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Article published In:
Studies in Language
Vol. 44:1 (2020) ► pp.70–94

Concernee-Concern constructions

A comparative study of external possession in the Bantu languages

ORCID logo | LLACAN (CNRS - INaLCO/USPC)

This paper provides an analysis of the phenomenon commonly known as external possession in the Bantu languages. On the basis of comparative data, I argue for a prototype approach to the intricate problem of determining the conditions of use of such constructions, which I rename Concernee-Concern constructions, introducing two new terms for the thematic roles involved. Situations can be expressed by means of Concernee-Concern construction if they correspond to the prototypical situation that involves somebody’s body part being affected by an action, or if they show a family resemblance to this situation. I argue against the relevance of alienability. The paper also provides a formal typology of Concernee-Concern constructions in the Bantu languages.

Keywords: external possession, Bantu, alienability, prototypicality, applicative suffix
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Two construction-specific roles: Concernee and Concern
  • 3.Body parts are relevant, not (in)alienability
  • 4.The prototypical situation
  • 5.Formal variation in Bantu Concernee-Concern constructions
    • 5.1Presence or absence of an applicative suffix
    • 5.2Mapping of the Concernee and Concern roles onto object relations
    • 5.3The Concern or Concernee is mapped onto the subject relation
    • 5.4Presence of a possessive pronoun co-referential with the Concernee
    • 5.5Recursivity
  • 6.Concernees without Concerns?
  • 7.Conclusions
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • Abbreviations
  • Bibliography
Published online: 6 May 2020
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/sl.18059.vel
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