Nominal morphology and syntax

Velde, Mark van de

doi:10.4324/9781315755946-8

Cited by 85 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…For instance, zones A and B are much less genealogically coherent than zone S (Philippson & Grollemund 2019). A fully grammaticalized gender system has been reconstructed for Proto-Bantu (Meeussen 1967;Maho 1999; Van de Velde 2019), and is in turn conceived of as inherited from Proto-Niger-Congo. Typically, Bantu gender systems consist of two sets of markers: (1) the overt gender markers, which encode gender distinctions on nouns, and (2) the agreement markers, which encode gender distinctions on adnominal modifiers, pronouns, verbs, and so on.…”

Section: 2mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The total number of classes and genders varies quite widely across the languages of the family. While up to twenty-four distinct classes are reconstructed for Proto-Bantu (Katamba 2003; Van de Velde 2019), none of the contemporary languages retains all twentyfour classes, and some languages have lost them all. Gender marking in Bantu is almost always prefixal (Katamba 2003: 111).3 Examples of genders 1/2 and 7 from Akoose, spoken in Cameroon, are given in (1).4…”

Section: 2mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Bantu gender systems: Animacy-based semantic agreement, with a focus on nwb One of the major sources of variation in Bantu gender systems is the spreading of semantic agreement (Maho 1999; Van de Velde 2019;Wald 1975). The type of semantic agreement that is most widely attested across Bantu is known in the Bantu literature as "animate concord," which we call here animacybased semantic agreement or simply animacy-based agreement.5 As mentioned above, in Bantu languages, human nouns are typically assigned to gender 1/2.…”

Section: 3mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Other types of semantic agreement include diminutive, augmentative, and locative agreement. For an overview, seeVan de Velde (2019).Downloaded from Brill.com01/24/2022 12:56:25AM via free access…”

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Sociogeographic correlates of typological variation in northwestern Bantu gender systems

Verkerk

Garbo

2022

Lang. Dyn. Change

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This paper investigates the sociolinguistic factors that impact the typology and evolution of grammatical gender systems in northwestern Bantu, the most diverse area of the Bantu-speaking world. We base our analyses on a typological classification of 179 northwestern Bantu languages, focusing on various instances of semantic agreement and their role in the erosion of gender marking. In addition, we conduct in-depth analyses of the sociolinguistics and population history of the 17 languages of the sample with the most eroded gender systems. The sociohistorical factors identified to explain these highly eroded systems are then translated into a set of explanatory variables, which we use to conduct extensive quantitative analyses on the 179 language sample. These variables are population size, longitude, latitude, relationship with the Central African rainforest, and border with Ubangi/Central Sudanic languages. All these measures are relevant, with population size and bordering with Ubangi/Central Sudanic being the most robust factors in accounting for the distribution of gender restructuring. We conclude that fine-tuned variable design tailored to language and area-specific ecologies is crucial to the advancement of quantitative sociolinguistic typology.

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Section: 2mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: 2mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: 3mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Sociogeographic correlates of typological variation in northwestern Bantu gender systems

Verkerk

Garbo

2022

Lang. Dyn. Change

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“…Another feature in need of further investigation is the fact that variable numerals generally do not take the augment in WS. The augment is a functionally elusive nominal pre-prefix whose presence is dependent on a number of factors often connected to notions such as specificity, topicality, and definiteness (at least diachronically, see de Blois 1970, Van de Velde 2019. In other Bantu languages, a numeral automatically carries an augment if the governing noun has one (cf.…”

Section: Functional Traits: Morphosyntactic Behaviour and Extended Usesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The numeral system(s) in Western Serengeti: Formal, functional, and historical inferences

Bernander

Laine

Aunio

2020

SALC

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In this study we offer a detailed synchronic and diachronic account of the hitherto un(der) documented numeral systems of the four closely related (Eastern) Bantu language varieties: Ikoma, Nata, Ishenyi, and Ngoreme – together forming the Western Serengeti subgroup. We describe the essentially identical formation and organization of numerals in these language varieties while also noting the morphosyntactic behaviour of numeral expressions and their extended uses. Based on an extensive quantity of comparative data, we furthermore disentangle the historical background to the numerals and their systematization in Western Serengeti, connecting this specific linguistic domain with the wider genealogical profile of this subgroup.

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Balancing social determinism vs. sound change

Burns

2023

JHL

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This paper investigates the relationship between social and phonetic motivations for language change in Fang (Bantoid). While previous research has proposed that innovations in Fang arose due to social need and lack phonetic motivation (Mve et al. 2019; Good, Di Carlo & Tschonghongei 2020), I propose that there is a phonetic motivation and the social situation, at best, was a pathway for the innovation to gain wider adoption in the population. I provide comparative and language-internal evidence that the Fang innovations are driven by two interconnected processes, palatalization and spirantization, triggered by high vowels. These processes have been obscured synchronically in part due to the phonemic merger of *i > ə in some parts of the paradigm, thus making the alternations look phonetically unmotivated.

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Nominal morphology and syntax

Cited by 85 publications

References 18 publications

Sociogeographic correlates of typological variation in northwestern Bantu gender systems

Sociogeographic correlates of typological variation in northwestern Bantu gender systems

The numeral system(s) in Western Serengeti: Formal, functional, and historical inferences

Balancing social determinism vs. sound change

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