John Benjamins Publishing Company
The verb phrase in the Kerebe language
Abstract
The present article focuses on the Tanzanian Bantu language Kerebe and its morphologically complex verb phrase, which is presented in a descriptive framework. The description includes affirmative verb forms of general verbs and of copulas, negation and verbal extensions. The morphological complexity is reflected in the tense-aspect-mood (TAM) system, in copula markings and in verbal derivations. The analysis is based on a grammatical sketch of the Kerebe language written by the French Catholic priest Eugène Hurel (Hurel 1909) and two Internet-accessible word lists. Since Hurel describes Kerebe as being spoken in the beginning of 1900s, there was also a need to consult a mother-tongue speaker in order to verify the relevance of the data to present-day language items.
Abstract
The present article focuses on the Tanzanian Bantu language Kerebe and its morphologically complex verb phrase, which is presented in a descriptive framework. The description includes affirmative verb forms of general verbs and of copulas, negation and verbal extensions. The morphological complexity is reflected in the tense-aspect-mood (TAM) system, in copula markings and in verbal derivations. The analysis is based on a grammatical sketch of the Kerebe language written by the French Catholic priest Eugène Hurel (Hurel 1909) and two Internet-accessible word lists. Since Hurel describes Kerebe as being spoken in the beginning of 1900s, there was also a need to consult a mother-tongue speaker in order to verify the relevance of the data to present-day language items.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Contributors vii
- Introduction 1
- Synchronic and diachronic evidence for parallels between noun phrases and sentences 13
- The development of tense, mood, and aspect in the creole languages, and the typology of affix order 43
- Aspectual oppositions from Proto-Indo-European to Latin 61
- On the development of actionality, tense, and viewpoint from Early to Late Latin 73
- Continuity and change: The history of two Greek tenses 105
- Actionality and aspect in Hittite 131
- Imperfectivity and complete events 149
- Predicative verbs of transition in Portuguese and Spanish: A cognitive approach to aspect, aktionsart, and tense 167
- The Old Nordic Middle Voice in the pre-literary period: Questions of grammaticalisation and cliticisation 185
- The relevance of tense and aspect in Semitic Languages: The case of Hebrew and Arabic 221
- The verb phrase in the Kerebe language 249
- Comparative TAM morphology in Niger-Congo: The case of persistive, and some other markers in Bantu 283
- Indexicals as sources of case markers in Australian languages 299
- Differential object marking in Sahidic Coptic 323
- Index 345
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Contributors vii
- Introduction 1
- Synchronic and diachronic evidence for parallels between noun phrases and sentences 13
- The development of tense, mood, and aspect in the creole languages, and the typology of affix order 43
- Aspectual oppositions from Proto-Indo-European to Latin 61
- On the development of actionality, tense, and viewpoint from Early to Late Latin 73
- Continuity and change: The history of two Greek tenses 105
- Actionality and aspect in Hittite 131
- Imperfectivity and complete events 149
- Predicative verbs of transition in Portuguese and Spanish: A cognitive approach to aspect, aktionsart, and tense 167
- The Old Nordic Middle Voice in the pre-literary period: Questions of grammaticalisation and cliticisation 185
- The relevance of tense and aspect in Semitic Languages: The case of Hebrew and Arabic 221
- The verb phrase in the Kerebe language 249
- Comparative TAM morphology in Niger-Congo: The case of persistive, and some other markers in Bantu 283
- Indexicals as sources of case markers in Australian languages 299
- Differential object marking in Sahidic Coptic 323
- Index 345
