LANGUAGE IN INDIA

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Volume 23:8 August 2023
ISSN 1930-2940

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Negation and First Phase Syntax

Dr. Moumita Dey, M.A., Ph.D.

Abstract

Negation has been a predominating subject across languages and language families, especially with regards to its relationship with predicates and verbal positions. Different theories debate on NegPs either being above or lower to TPs in the structure.

In this paper, I aim to present the two different negative positions for the two types of negative forms – the one adverbial and the other clausal – in the Indo-Aryan language of Bangla. The study is based on the relationship between the semantics of the negative operators and the event structure of the verbs on a decomposed framework as has been advanced by Ramchand (2008).

Based on the study of Bangla negative forms, their semantics, their association with the predicational heads in clauses, we find that there are two different Neg phrases projected on the functional sequence, following Cinque (1999). There is a lower NegP, having a negative operator, functioning as a modifier and there is a higher NegP, with a negative operator functioning as its head. Hence, there are two different positions for two types of negative forms, with two different roles, on the functional sequence in Bangla. The present paper thus reflects upon the representation of negation in association with the decomposed verbal stem.

Keywords: Negation, first phase syntax, event structure decomposition, Bangla, light verbs

1. Introduction

The domain of negation is as richly analysed and debated upon in literature, as is the subject of Verbs and their structure. Therefore, when examining the semantic-categorial features of the verbs using Ramchandian framework (2008) of Event Structure Decomposition, it looks rather interesting to explore ‘negation’ under this framework and study how negative markers can be positioned on the functional sequence of the verbs’ decomposed event structure. This paper aims to investigate the representation of negation, the two basic negative markers - ‘ni’ and ‘na’, in the Indo-Aryan language of Bangla, to see their association with the decomposed verbal stem, as has been advanced by Ramchand (2008). Bangla, being an agreement free language, shows differences with regards to the projection of these two negative forms. It is interesting to note that while one of them behaves as a constituent negation and is directly a part of the decomposed verbal stem, the other is more of a sentential negative head.

Bangla, one of the widely spoken languages of the Indo-Aryan family, has two different forms of negation - one finite and the other non-finite. The finite form of negation is ‘ni’ whereas the non-finite form of negation, that is to say, the form of negative marker that is used with non-finite verbs is ‘na’. The Bangla negative morpheme, ‘na’, is somewhat a special form of negation (Ramchand, 2004), used always with non-finite verbal forms, along with its use in tag questions and conditional statements.

This is only the beginning part of the article. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE IN PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION.

Dr. Moumita Dey, M.A., Ph.D.
Holy Cross College, Agartala
smoumitadey@gmail.com
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