Syntax of Locative Inverstion and Related Constructions in Setswana (Paperback)

The book focuses on the status of the preverbal locative, the post-verbal noun phrase and the expletive subject marker go- in locative inversion constructions and related constructions Setswana. In particular, focus is on the interaction of grammatical positions with discourse functions, that contribute to information structure. It is argued that in Setswana, the preverbal locative NP in these constructions is not the subject but topic setting the scene for the focused post-verbal NP. The class 17 subject marker go- is an expletive subject because it occurs in subjectless clauses. The study also provides Lexical Functional Grammar account of these information-packaging constructions in Setswana.