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A Case Based Account Of Bantu Iav-Focus
(2019-08-13) Selvanathan, Naga
Right dislocation (Cheng & Downing 2012) and movement to a low FocP (van der Wal 2006) are competing analyses of Immediately-After-Verb (IAV) focus. In this paper, I discuss novel Lubukusu IAV focus data which shows that 1) IAV focus requires movement to a low FP and that 2) IAV focus is not a purely focus related phenomenon. Adopting Baker & Collins (2006) analysis of Linkers, I propose that movement to a low FP for focus interpretation is a strategy of case assignment to DPs within the VP. This analysis is shown to be superior to a purely right dislocation analysis as it can also better account for IAV focus asymmetries between Zulu and Lubukusu.
A Closer Look At The Akan Determiner Bi: An Epistemic Indefinite Analysis
(2019-10-28) Owusu, Augustina Pokua
This study aims to shed light on the epistemic indefinite interpretation (EI) of the Akan (Asante Twi) determiner bi which hitherto had not been discussed in the Akan literature. In previous studies, Amfo (2010) and Arkoh (2011) review its referential or specific indefinite interpretation. The current study shows that in addition to the above interpretation when bi is used, the speaker signals that she does not have access to all the information about who or what satisfies the existential claim they are making. I employ Aloni (2001) and Aloni & Port’s (2015) theory of conceptual covers and methods of identification to determine “knowledge” of a referent in a particular context. Conceptual covers are sets of individual concepts which exclusively and exhaustively covers the domain of individuals (Aloni 2001). I show that the epistemic indefinite analysis and the specificity or referential analysis are compatible. When bi is used, the speaker asserts she can name a noteworthy or identifying property about the referent of the NP, which is the referential or specificity interpretation. Additionally, she presupposes that she is ignorant about further characterizing information about the referent, the epistemic indefinite interpretation.
A Corpus Study Of The Swahili Demonstrative Position
(2018-05-23) Mwamzandi, Mohamed
Synchronic studies on Swahili adnominal demonstratives have not addressed the interplay between syntactic position and pragmatic function of these structures. This study shows how referential givenness of discourse entities may explain Swahili word order variation in Swahili adnominal demonstratives. Class 1 (animate nouns) demonstratives are examined in the two attested word orders: NP+DEM and DEM+NP. A close analysis of dataset extracted from the Helsinki Corpus of Swahili reveals that the two structures have distinct pragmatic values. The NP+DEM order is used for active topics while the DEM+NP order reactivates semiactive/inactive topics. This study reveals how the syntax-pragmatics interplay may explain distinct structures viewed as semantic equivalents by native speakers.
A Diachronic Analysis Of The Socio-Semantic Features Of Igbo Personal Names
(2021-10-19) Oweleke, Esther Nwakaego
This paper examines Igbo personal names from the perspectives of anthropological linguistics, socio-semantics, pragmatics and diachrony. It traces the evolution of name-giving within three major eras, pre-Christian (before the 1850s), early-Christian (from 1857--1960s) and Pentecostal (1960s to date) among the Igbo. The data for the study are 300 personal names sourced through interviews with both old and young members of the Igbuzo-Igbo community as well as from class registers of some nursery, primary and secondary schools in Port Harcourt. This paper reveals three interesting and important findings. First, indigenous Igbo names are culturally, semantically and pragmatically significant. Second, the principles and practice of name-giving have undergone some drastic changes through the eras. During the early-Christian and Pentecostal eras, the forces of Christianity, modernization and globalization have resulted in new names that reflect these changes. Third, indigenous names which belong to the core vocabulary of the language are seriously endangered. The paper concludes that if the indigenous names that are replete with meaning, and portray the values, identity and the beauty of the Igbo culture are allowed to die through lack of intergenerational transmission, then this aspect of the language and culture will also die.
A Featural Analysis Of Mid And Downstepped High Tone In Babanki
(2019-08-13) Akumbu, Pius
In this study, I examine the occurrence of the surface Mid (M) and downstepped High (↓H) tone in Babanki, a Central Ring Grassfields Bantu language of Cameroon. Hyman (1979) has demonstrated that Babanki has two underlying tones, namely, High (H) and Low (L), and that on the surface, it contrasts three level tones, H, M, L, plus a downstepped High (↓H). There is also contrast between a falling (L) and a level low (Lo) tone before pause in the language. I demonstrate in this paper that the M tone is from two different phonological sources and derived by the regressive spread of the high register feature of a following H tone while ↓H is caused by the progressive spread of the low register feature of a preceding floating L tone. The M and ↓H tone are phonetically identical in the language but differ in that ↓H establishes a ceiling for following H tones within the same tonal phrase.
A Morphosyntactic Analysis Of Adjectives In Two Kwa Languages: Ga And Dangme
(2018-05-23) Oforiwah Caesar, Regina; Ollennu, Yvonne
The adjective category normally serves as attribute for the nouns in languages that do have them. The paper investigates the morphosyntactic properties of adjectives in two Kwa languages, Ga and Dangme. Both languages have derived and non-derived adjectives. The paper which is mainly descriptive, examines the similarities and differences that exist between these two Kwa languages in terms of their morphological and syntactic features. The paper reveals that though similarities exist in the occurrence of adjectives syntactically, there exist differences in their morphological properties. On the other hand, Ga and Dangme show agreement in terms of number with the head noun for all adjectives used attributively. The paper concludes that in both languages, adjective occur after the head noun in attributive position. Predication of adjectives can occur in nominal forms and the verbal equivalence is also employed in both languages. Plural marking in adjectives is through reduplication and affixation in Ga while in Dangme, it is only through affixation. Data for this paper were collected from both primary and secondary sources.
A Note On Wh-Questions In Avatime
(2021-10-19) Devlin, Kerri; Lehman, Blake; MAJOR, TRAVIS; Torrence, Harold
This paper examines wh-question constructions in Avatime, an endangered Ghana Togo Mountain language. We focus on the different wh-strategies and island constraints and discuss these in relation to left peripheral elements such as question particles and complementizers.
A Phylogenetic Classification Of Luyia Language Varieties
(2022-03-29) Marlo, Michael; Grollemund, Rebecca; Nguyen, Thanh; Platner, Erik; Pribe, Sarah; Thein, Alexa
This paper presents the results of a comparative study of the Luyia cluster of Bantu languages spoken in western Kenya and eastern Uganda. We propose a new classification of Luyia and neighboring languages using phylogenetic methods. Our study is based on a 200-item wordlist of basic vocabulary, representing 33 language varieties from the Luyia cluster and its closest neighbors, including Ganda, Gwere, and Soga to the west, and Gusii and Kuria to the south. Our results are broadly consistent with past classifications by Mould (1976, 1981) and Williams (1973), but refine our understanding of the relatedness of the target languages by employing more extensive data from more languages within the Luyia cluster and others in the region.
A Syntactic Analysis Of The Co-Occurrence Of Stative And Passive In Kiswahili
(2022-03-29) Cong, Yan; Ngonyani, Deo
This study concerns the co-occurrence of stative and passive in Kiswahili. The co-occurrence is only possible with an intervening applicative suffix and in the order st-appl-pass. There are two readings of the stative extension in Kiswahili, potential and resultative. The study seeks to account for the co-occurrence, the order of the suffixes, and the two interpretations of the stative. Our findings are consistent with the [VoiceP [ApplP [vP [VP]]]] structure. We argue that passive and stative share the same essential structure [Voice, Appl, v]. As to the derivation, we propose syntactic head movement where V moves to the stative head resulting in [V-st], which moves to the applicative yielding [V-st-appl], and finally moves to voice to form [V-st-appl-pass]. Last, but not least, our account connects stative with patient-manner predicates to derive resultative reading, and agent-manner predicates to derive potential reading
Accent On Nouns And Its Reference Coding In Siwi Berber (Egypt)
(2020-09-25) SCHIATTARELLA, Valentina
The aim of this article is to investigate the position of the accent on nouns in Siwi, a Berber language spoken in the oasis of Siwa, Egypt, and to see how its alternation on the last or penultimate syllable functions in terms of reference coding. In Siwi, the role of the accent placed on nouns goes beyond the field of phonology: an analysis of original data from both spontaneous discourse and elicitations will show its functions in terms of attribution of (in)definiteness of nouns, in different environments. In order to proceed with the analysis, it is worth noting that Siwi, like all other Berber languages, does not have definite or indefinite articles.
Acoustic Correlates Of Harmony Classes In Somali
(2019-08-13) Kimper, Wendell; Bennett, Wm. G.; Green, Christopher; Yu, Kristine
In this paper, we present pilot data from a small number of native speakers of Somali, investigating the acoustic correlates of the tongue root and/or voice quality feature relevant to vowel harmony in that language. We find statistically detectable differences along the predicted acoustic dimensions (on the basis of previous articulatory descriptions), and use Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) to extend classifications to previously-uncategorized items. However, we find no clear evidence that these differences are categorical or phonological.
Acoustic Correlates To Contrastive Tone Heights In Two African Languages
(2021-10-19) Oakley, Madeleine
Languages with contrastive tone may phonetically realize tonal distinctions through changes in F0, relative F0, and vowel duration, amongst other cues (Abramson 1979; Zhang 2001; Levi 2005; Brunelle & Kirby 2016; Yu 2010). It has been argued that there is a universal correlation between vowel duration and F0, where H tones correspond to short vowels, and L tones correspond to long vowels (Abramson 1979; Dreher & Lee 1968; Gandour 1977). This pilot study expands the study of acoustic correlates of tonal contrasts by examining the interaction of pitch and duration in two understudied African languages: Nobiin and Guébie. The pilot study results do not show evidence for a negative correlation between pitch and vowel duration, suggesting this presumed universal correlation may be language (or even speaker) specific. Furthermore, the acoustic correlates to tone are independent of the phonological inventories of Nobiin and Guébie, which has implications for the phonetics/phonology interface.
Adjectives in Lubukusu
(2018-05-23) Wasike, Aggrey
The lexical category of adjectives is proposed to be universal, but its realization varies across languages. In languages such as English, there is a clearly distinct category of adjectives. But in other languages the category of adjectives is not entirely distinct morphologically and syntactically from nouns and verbs. In this paper I show that there is a striking resemblance between adjectives and nouns in Lubukusu. In addition, stage-level predicate meanings are expressed by use of verbs rather than adjectives. Because of these facts, it is tempting to adopt an analysis that reduces Lubukusu adjectives to either nouns or verbs. However, I argue that there is not sufficient evidence to support such an analysis. Lubukusu has true adjectives in spite of the associated nominal and verbal characteristics. A verbal characteristic such as expressing adjectival meanings by use verbs is similar to languages such Mohawk and Vaeakau-Taumako. But there are significant differences between these languages and Lubukusu with regards to this verbal characteristic.
Agreement On Proto-Bantu Relative Verb Forms
(2022-12-30) Van de Velde, Mark1
This chapter argues that Meeussen’s (1967) reconstruction of a Direct and an Indirect relative clause construction in Proto-Bantu (PB) is untenable, because there exists no scenario of morphosyntactic change that can lead from that reconstructed state of affairs to the relative clause constructions attested in contemporary Bantu. Although typologically unusual and widely attested across Bantu, relative verb forms that agree with the relativised noun phrase are not reflexes of a proto-construction with the same properties, but are the result of recent, parallel evolutions driven by a mechanism called the Bantu Relative Agreement (BRA) cycle. The only logically possible starting point from which the currently attested typological variation in Bantu relative clause constructions could have evolved is one in which relative verbs agreed with their subject. This conclusion has consequences for the reconstruction of the PB verbal template, which must have lacked a Pre-initial position.
Akan Complements On The Implicational Complementation Hierarchy
(2021-09-23) Pajančič, Caroline
The implicational complementation hierarchy (ICH) formulated by Wurmbrand & Lohninger (2020) distinguishes three complement types: Proposition, Situation and Event, which are ordered by independence, transparency, integration and complexity. The ICH outlines the correlation between the semantic functions of the complement types, and the syntactic operations that run directionally along it. The complements are in a coherent containment relation and have minimal requirements for the domain they project: a theta domain for Events, a TMA domain for Situations, and an operator domain for Propositions. If one type of complement can be finite, all complements to its left on the ICH can be too (finiteness universal, Wurmbrand et al. 2020). This chapter discusses the distribution of complements in Akan, a Kwa language spoken in Ghana, Ivory Coast and Benin, which have traditionally been analysed as finite and requiring a mandatory complementiser. However, new data indicates that the clause introducer sɛ in Twi (dɛ in Fante) can be dropped and non-finite complements are possible in Event structures. I thus argue that Proposition, Situation and Event complements in Akan display the same properties predicted by the ICH and finiteness universal and that finiteness in the language can occur in every domain.
An introduction to Reconstructing Proto-Bantu Grammar
(2022-12-30) Bostoen, Koen
This book is about reconstructing the grammar of Proto-Bantu, the ancestral language at the origin of the African linguistic family commonly known as Bantu. It is about how to retrieve the phonology, the morphology and the syntax the earliest Bantu speakers used to communicate with each other. In §1, I explain how this book came about. In §2, I offer a short presentation of its contents. In §3, I reflect critically on a number of methodological issues. Finally, in §4, I attempt to assess to what extent the new research presented in this volume requires a revision of Meeussen (1967).
Animacy is a Presupposition in Swahili
(2019-08-13) Pesetsky, Jonathan
In this paper, I argue that the phenomenon of animacy override in Swahili arises from the interaction between a syntactic structure with multiple nominal heads and general principles of distributed morphology. This syntactic analysis narrows the possibilities for a semantic analysis of animacy, strongly suggesting an approach previously proposed for gender in Romance languages. Specifically, I argue that Swahili has an interpretable +animate feature which denotes a partial function which is defined only on animate predicates of type et and which denotes the identity function where it is defined.
Apparent Violations Of The Final-Over-Final Constraint: The Case Of Gbe Languages
(2020-08-05) Aboh, Enoch
In a series of recent talks and articles, Theresa Biberauer, Anders Holmberg, Ian Roberts, and Michelle Sheehan argue that the final-over-final condition (FOFC) is an absolute universal regulating structure building. Yet, many languages deviate from FOFC thus suggesting that this condition is not “surface-true”. The question therefore arises what factors make languages violate FOFC on the surface. In order to answer this question, we need a typology of FOFC-violating languages, as well as a detailed description of such violations. In this short essay, I describe FOFC violations in Gbe and some creoles, while relating the observed phenomena to some theoretical questions they raise.
Arabic Pidgins And Creoles
(2020-04-08) Avram, Andrei
The chapter is an overview of eight Arabic-lexifier pidgins and creoles: Turku, Bongor Arabic, Juba Arabic, Kinubi, Pidgin Madame, Jordanian Pidgin Arabic, Romanian Pidgin Arabic, and Gulf Pidgin Arabic. The examples illustrate a number of selected features of these varieties. The focus is on two types of transfer, imposition and borrowing, within the framework outlined by Van Coetsem (1988; 2000;2003) and Winford (2005; 2008).
Artistic Adaptation Of Seenku Tone: Musical Surrogates Vs. Vocal Music
(2021-10-19) McPherson, Laura; James, Lucas
The tonal nature of many African languages has long raised questions about musical expression and the relationship between language and music. The two main areas of inquiry have been the relationship between tone and melody in vocal music (tonal textsetting) and the role of tone in musical surrogate languages (e.g. talking drums). However, the degree of similarity between these two genres in terms of tonal adaptation has remained an open question. In this paper, we present a case study comparing the role of tone in two musical traditions from the Sambla ethnic group of Burkina Faso: vocal music and a balafon (xylophone) surrogate language. We show that the two have different systems of tone-note correspondence and level of phonological encoding, indicating that musical adaptation of tone is not monolithic. We suggest that these different systems of tonal adaptation may stem from functional, structural, and cultural differences between the two musical genres.

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