Chapter 8
Expressing comparison in Gbaya, a Ubangian language of the Central African Republic
Gbaya, an Ubangian language of Central Africa, shows that all types of comparison are qualitative expressions and not quantitative ones involving a parameter of gradation or degree. Following the theoretical framework proposed in Fuchs (2014), this chapter first presents the use of the dedicated similative circumposition hé … gá. It expresses, in different contexts, a way of doing (modus faciendi) or a way of being (modus essendi). It frames a nominal phrase and can also be used as a subordinating morpheme to frame a clause. Then, the comparison of equality is studied and analysed as a special case of similative comparison, in which the reciprocal morpheme is added to the circumposition. Another construction of comparison of equality, which does not involve the circumposition, also uses the reciprocal and is formed with two verbs hɔ ‘reach’ and ɲɛm ‘suit’. As for the comparison of superior inequality, it is shown that it has a dedicated construction, different from the similative and equative constructions. It is formed with a verb sequence including the verb gan ‘exceed’. Comparison of inferior inequality does not exist. Finally, the functive morpheme is distinct from the similative one.
Article outline
- 1.Introduction
- 2.Expressing comparison
- 3.Similative comparison
- 3.1The similative predication
-
3.2Expanding the comparee
- 3.2.1Nominal comparee
- 3.2.1.1Standard = contextual reference
- 3.2.1.2Standard = prototypical reference
- 3.2.2Adjectival comparee
- 3.2.2.1Standard = prototypical reference
- 3.2.2.2Standard = contextual reference
- 3.2.3Verbal comparee
- 3.2.3.1Standard = prototypical reference
- 3.2.3.2Standard = contextual reference
- 3.2.4Summary
- 3.3The similative subordinate clause
-
3.3.1The similative subordinate clause following the main clause (C1 hé C2 gá)
- 3.3.1.1Expressing a modus faciendi
- 3.3.1.2Simulating a modus essendi
- 3.3.1.3Omission of a similative element
-
3.3.2The similative subordinate clause preceding the main clause (hé C1 gá C2)
- 3.3.2.1The causal similative
- 3.3.2.2Omission of a similative element
- 3.3.3Summary
- 4.Comparison of (in)equality
-
4.1Comparison of equality
- 4.1.1The reciprocal màá as the standard
-
4.1.1.1The equative nominal predicate
- 4.1.1.2Adjectival comparee
- 4.1.2The reciprocal màá with the verbs hɔ and ɲɛm
-
4.1.2.1hɔ màá ‘look like, be the same as’
- 4.1.2.2ɲɛm màá ‘be equal, equivalent’
- 4.2Comparison of inequality
- 4.2.1Comparison of superiority
-
4.2.2Comparison of inferiority
- 5.The functive
-
6.Conclusion
-
Notes
-
Abbreviations
-
References
References
Fortescue, Michael
2010 Similitude: A conceptual category.
Acta Linguistica Hafniensia 42 (2): 117–142.
Fuchs, Catherine
2014 La comparaison et son expression en français. Paris: Ophrys.
Haspelmath, Martin & Buchholz, Oda
1998 Equative and similative constructions in the languages of Europe. In
Adverbial Constructions in the Languages of Europe,
Johan van der Auwera (ed.), 277–334. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.
Matthews, Peter H.
2007 The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Linguistics, 2nd edn. Oxford: OUP.
Moñino, Yves
1995 Le proto-gbaya, essai de linguistique comparative historique sur vingt-et-une langues d’Afrique centrale. Paris: Peeters.
Roulon-Doko, Paulette
1998 La prédication non processive en gbaya ɓodoe. In
Les manières d'être et les mots pour le dire dans les langues d’Afrique Centrale,
Paulette Roulon-Doko (ed.), 111–134. Munich: Lincom.
Roulon-Doko, Paulette
2003 La polysémie du terme nɛ̀ en gbaya ‘bodoe. In
Perspectives synchroniques sur la grammaticalisation : Polysémie, transcatégorialité et échelles syntaxiques,
Stéphane Robert (ed.), 217–229. Paris: Peeters.
Roulon-Doko, Paulette
2008 Le gbaya. In
La qualification dans les langues africaines,
Holger Tröbs,
Eva Rothmaler &
Kerstin Winkelmann (eds), 87–101. Cologne: Rüdiger Köppe.
Cited by
Cited by 3 other publications
Bobuafor, Mercy
2021.
Comparative constructions in Tafi.
Journal of African Languages and Linguistics 42:2
► pp. 163 ff.
Chamoreau, Claudine & Yvonne Treis
2019.
Comparaisons d’égalité et de similitude : comme du pareil au même.
Faits de Langues 50:1
► pp. 9 ff.
Oleniak, Mariana
2022.
On an idiosyncratic type of an Old English simile.
Acta Linguistica Hafniensia 54:2
► pp. 235 ff.
This list is based on CrossRef data as of 12 march 2024. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers.
Any errors therein should be reported to them.