The Bantu equivalent of a genitive construction, a construction in which a nominal constituent modifies another one, is part of a family of constructions commonly called the connective construction. This paper analyses the family of Bantu connective constructions from a perspective inspired by canonical typology. I first define a canonical type and subsequently discuss departures from this type along five dimensions. The resulting picture shows a functionally extremely versatile construction type in a grammatical space that lacks clear-cut boundaries between genitives, adjectives and relative clauses. Connective constructions are a frequent source of lexicalisation, and of grammaticalisation patterns that often lead to agreement in unusual places.
2021. Two Types of Resumptive Pronouns in Swahili. Linguistic Inquiry 52:4 ► pp. 812 ff.
Van de Velde, Mark L. O.
2021. The Bantu relative agreement cycle. Linguistics 59:4 ► pp. 981 ff.
Paterson, Rebecca
2019. On the development of two progressive constructions in U̠t-Ma’in. Folia Linguistica 53:s40-s2 ► pp. 509 ff.
SHEEHAN, MICHELLE & JENNEKE VAN DER WAL
2018. Nominal licensing in caseless languages. Journal of Linguistics 54:3 ► pp. 527 ff.
Barlew, Jefferson
2016. Point of View and the Semantics of Spatial Expressions in Mushunguli and English. Journal of Semantics 33:2 ► pp. 215 ff.
O'Connor, Kathleen M. & Cédric Patin
2015. The syntax and prosody of apposition in Shingazidja. Phonology 32:1 ► pp. 111 ff.
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