Locative construction in Kiswahili : a Pragmatic approach

Abstract

In Swahili, locative nouns carrying the suffix -ni, and locative applicative constructions both exhibit non-prototypical characteristics from a grammatical perspective. Considered from a pragmatic perspective, we see that both constructions are exploited in the language in certain contexts to show topic or focus. They are manipulated by speakers in such a way as to interact with a hearer's cognitive processes, in order that she arrives at the correct interpretation of an utterance as efficiently as possible. In the case of nouns with the -ni suffix, the exploitation of these constructions in subject position to indicate topic prevents us from drawing conclusions too quickly about their grammatical status. In the case of locative applicatives, we see that Swahili takes advantage of their nonprototypical behaviour in order to express a particular kind of focus. This study makes use of both Lambrecht's study of information structure, and Sperber and Wilson's relevance theory, in an attempt to explain the interaction between these two grammatical constructions and the cognitive processes of interpretation.