivity in Mihavani

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study focuses on the phenomenon of obligatory reflexivity in the Bantu language Lomwe-Mihavani (referred to as 'Mihavani). The aim of the study is to develop an analysis of this phenomenon in Mihavani within the broad framework of Minimalist Syntax, and more specifically within the framework of the Nominal Shell Analysis of obligatory reflexivity (NSA) proposed by Oosthuizen (2013). In order to achieve this aim, the study firstly provides a non-formalistic description of the reflexive elements in Mihavani, namely the reflexive marker -ii- and the reflexive pronoun -eekha-/-eekhi- ('self), and also of five of the constructions in which they can occur, namely verbal object, small clause, infinitival, expletive and prepositional object constructions. Based on the subsequent analyses of verbal object constructions and (verbal and nominal) infinitival constructions, it is argued that the core hypotheses of the NSA, which were initially proposed for the West-Germanic language Afrikaans, hold for Mihavani as well. The coreferential relationship between, on the one hand, the reflexive marker -ii- or a reflexive pronoun and, on the other hand, its antecedent is claimed to be the result of phi-feature valuation of the reflexive by its antecedent when this antecedent is merged into the specifier position of an identity focus light noun n, the locus of the reflexive marker -ii-. In contrast to previous analyses of reflexivity, the NSA provides a structural account for the coreferential relationship between a reflexive element and its antecedent, which means that lexical features, such as [±anaphor] and [±pronominal], as well as external binding mechanisms, can be dispensed with. It is furthermore argued that the NSA can also account for the coreferential relationship between the subject and the subject marker and the object and the object marker in Mihavani, due to phi-feature valuation inside a nominal shell. It is claimed that the subject marker heads a theme focus nominal shell and selects an overt or covert subject complement, whereas the object marker heads a presentational focus nominal shell and selects an overt or covert object complement. It is also argued that the NSA can account for the interpretation of infinitival nominal constructions (i) containing the reflexive marker -ii- as 'oneself and (ii) containing both the reflexive maker -ii- and a reflexive pronoun as coreferential with either the subject or object of the matrix clause. Based on the NSA, the internal structure of the Mihavani reflexive pronoun is analysed as an identity focus nominal shell as well, headed by the stem -eekha-/-eekhi- ('self). Such an analysis might provide an explanation for Mihavani obligatorily reflexive constructions, which lack the reflexive marker -ii- but contain a reflexive pronoun. This issue is left as a topic for further investigation.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University