The Argument-Adjunct Scale: Applied Nominal and Locative Phrases in Xhosa

This paper examines the categorial status of applied elements in Xhosa with respect to their argumenthood or adjuncthood. By analyzing the response of nominal and locative applied elements to various criteria and diagnostics and by adopting the hypothesis of a scalar distinction between arguments and adjuncts, the author proposes the following: The applied noun phrase approaches the prototype of argumenthood to a great degree, while the applied locative phrase is placed in the intermediate zone of the continuum, closer to the pole of adjuncthood than the nominal variant. The article provides further evidence that (a) an approximate and relative scale is more realistic than an exact and numerical scale (Forker 2014), and that (b) the valency status of a verb is, to an extent, conditioned by the dependent elements, thus failing to be directly and/or exclusively projected by the verbal head (Arka 2014).