The forms and functions of negation in Sesotho

Abstract

The central aim of this research is to find out as to whether the three negative morphemes /ha/, /sa/ and /se/ and one negative word /tjhe/, can perform different functions of negation as stipulated by Schaefer and Masgbor (1984) in the Ibie language. This research will argue that these Sesotho negative categories can perform such functions. The investigation of the functions of negation will be conducted within the psycholinguistic framework of Bloom (1970) while various forms of negation will be investigated within the Generative approaches, and in particular, Beard’s (1995) Lexeme-morpheme based morphology, and the Principles and Parameters theory will be employed to examine the distribution of these morphemes. The following negative morphemes expressing various functions such as non–existance, rejection, denial and prohibition will be explored within copulative verbs and non copulative verbs: i) non-existence morphemes, ii) rejection morphemes, iii) denial morphemes, iv) prohibition morphemes and the negative word which will be reffered to as v) the exppressive negative word.