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Article published In:
Studies in Language
Vol. 46:1 (2022) ► pp.76–132

Non-culmination in two Bantu languages

ORCID logo | University of Hamburg | Rhodes University

This paper describes an exploratory approach to two related aspectual phenomena, non-culminating accomplishments and non-culminating construals of implied-result verbs, in the Bantu languages Xhosa and Nyakyusa. While documented for a diverse array of languages, leading to the identification of some cross-linguistic commonalities and axes of variation, these phenomena have so far not been studied for any continental African language. Both Xhosa and Nyakyusa license non-culminating accomplishments but differ regarding the felicity of such construals with different sub-types of accomplishments in relation to event progress, a decisive factor being that Nyakyusa possesses verbal partitive morphology. Concerning the non-culmination of implied-result verbs, both languages show such readings and support prior cross-linguistic findings that zero change readings are more readily available with agentive subjects. The data further point to the potential role of causative morphology as a parameter of variation to be considered in further comparative research on these verbs.

Keywords: aspect, actionality, aktionsart, non-culminating accomplishments, Bantu languages
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
    • 1.1Non-culmination
    • 1.2Non-culmination cross-linguistically, and in the African context
    • 1.3Goal and scope of the present study
    • 1.4Definitions
  • 2.The languages under study
    • 2.1Geographic, demographic and genetic background
    • 2.2Morphosyntactic profile and the structure of the verb
    • 2.3Outline of tense-aspect systems
    • 2.4The Nyakyusa partitive
  • 3.Data collection
  • 4.Non-culminating accomplishments
    • 4.1Delimiting NCAs
    • 4.2NCAs in Xhosa and Nyakyusa: A first look
    • 4.3Cross-linguistic axes of variation
    • 4.4Predicates examined
    • 4.5Culmination vs. termination
    • 4.6Felicity depending on event progress and predicate class
      • 4.6.1Non-motion verbs
      • 4.6.2Motion verbs
    • 4.7Numerical plural objects
    • 4.8NCAs and the Xhosa conjoint-disjoint alternation
    • 4.9Intermediate summary
  • 5.Non-culminating readings of implied-result verbs
    • 5.1Defining implied-result verbs
    • 5.2Implied-result verbs in Xhosa and Nyakyusa: A first look
    • 5.3Cross-linguistic observations on implied-result verbs
    • 5.4Predicates examined
    • 5.5Morphological causatives and non-culminating readings
    • 5.6The role of subject agency
    • 5.7Implied-result verbs and the Xhosa conjoint/disjoint alternation
    • 5.8Intermediate summary
  • 6.Conclusion and outlook
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • Abbreviations
  • References
Published online: 25 March 2021
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/sl.20051.per
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