A survey of Northern Sotho grammatical descriptions since 1876
Kosch, I. M.
Language is inherently a dynamic system, a fact which is also reflected in the grammatical
treatment of Northern Sotho. The various changes which have marked the linguistic
description of this Bantu language in the course of its history, have prompted the present
survey. The thesis also presents a bird's-eye view on as many contributions and views as
possible which have appeared on Northern Sotho grammatical issues, since this language
received its first authoritative grammar book In 1876 by Karl Endemann.
In order to place the linguistic inquiry of Northern Sotho into perspective before individual
grammatical descriptions are attended to, the survey is organised into two parts. Part ONE
reflects on the nature of linguistic periods in general (Chapter 1) and on four major periods
which rnay be identified in the development of Bantu grammar, namely the traditional period
(Chapter 2), the functional or Dokeian period (Chapter 3), the structural period or Van Wyk
era (Chapter 4) and the modern period (Chapter 5). The boundaries of these periods as well
as the theories which have risen to prominence during the four arbitrary time spans are
especially considered through the glasses of the Northern Sotho grammarian.
It is indicated that the analysis of grammatical phenomena at different times In the history of
Bantu linguistics, does not necessarily correspond with concurrent developments in general
linguistic science. Some theories applied on the international level only filtered through to
Bantu linguistics when their novelty had already started wearing off. Not all frameworks which
became available have impacted the grammatical description of the Bantu languages in
general and of Northern Sotho In particular to the same extent. In addition, not all
grammatical categories are equally susceptible to treatment within certain schools of thought.
Frameworks of linguistic inquiry therefore have had to be uniquely identified for Northern
Sotho.
In Part TWO selected word categories as they have been treated in various Northern Sotho
contributions since 1876, are brought into focus against the background of the grammatical
periods. While Chapter 6 investigates non-predicative categories, Chapter 7 retraces the
development of certain predicative categories and constructions.
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