Subcategories of the Shona Subject Relation

Abstract

The article falls under the broad area of syntax and seeks to analyse the subcategories of the subject relation in Shona, a southern Bantu language spoken mainly in Zimbabwe. We assess types of words and phrases that can function as subjects in this language. Our findings show that there are seven subcategories of the subject relation in Shona. The main conclusion that we make is that in Shona mainly noun phrases perform the subject function and in situations where the subject is some piece of old information non-noun phrases do.

DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n27p1621