The roles of Dissociative and (Non-)Completive morphology in structuring Totela (Bantu) narratives
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Thera Marie Crane
Abstract
In Totela, infinitive-based ‘narrative’ morphology alternates with forms inflected for tense and aspect. While narrative morphology can depict sequential events, inflected forms are used with both non-sequential and sequential event predicates. When inflected forms appear, especially in contexts where narrative morphology might also be appropriate, they play important roles in signaling narrative structure. The three most common categories of inflected verbs in narratives indicate ‘completion’, ‘non-completion’, and ‘dissociation’. Dissociative marking appears at the beginning and ending of a narrative and frames it by shifting the cognitive domain to a world, separate from the world of telling, where listener belief is suspended to include narrative events. Inside that world, Completives and Non-completives provide structure to the narrative and direct listener responses.
Abstract
In Totela, infinitive-based ‘narrative’ morphology alternates with forms inflected for tense and aspect. While narrative morphology can depict sequential events, inflected forms are used with both non-sequential and sequential event predicates. When inflected forms appear, especially in contexts where narrative morphology might also be appropriate, they play important roles in signaling narrative structure. The three most common categories of inflected verbs in narratives indicate ‘completion’, ‘non-completion’, and ‘dissociation’. Dissociative marking appears at the beginning and ending of a narrative and frames it by shifting the cognitive domain to a world, separate from the world of telling, where listener belief is suspended to include narrative events. Inside that world, Completives and Non-completives provide structure to the narrative and direct listener responses.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Preface vii
- Discourse structuring and typology 1
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Nilo-Saharan
- Aspect and thematic clause combining in Maa (Nilotic) 23
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Isolate
- Main event line structure and aspect in Sandawe narratives 53
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Afro-Asiatic
- The functions of Non-Final verbs and their aspectual categories in Northern Mao (Omotic) narrative 81
- Aspect-Mood and discourse in Kabyle (Berber) spoken narratives 117
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Niger-Congo
- The roles of Dissociative and (Non-)Completive morphology in structuring Totela (Bantu) narratives 145
- Narrative uses of the U̱t-Ma'in (Kainji) Bare Verb form 219
- Rethinking narrative tenses based on data from Nalu (Atlantic) and Yeyi (Bantu) 177
- The Factative and the Perfective-Inchoative in Cuurammã (Turka, Gur) 249
- Aspectual and storyline tension in Emai’s (Edoid) narrative template 287
- Topic Index 315
- Language Index 321
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Preface vii
- Discourse structuring and typology 1
-
Nilo-Saharan
- Aspect and thematic clause combining in Maa (Nilotic) 23
-
Isolate
- Main event line structure and aspect in Sandawe narratives 53
-
Afro-Asiatic
- The functions of Non-Final verbs and their aspectual categories in Northern Mao (Omotic) narrative 81
- Aspect-Mood and discourse in Kabyle (Berber) spoken narratives 117
-
Niger-Congo
- The roles of Dissociative and (Non-)Completive morphology in structuring Totela (Bantu) narratives 145
- Narrative uses of the U̱t-Ma'in (Kainji) Bare Verb form 219
- Rethinking narrative tenses based on data from Nalu (Atlantic) and Yeyi (Bantu) 177
- The Factative and the Perfective-Inchoative in Cuurammã (Turka, Gur) 249
- Aspectual and storyline tension in Emai’s (Edoid) narrative template 287
- Topic Index 315
- Language Index 321
