Synesis in Grammar : Some Examples from Swahili Mass Media

Abstract

This paper delves deeply into synesis, which refers to notional agreement based on meaning. There are two types of grammatical agreement, namely normative formal agreement and meaning-based notional agreement. Normative formal agreement is rather strict and clear-cut, while notional agreement reveals idiosyncratic and indeterminate nature in human cognitive inference. Drawn largely from Swahili mass media, a number of examples of notional agreement are shown and analyzed to prove how it relates to the cognitive processing of information and eventually results in idiosyncrasy and grammatical variation. Relying on only form as a basis for grammatical agreement turns out to be incomplete and does not exactly reflect the grammatical structure as a whole. In this sense an understanding of notional agreement complements normative formal agreement. Form and meaning are equally important as factors that trigger grammatical agreement. For grammatical description to be more inclusive and comprehensive, one needs to give serious and due consideration to notional agreement Function derived from meaning begets structure, and structure begets function in a mutually constitutive way. This paper has clearly espoused the functional approach to grammatical structure and categories. There has been a hiatus between prescriptivism and actual language use. Definitely actual language use needs to be properly accounted for.

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