Verb-object-negative order in central Africa
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Matthew S. Dryer
Abstract
Crosslinguistically, SVO languages most commonly place negative particles before the verb, employing SNegVO order. This paper documents an area in central Africa which deviates from this pattern, in which the negative follows the verb, typically occurring at the end of the clause, in SVONeg order. The languages in which this order is found do not form a natural class genetically, since they belong to three different families: Niger-Congo (including Adamawa-Ubangian, Platoid, northern Bantoid among others), Nilo-Saharan (especially Bongo-Bagirmi, but also Kresh and a few other groups), and Afro-Asiatic (specifically Chadic, but found widely throughout Chadic). The area stretches from Nigeria across to the Central African Republic and down into the northern Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Abstract
Crosslinguistically, SVO languages most commonly place negative particles before the verb, employing SNegVO order. This paper documents an area in central Africa which deviates from this pattern, in which the negative follows the verb, typically occurring at the end of the clause, in SVONeg order. The languages in which this order is found do not form a natural class genetically, since they belong to three different families: Niger-Congo (including Adamawa-Ubangian, Platoid, northern Bantoid among others), Nilo-Saharan (especially Bongo-Bagirmi, but also Kresh and a few other groups), and Afro-Asiatic (specifically Chadic, but found widely throughout Chadic). The area stretches from Nigeria across to the Central African Republic and down into the northern Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Introduction 1
- Negation of non-indicative mood in Hausa, Fulfulde and Kanuri 7
- The impact of clause types and focus control, aspect, modality, and referentiality on negation in Lamang and Hdi (Central Chadic) 21
- Quantification and polarity 57
- Negation patterns in Kanuri 71
- Songhay verbal negation in its dialectal and areal context 93
- Negation in Jukun 107
- Negation marking in Igbo 121
- Aspects of discontinuous negation in Santome 139
- Negation in Gur 167
- Double negation-marking 205
- Negation in South Mande 223
- From double negation to portmanteau 261
- The system of negation in Berber 287
- Verb-object-negative order in central Africa 307
- Language index 363
- Name index 365
- Subject index 367
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Introduction 1
- Negation of non-indicative mood in Hausa, Fulfulde and Kanuri 7
- The impact of clause types and focus control, aspect, modality, and referentiality on negation in Lamang and Hdi (Central Chadic) 21
- Quantification and polarity 57
- Negation patterns in Kanuri 71
- Songhay verbal negation in its dialectal and areal context 93
- Negation in Jukun 107
- Negation marking in Igbo 121
- Aspects of discontinuous negation in Santome 139
- Negation in Gur 167
- Double negation-marking 205
- Negation in South Mande 223
- From double negation to portmanteau 261
- The system of negation in Berber 287
- Verb-object-negative order in central Africa 307
- Language index 363
- Name index 365
- Subject index 367
