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V.19
1989
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L162
PAPERS IN GENERAL LIN^^mrrCS
Preface
rt
Harbir arora and K.
reanalysis: The
V.
"
O Ql^^'
Subbarao: Con\W|ence and
case of so in Dakhini
""
"
^
^.
uj:
Camille Bundrick: An interference-baSfe^j^ft&tmt of
relative which and that
syntagtkยป='
J^p^\Gr.
1
restrictive
19
Farida Cassimjee and Charles W. Kisserberth: Shingazidja
nominal accent
33
the representation of Kejia diphthongs
63
Raung-ftj Chung:
On
Dale Gerdemann:
Restriction as a
means of optimizing
81
unification parsing
Hans Henrich Hock: Conjoined we
stand: Theoretical
implications of Sanskrit relative structures
Braj
B.
Kachru: World
Yamuna Kachru:
Englishes and applied linguistics
Corpus planning for modernization:
and Englishization of Hindi
Sanskritization
93
127
153
SQUIB
Rakesh Mohan Bhatt: Good mixes and odd mixes:
Implications for the bilingual's grammar
165
REVIEWS
Agnihotri (1987). Crisis of identity: Sikhs in
England. (Jean Aitchison)
Tej K. Bhatia (1987). A history of the Hindi grammatical
tradition. (Rajeshwari Pandharipande)
Dick Chambedain and Robert Baumgardner, eds. (1988).
ESP in the classroom: Practice and evaluation.
Rama Kant
ELT Documents 28. (Numa Markee)
Sumitra Katre (1987). Astadhyayl of Panini. (Texas Linguistic
Series.) (Ladislav Zgusla)
1
1
69
173
181
187
Department of Linguistics
University of Illinois
.
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G. Bokamba, Chin-chuan Cheng, Georgia
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Kenstowicz, Chin-W. Kim, Charies W. Kisseberth,
Hinrichs,
Maclay, Jerry L. Morgan, Rajeshwari Pandharipande, and Ladislav
Zgusta.
AIM: SLS
is intended as a forum for the presentation of the latest original
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STUDIES IN THE LINGUISTIC SCIENCES
Papers In General Linguistics
EDITOR
Hans Henrich Hock
VOLUME
19,
SPRING
DEPARTMENT OF
NUMBER
1
1989
LINGUISTICS, UNIVERSITY
URBANA,
ILLINOIS
61801
OF
ILLINOIS
9
CONTENTS
Preface
v
Harbir Arora and K.V. Subbarao (University of Delhi):
and syntactic
Camille Bundrick:
reanalysis:
The case
so
of
An inference-based account
in
Convergence
Dal<khini
of restrictive relative
which and that
1
Farida Cassimjee and Charles
W. Kisseberth: Shingazidja nominal
33
accent
Raung-fu Chung:
On
the representation of Kejia diphthongs
Dale Gerdemann: Restriction as a means
parsing
Hans Henrich Hock: Conjoined we
81
stand: Theoretical implications of
93
World Englishes and applied
Yamuna
Kachru: Corpus planning
and Englishization of Hindi
63
of optimizing unification
Sanskrit relative structures
Braj B. Kachru:
1
for
127
linguistics
modernization: Sanskritization
153
Squib
Rakesh Mohan
bilingual's
Good mixes and odd
grammar
Bhatt:
mixes: Implications for the
165
Reviews
Rama
Kant Agnihotri (1987). Crisis of
(Jean Aitchison, London School
Tej K. Bhatia (1987).
A
identity:
of
Sikhs
in
England.
Economics)
history of the Hindi
169
grammatical tradition
(Rajeshwari Pandharipande)
Dick Chamberlain and Robert Baumgardner, eds. (1988). ESP in
the classroom: Practice and evaluation. ELT Documents 128.
173
(Numa Markee, Division of English as an International Language)
Sumitra M. Katre (1987). AstadhyayFof Panini. (Texas Linguistic Series.)
(Ladislav Zgusta)
181
187
Preface
With the present issue of Studies in the Linguistic Sciences, the change in
format and production announced in the last issue (Vol. 18, No. 2) has nearly
been completed: All contributions have been produced on the computer, and
except for one paper, all of them have been printed on the Apple LaserWriter,
from documents composed in Microsoft Word and using Apple's 'Helvetica' as
base
font.
the present issue breaks with past tradition by featuring several
The editors intend to continue including reviews,
review articles, and squibs in future general issues, in addition to regular articles, as well as short book notices.
In addition,
reviews, as well as a 'squib'.
Regrettably, for various reasons which include the changes just mentioned, the
present issue appears with almost one year's delay. We hope to be back to our
regular publication schedule with
Volume
20.
Volume 19:2 and 20:1 will be special issues, featuring papers presented at the
Twentieth Annual Conference on African Linguistics, held at the University of
Illinois in April 1989.
Volume 20:2 will likewise be a special issue, celebrating
the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Department of Linguistics.
would
thank the following Department of Linguistics
submitted papers: Chin-Chuan Cheng, Georgia
Green, Yamuna Kachru, Michael Kenstowicz, and Charles W. Kisseberth. The
editors also appreciate support from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
toward publishing this issue, and technical support from the Language Learning
Before concluding,
faculty
members
I
like to
for refereeing
Laboratory. Last, but not least, have the pleasant duty of thanking Beth Creek,
Corinne Saldeen, Eileen Sutton, and Lieve van de Walle of our Department for
I
their support in preparing this issue.
January 1990
Hans Henrich Hock
(Editor)
the Linguistic Sciences
Studies
in
Volume
19,
Number
1,
Spring 1989
CONVERGENCE AND SYNTACTIC REANALYSIS:
SO IN DAKKHINI*
THE CASE OF
Harbir Arora and K.V. Subbarao
(University of Delhi)
This paper argues that the archaic Hindi-Urdu correlative
marker so has been reanalyzed in Dakkhini Hindi-Urdu to perform
an entirely new set of syntactic functions, such as adjectivalizer in
prenominal and predicate position, as well as with conjunctive participles and negative relative participles (whether prenominal or
predicative), linker in negative verbal participles and reason adverbial clauses, and complementizer. As a consequence, the functions that so performs in Dakkhini are entirely distinct from those of
so in Hindi-Urdu, and this difference in most cases is due to convergence with Telugu, a Dravidian language. We shall finally
provide a historical account of the syntactic development of so,
based on Dakkhini texts from the fourteenth century to the present.
1.
Dakkhini Hindi-Urdu (hereafter Dakkhini)
Hindi-Urdu'' (an Indo-Aryan language)
used
in
is
a transplanted variety
of
the southern parts of India where
Dravidian languages are spoken. Dakkhini has been in intimate contact with
Dravidian languages for about five centuries. As a result of this prolonged contact Dakkhini has acquired a number of Dravidian syntactic traits.
This paper aims to study the syntactic nature of so in Dakkhini. so, which
a correlative marker in Hindi-Urdu and Punjabi, has been reanalysed in
Dakkhini to perform an entirely new set of syntactic functions, such as
prenominal adjectivalizer, adjectivalizer in predicate position, adjectivalizer with
conjunctive participles and negative relative participles (prenominal as well as
predicative), linker in negative verbal participles, linker in reason adverbial
clauses, and complementizer.
is
We
show
paper that the functions that so performs
in Dakkhini
Hindi-Urdu and that this difference in
most cases is due to syntactic convergence with Telugu, a Dravidian language.
We shall argue that the use of so to perform so many varied functions repre-
shall
in this
are entirely distinct from those of so
in
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:1 (Spring 1989)
sents the optimal utilization of a grammatical category. The reassignment of
functions of so in Dakkhini, we claim, shows that in syntactic reanalysis there
need not necessarily be any functional commonality between particular lexical
items of the source and borrowing languages. We shall further show that the
occurrence of so with predicative adjectives is due to analogical extension from
the prenominal position to the predicate position. We shall finally provide a
historical account of the development of the functions of so, taking into consideration data from Dakkhini texts from the fourteenth century onwards.
Indo-Aryan languages such as Hindi-Urdu and Punjabi have a typconstruction, in which the clause containing the relative
pronoun precedes the 'correlative in the main clause' (Masica, 1976:25), the
correlative being the pronominal form of the coreferential noun phrase. HindiUrdu has two correlative markers, vah/ve and so, and Punjabi has o and so.
The forms vah 'he, she, it' and ve 'they' are productively used in present-day
Hindi-Urdu (cf. (1) below), whereas so 'he, she, it; they' occurs in idioms and
proverbs (as in (2) below). It thus is no longer productive in present-day HindiUrdu. The following sentences from Hindi-Urdu (H-U) and Punjabi (P) are
2.1.
ical relative-correlative
illustrative.
(1)
Correlative pronouns are
H-U:
(2)
H-U:
(3)
P:
(4)
P:
in
boldface.
mehnat kartaa
jo
hai
vah
tarakkii
kartaa hai
he
progress does
whoever works hard
'Whoever works hard, prospers.'
khotaa hai
sotaa hai so
jo
whoever sleeps
he
loses
'Whoever sleeps, loses.'
tarakkii
kardaa
menat kardaa ai
o
jo
he
progress does
whoever works hard
'Whoever works hard, prospers.'
karegaa so paregaa
jo
he will pay
whoever will do
'Whoever will do, will pay.' (literal)
ai
'As you sow, so shall you reap.'
2.2. Kachru (1973, 1978, 1986) claims that so in Dakkhini is a correlative
marker, whereas Mohiddin (1980) treats it as a participial marker. We will argue
that Dakkhini (D) so functions as an adjectivalizer in modifying constructions.
Let us consider sentences (5)
alizer in
(5)
D:
kal
(6) in
which so occurs as an adjectiv-
usku puucho
so
him ask
ADJR
person who came yesterday.'
uno mereku bhaaii
aaye
so
aaye
yesterday
'Ask the
(6)
and
prenominal position.
D:
kal
yesterday
come+PERF
come+PERF
ADJR
he
to
me
honaa
be
'The one
who came yesterday
is
my
brother.'
brother
Arora
The
& Subbarao:
Convergence and syntactic reanalysis
following evidence can be cited for treating
so as an
3
adjectlvallzer in
Dakkhini.
2.2.1. Notice that so precedes the head NP (a pronoun in this case) usku
and uno In sentences (5) and (6) respectively. Further, when such sentences
as (5) and (6) are uttered, there is no pause between the marker so and the
following head NP. A potential pause can occur only after the head NP, viz.
usku or uno in (5) and (6). (It is a pan-Indian pattern, that a pause cannot occur
between a phrasal modifier and its head NP.) This point establishes that so
cannot be treated separately from the head NP and that so and the head NP
together form a single
unit.
Dakkhini an expression of the type (7) below is permodern South Asian languages, however, a correlative pronoun and a head NP containing its own demonstrative pronoun do
not occur in sequence, one immediately following the other. If we treated so
as a correlative prounoun, we would be forced to claim that Dakkhini exhibits
radically different behavior.
Note further that
fectly
grammatical.
(7)
D:
In
in
(other)
aaye
so
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:1 (Spring 1989)
Now,
is
the
if
same
so were a
correlative
two questions would arise: First,
both singular and plural? Second,
correlative marker,
marker used
in
why
why
does the so-called verb form not exhibit agreement with its subject as it usually
does in Dakkhini, and why does the form of the verb instead always remain in
the (masculine singular) oblique? One plausible explanation would lie in
assuming influence from Telugu. For in Telugu, neither the participle nor the
adjective exhibits any agreement with the noun it modifies.
The invariant
Dakkhini participle might thus be claimed to have adopted the Telugu pattern of
non-agreement. A second possible explanation is that the oblique form of the
verbal adjective in sentences of the type (8) is formed on the analogy of
Dakkhini participial adverbials, which are always in the oblique (marked by the
suffix -e.). Given the strong evidence for Telugu influence in other areas of the
syntax of so, the former explanation appears to be the more likely one.
2.2.3.
The next argument
for treating
so as an adjectivalizer derives from
A noun phrase
containing a correlative pronoun can in HindiUrdu be followed by any postposition, marking accusative, dative, or any other
oblique case, whereas the so of Dakkhini cannot if it occurs alone. This means
the following fact:
so cannot directly bear any grammatical relation with another constituent in
a sentence. The following examples are illustrative. (Example (10c) illustrates
that the combination correlative pronoun + postposition is grammatical in HindiUrdu. Note however that in Hindi-Urdu a full relative clause has to precede the
that
correlative pronoun.)
(10)
Arora
(b)
&
Subbarao: Convergence and syntactic reanalysis
*tarkaarii
kaatte
vegetable cut+IMPF
haat
gayaa
kat
hand
got
5
so
se
ADJR
with
cut
'My hand got cut by the knife with which the vegetables are
cut."
(13) D:
(a)
vaa
se
there from
so
aaye
come+PERF ADJR
admii
kaa
man
of
GEN
naam
name
(b)
kyaa
what
ai
?
is
'What is the name of that person who
*vaa se
aaye
so
there from come+PERF ADJR
ai ?
naam
kyaa
name
what
came from
there?'
kaa
of
is
2.2.4, Further, if so were a correlative pronoun, then there should be an
antecedent relative clause containing a relative pronoun (RP), with or without
nominal head. The ungrammaticality of the (b) versions in the following
examples demonstrates that, unlike in Hindi-Urdu (for which see for instance
(14c)), there cannot be an antecedent relative clause. Therefore, so cannot be
treated as a correlative pronoun.
(14a)
so
Arora
& Subbarao:
7
Convergence and syntactic reanalysis
Dakkhini speakers could then analogically extend the use of so to the
predicate position, as in sentences (17) and (18) above, where as a consequence the combination of participle plus so comes to parallel the combination of participle plus huaa of the earlier type (19) and (20) which, again,
survives in present-day Hindi-Urdu.
participial
however, this analogical extension was limited to perfect
Dakkhini does not allow so to be used with imperfect relative
constructions in the predicate position.3 The following ungrammatical
sentence
is illustrative.
Interestingly,
participles:
so
*baccaa jaate
go+IMPF ADJR
boy
The boy is going.'
(23) D:
We
how
are not quite sure
ai
is
Our guess
to explain this limitation.
limitation is linked to the fact that Hindi-Urdu, too,
does
as is shown by the ungrammaticality
have retained a constraint of Hindi-Urdu.
ticiples in the predicate position,
That
is,
Dakkhini
(24) H-U:
2.2.7.
seems
to
*baccaa
boy
jaataa
it
huaa
go+IMPF PPLE
is
that the
of (24).
hai
is
provides strong arguments against
a correlative marker and for the hypothesis
The evidence presented so
the assumption that Dakkhini so
that
is
not permit imperfect par-
far
functions as an adjectivalizer.
3. In this section, we will discuss some of the other functions performed
by so in Dakkhini. In 3.1 we show how the adjectivalizer so can be used to
convert a conjunctive participle into a modifier. The subsequent sections discuss the role of so in reason clauses (3.2), negative relative participles (3.3),
negative verbal adverbials (3.4), and complemention (3.5). Such a variety of
functions indicates that a lexical item indigenous to the source language may
be exploited to perform a number of new syntactic functions not found in the
source language. Such an optimal
utilization is
a result of syntactic reanalysis.
3.1. A Dakkhini conjunctive participle of the type V-Zce can be made into a
nominal modifier by the addition of the adjectivalizer so; of. the examples below.
(In
It should be emphasized that the presence of a tense marker is obligatory.
the following examples, the conjunctive participle, the tense marker, and so are
in
boldface.)
me aa-ke
hai
so
(25) D:
ghar
(26) D:
ADJR
come is
The people who have come home
de-ke
usku
raam
house
in
Ram
he+Dat
paisaa
abbii talaak
money
until
'Ram
(vo)
having
having given
naiT
now
did not yet get the
not
money which he gave
to him.'
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:1 (Spring 1989)
Dakkhini, just as in Telugu, an adverbial of reason, time, manner,
can be modified by a participle. Examples of so occurring as an
adjectivalizer in reason clauses are given in (27) and (28). (The reason adverb
and so are in boldface.)
3.2.
In
or quantity
usku
tum bulaaye
so
it+DAT (reason)
you call+PERF ADJR
came because you called me.'
usku
so
aap jaldii aaye
it+DAT
you soon come+PERF ADJR
(27) D:
uu
have come
aayii
'I
(28) D:
puuchrii
am
uij
asking
(reason)
'I
am
asking you because you
came
early.'
Note that a pause occurs after usku and not after so, just as we observed
in section 2.2.1 above regarding sentences of the type (5) and (6). The corresponding Telugu (T) sentences are worth noticing, in which the adjectivalizer -a
occurs.
anduwalla/anduku
cepp-in-a
say+PERF+ADJR because of that
miiru
(29) T:
you
occinaa
came
(reason)
'I
(30) T:
came because you
miiru
tondaragaa
you
quickly
waadiki
koopam
called me.'
anduku
come+PERF+ADJR because
wacc-in-a
came
he+DAT anger
'He got angry because you
Examples
time,
(31)
-
manner, or quantity
(31) D:
is
came
quickly.'
Dakkhini sentences
(33) illustrate
(reason)
occindi
in
which an adverbial of
modified by an expression marked by so.
aap bulaaye
so
jab
you call+PERF
ADJR
ADV
uu
aatii
(time)
will come when you call me.'
vaisaa
aap bole
so
ADV (manner)
ADJR
you say+PERF
will
come
'I
(32) D:
'I
(33) D:
will
do as you
aap bole
you say+PERF
uu
do
say.'
(so)
uttaa
ADJR
ADV
that
tnat
'I
kartii
will
have given as much as you asked
uu
have given
dii
(quantity)
much
mucn
me
to give.'
reason clauses (as in (27) and (28)) modifies a third person pronominal followed by a reason marker in the same way as it modifies the
adverb of time in (31), adverb of manner in (32), or adverb of quantity in (33).
This modification of adverbials we attribute to Telugu influence, whose corresponding structures are exemplified in (34) - (36).
Notice that so
in
Arora
& Subbarao:
miiru
(34) T:
you
'I
(35) T:
will
jeppin-a-tia
say+PERF+ADJR+ADV
will
do as you
(time)
ostaa
come
jeestaa
miiru
miiru
(36) T:
appu^u
pilicin-a
call+PERF+ADJR ADV
come when you call me.'
you
'I
9
Convergence and syntactic reanalysis
(manner)
will
do
say.'
iccinaa
jeppin-a-anta
say+PERF+ADJR ADV (quantity) have given
you
have given as much as you asked me to give.'
'I
3.3. so functions as an adjectivaiizer also with negative relative participles, both in prenominal and in predicate position. The following examples
are
illustrative.
(The negative relative
is in
boldface).
maf kar detii uu
kaam
so
tum naiT kare
will do
work
you NEG do+PERF ADJR
will do the work which you did not do.' (Prenominal)
ai
so
nalT aaye
uno yaa paile
be
NEG come+PERF ADJR
he here before
maalum paraa?
kaise
aapku
boike
came to know
COMP you DAT how
'How did you come to know that he had never come here
(37) D:
I
'I
(38) D:
before?'
(Predicative)
Another function of so is that as a linker
with the main clause; cf. the following examples.
3.4.
(39) D:
(a)
(b)
(40) D:
(b)
maf naiT aaye
of negative adverbial
clauses
^
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:1 (Spring 1989)
10
neenu
(41) T:
raakun^laa
nuvvu yetlaa
how
you
come
NEG ADV PPLE
not having
I
'How would you go unless come?'
raamudu naaku
jeppakun^iaa
Ram
l+DAT
without telling
pootaau?
go
will
I
(42) T:
poyyindu
has gone
welJJ
NEG ADV PPLE
'Ram went away without telling
miiru
jeyyani
pani
(43) T:
you
me."
work
not doing
neenu
jeesinaa
I
did
NEG RELPPLE
did the
'I
work which you did not
do.'
The above sentences
indicate (i) that in Telugu, the form of negative verbal
from that of negative relative participles, and (ii) that no
adjectivalizer occurs in such constructions, whereas in Dakkhini, the same
verb form is used in negative relative participles (cf. (37)) and in negative
adverbial participles (cf. (39) and (40)), and the adjectivalizer so occurs in both
participles
of
is
different
these constructions.
3.5. Dakkhini so is also used as a complementizer. This use as complementizer is found with verbs such as maalum honaa 'to come to be known',
bataana 'to tell', dikhnaa 'to appear', if and only if the matrix sentence is either a
question or a negative statement.
(44) D:
baalamma
gaye
so
Balamma
go+PERF
COMP
do not know that Balamma has gone.'
tumku
janaanaa
ai
so
ye
mereku
l+DAT
naiTmaalum
NEG known
'I
(45) D:
you
DAT
dikhraa
is
this
ladies' place
is
COMP
naiT
NEG
kyaa ?
Q marker
seen
you know
'Don't
that this
is
a place exclusively meant
for
ladies?'
3.6.
To sum up
we have shown that so in Dakkhini
so has been reanalysed so as to be
new functions. This reanalysis has resulted in the
the discussion so
functions as an adjectivalizer.
able to perform a variety of
maximal
In
far,
addition,
utilization of this lexical item.
relative participles and as
reason clauses, this reanalyis results from Telugu influence. The use
of negative participles, too, can be attributed to Telugu influence, though
formally, the formation of such participles is more similar to the pattern of HindiUrdu.
In
a
most cases, such as the use with prenominal
linker in
We have argued that the use of so with participles in predicate position is
an example of analogical extension. Finally, the assignment of many new
functions to this single lexical item clearly shows that there need not be any
1
Arora
identity
& Subbarao:
between the functions
Convergence and syntactic reanalysis
we
in the source
contact variety.
performed by the item
originally
language and the functions performed by
1
in
it
the
new
account of the development
from Dakkhini texts from the
fourteenth century onwards. We observe that only some of the present-day
functions of so were found in the older stages of Dakkhini (from the fourteenth to
eighteenth century).
4.
In this
section,
shall provide
a
historical
of the functions of so, taking into consideration data
The
4.1.
Old Dakkhini (OD) attestation of a relative-correlative conone of present-day Hindi-Urdu is found in the works of
(1388-1423 A.D.) (The relative (RP) and correlative pronouns
first
struction similar to the
Banda Nawaz
(CP) are
(46)
in
boldface.)
OD:
jo
kahyaa
hai
so
uno
karnaa
RP
said
is
CP
he
do-i-INF
'He should do whatever
is said.'
Note that as in standard Hindi-Urdu, the relative marker jo and the correlative marker so both occur in sentence (46), and the relative clause jo
kahyaa hai precedes the correlative clause so uno karnaa. The modern standard Hindi-Urdu equivalent of (46) is given below.
(47)
H-U
kahaa gayaa hai
has been said
jo
RP
vah usko
CP
he
DAT
karnaa
hai
do+lNF
is
Structures of this sort suggest that Dakkhini started out with relative clause
same type as found in modern Hindi-Urdu as well as in the
structures of the
majority of other Indo-Aryan languages.
4.2. Interestingly, the works of Banda Nawaz additionally contain relative
constructions with relative clauses (introduced by relative pronouns) followed
by correlative clauses with a sequence of two correlative pronouns {so followed
by
are
(v)o).
in
Sentences
(48), (49), (50) are illustrative.
(The correlative pronouns
boldface).
(48)
OD:
koii
gujaryaa so
CP
whoever passed
maraa kar
baaje
je
some
after dying
vo
marne ke aage
CP
before death
muhakikkaa
bolte hai
philosophers
say.
'Whoever has passed (these stages) and dies before
death, he
(49)
OD:
jis
ke
is
called a philosopher.'
aastin
whose
me
paike
calaa
sleeve in
hor gussaa
left
and anger
vahaa
caar
the
there
four
were
who had a patch in the sleeve went and
who were not angry were four."
"The one
others
the
the
his
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:1 (Spring 1989)
12
(50)
OD.
bakaa
so vo
haq taala kaa
jo
vajuud
RP
The
existence left
is
CP CP God's
only existence that remains is that of God.'
hai
hai
is
appears that the occurence of two correlative pronouns following a
clause reflects a transitional stage. Such sequences of two correlative
pronouns are not permitted in modern Dakkhini or in Hindi-Urdu. The reason
for claiming that sentences such as (48), (49), and (50) reflect a transitional
stage is that there are sentences such as (51), also from Banda Nawaz, in
which the relative pronoun is absent and only the two correlatives occur.
It
relative
(51)
OD:
beje
ketak
so
many
vaajib
ai
essential
is
hai
so
are
CP CP
'There are so
4.3.
in
The
the works of
(52)
OD:
first
clear
examples
many
of
things which
samjhnaa
to
need
understand
to
be understood.'
so as an adjectivalizer are likewise found
Banda Nawaz, such as
bhaaii
vo
ciij
things
(52) below.
Arora
& Subbarao:
Convergence and syntactic reanalysis
The one who reminds you
of himself
shows
13
his
own
existence.'
4.5. Another usage of so appears to be limited to Old Dakkhini. This is its
combination with a following negative which imparts the meaning 'no sooner
than' to a preceding participial expression. We have found this use only in the
texts of Aminuddin Ala (1570); cf. Iqbal Ahmed 1986, Mohammad 1988.
(55)
OD:
apnii
one's
umr
own age
malbub me
Malbub in
laahuut
kate
Lahut
is
me
hii
mulk naasut
EMPH
country Nasut
yaa
jabrut
me
or
Jabrut
in
said
in
yaa
or
c
gujar kar
EMPH
having spent
so
mukaam me
ADJR
place
in
poce gayaa so naiT
uske
tafsaalik
reached + no sooonerthan
his/him
true believer
kahaajaayegaa
be said
will
'In
one's
own
life
he
will
pass through the stages of
No sooner than reaching
he will be called a true believer.'
'Nasut', 'Malbub', or 'Jabrut'.
the stage called 'Lahut',
the above sentence, so occurs twice, in two different functions: In the
phrase kate so mukaam 'the place which is called ...', it has its ordinary use as
an adjectivalizer. However, in poce gayaa so na/T it is used in the sense of 'no
sooner than'. As noted earlier, this use is not found in later Dakkhini, including
In
the present-day language.
4.6.
In
modern Dakkhini, the
participle
modifying a noun invariably
precedes it, whereas when used as a complementizer, the combination of so
plus verb follows the noun (cf. section 3.5 for the latter pattern). For convenience we provide the following illustrative examples from modern Dakkhini.
(56) D:
(57) D:
hue
SO
be+PERF
'Tell me the
ADJR
baat
matter
'Inform
thing that you
baat
matter
so
be+PERF
COMP
of
me
bataao
tell
have discussed.'
hue
me
mere ku
to
mere ku
tome
bataao
tell
what you have discussed.'
combination of participle plus so, even
that noun; cf. (58) which comes from
Kadri (1750-1820); cf. Iqbal Ahmed 1986.
Interestingly, in old Dakkhini the
when used as a noun
modifier,
the writings of Sayyad
Examples
(58)
of this type,
OD:
may follow
Mohammed
however, are quite
totaa
rare.
tumaam ahvaal
whole incident
khajastaa kaa kahaa
parrot
Khajasta to
told
havaa
so
happened+PERF
ADJR
14
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:1 (Spring 1989)
The
parrot narrated the whole incident that
had happened
to Khajasta.'
4.7.
In
the works of Wajhi (1635), so followed by an otherwise unmarked
is used as the object of verbs of saying, such as kahnaa; cf.
complement clause
(59).
This use of so
(59)
OD:
is
not found
amaa
isk
in
present-day Dakkhini.
Arora
& Subbarao:
15
Convergence and syntactic reanalysis
In addition, Old Dakkhini has the following functions which modern
Dakkhini does not have: (i) The use of so as a correlative pronoun and its
ability to be directly followed by another correlative; (ii) the employment of so as
an agentive marker; (iii) the use of so plus complement clause as the object of
verbs of saying; and (iv) the ability of so to be used as a full-fledged resumptive
pronoun. Moreover, so as an adjectivalizer can precede as well as follow the
head in Old Dakkhini. In present-day Dakkhini, on the other hand, so must
precede the head noun when used as an
lows if functions as a complementizer.
adjectivalizer, while
it
obligatorily fol-
it
As
in section 3 has shown, there Is an almost one-to-one
the functions of present-day Dakkhini so and its Telugu
Interestingly, however, the functions of so that are found in Old
the discussion
correspondence
counterpart(s).
in
Dakkhini but are absent in the modern language have no such parallels
Telugu. This, we think, deserves an explanation.
in
appears that after so had been reanalysed as an adjectivalizer in Old
its use was extended to a variety of new structures, such as agentive
constructions and complements of verb of saying. However, being in intensive
bilingual contact with Telugu and converging with it in its overall structure,
Dakkhini sooner or later eliminated those innovations which had no counterIt
Dakkhini,
parts
in
that language.
in Dakkhini not only provides a case of extreme conmore specifically, shows how innovations specific to the converging variety of a language (and not shared by other varieties of that language)
can come to be abandoned under the influence of the contact language.
Thus, the study of so
vergence
but,
NOTES
*Earlier versions of this paper were presented at the 1986 South Asian
Languages Analysis Roundtable, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign,
and at the Department of Linguistics, University of Wisconsin at Madison (1986).
We are grateful to Yamuna Kachru, M. K. Verma, and especially Hans Henrich
Hock for valuable suggestions and comments. Thanks are also due to
Ramakant Agnihotri for helpful suggestions.
The abbreviations used
ADJR
ADV
-
in this
adjectivalizer
adverb
COMP - complementizer
OP - correlative pronoun
-
D Dakkhini
DAT dative
-
-
paper are as follows:
EMPH
EXPL
GEN
-
-
-
emphatic.
expletive
genitive
H-U - Hindi-Urdu
IMPF - imperfect
INST - instrumental
16
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:1 (Spring 1989)
LOG
NEG
OD
P
-
-
locative
PPLE
negative
PROG
-
RP
Old Dakkhini
PERF
-
-
progressive
relative
pronoun
T - Telugu
Punjabi
-
-
participle
-
perlect
"From the
originate from
written records available, it appears that Dakkhini did not
a single source language. According to Chatterji (1963:142),
and associates speakwent
to Central and South India, and carved out Muslim Kingdoms for
themselves settling down among Marathas (Indo-Aryan), Kannadigas and Telugus (Dravidian). The dialects they took with them
supplied the basis of a literary speech they developed from the
fifteenth century. It was known as Dakkhini or the southern speech.'
'North Indian Muslims with Hindu allies
ing dialects of western Hindi (Indo-Aryan), Punjabi (Indo-Aryan)
2|t
should be mentioned here that simple adjectives
For example
in
Dakkhini agree with
the noun that they modify.
acchaa
acche
baccaa
bacce
acchii
baccii/bacciyaa
'good boy'
'good boys'
'good girl/girls'
^Notice that the imperfect verbal participle followed by the verb 'be' in its
imperfect form is permitted in the predicate position in Dakkhini on the pattern of
Telugu. The following sentences are
(i)
illustrative.
ai
karte ue
kaam
morning since work
do IMPF PPLE is
'Ramayya has been working since the morning.'
ceestuu unnaadu
raamayyaa
poddutanunci pani
has been doing
morning since work
Ramayya
'Ramayya has been working since the morning.'
raamayyaa
D:
subbo se
Ramayya
(ii)
T:
But note that an imperfect relative participle cannot occur in the predicate
'be', as illustrated by the ungrammaticality of example
(23), repeated below for convenience.
position without the verb
(iii)
so
*baccaa jaate
go+IMPF ADJR
boy
'The boy is going.'
D:
'*The various negative participles
(i)
D:
naiT
NEG
(ii)
D:
aaye
in
ai
is
Dakkhini are as follows:
so
admii
ADJR
man
come PERF
'The man who did did not come ..."
admii
naiT
aate
so
man
come IMPERF ADJR
NEG
The man who does not come ...'
admii
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:1 (Spring 1989)
18
1635.
Sabras, ed. Shree
Ram Sharma.
Hyderabad:
Dakkhini Hindi
Prakashan Samiti.
ZORE,
S. M. Quadari.
Depot.
1960.
Hindustani lisaniyat.
Lucknow:
Naseem Book
)
the Linguistic Sciences
Studies
in
Volume
19,
Number
1,
Spring 1989
AN INFERENCE-BASED ACCOUNT OF RESTRICTIVE RELATIVE
WHICH AND THAT
Camille Bundrick
Although the restrictive relative pronouns which and that are
sometimes considered interchangeable,
argue here that whichconstructions and frtaf-constructions have systematically different use
conditions and consequent implicatures.
These differences are
I
shown
correspond to Donnellan's referential/attributive distincsubsequently argue that w/7/c/)-constructions are used referentially and f/7af-constructions attributively. This difference in use is
explained via Horn's division of pragmatic labor. Using Horn's theory,
provide an account of both the different implications arising from
the use of each expression as well as an explanation for the
continuing coexistence of two words used for the same purpose, i.e.
tions.
to
I
I
to introduce restrictive relative clauses.
0.
INTRODUCTION
This paper addresses the question of why there should be two distinct
pronouns, which and that, in the English language to serve a
single purpose in the sentences in which they are used. Stahike (1976: 584)
restrictive relative
mirrors the general
(1)
and
(1
(2)
(2)
as
consensus among grammarians and
'virtually
linguists
when he
cites
synonymous':
The cow which kicked over the lantern belongs to Ms. O'Leary.
The cow that kicked over the lantern belongs to Ms. O'Leary.
In what follows
argue that restrictive relative clauses introduced by which
have systematically different use conditions from those introduced by that. The
difference between the two types of restrictive relative clauses is not truth
conditional, nor is it always possible for readers to discern the difference
between the two types of clauses. But, where there are differences, the
differences in use are systematic. In fact, in using one over the other a speaker
can give different implications about how he is using the N modified by the
For that-conrestrictive relative clause to refer to his intended referent.
I
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:1 (Spring 1989)
20
structions'' the implication
is
that the
speaker
is
using the
N
for_arbitrary or
N cannot be
the restrictive clause is essential to inferby itself
ring the denotation of the intended referent. Without the restriction or definition
the restrictive clause provides, Ns modified by relatives introduced by that may
not be used successfully to refer to the speaker/writer's intended referent.
When an addressee encounters
lV/7/cA7-relatives give different implications.
wrt/c/7-constructions, the implication is that the N modified by the restrictive
clause is being used to refer to a particular referent in that context. In the
attributive reference in that context.
used successfully
to refer
โ
What
this
means
is
that the
argue that, unlike f^af-constructions,
clause is sufficientjor but not
essential to the denotation of the intended referent. Two types of Ns illustrate
this difference in reference dependent upon whether which or that is used to
examples
of w/7/c/7-constructions to follow
I
for iv/7/c/7-constructions the restrictive relative
introduce the restrictive relative clause.
The
first
type
is
definite descriptions,
loaned you, which use the definite article the to imply referDonnellan (1966) was the first to propose that
individual.
definite descriptions can be used in two distinct ways. The distinction is one
between reference to a particular individual (referential use) and reference to
whatever individual fits the attribute given (attributive use). In section 1, first
briefly discuss the referential/attributive distinction and then show its relevance
to the distinction between which and that by claiming that wrt/crt-constructions
are used referentially and f/7a^constructions attributively.
such as the book
ence to a unique
I
I
Donnellan's distinction can be extended to include descriptions other than
those introduced by the definite article. Although these descriptions may not be
strictly referential or attributive in Donnellan's sense, still a distinction can be
made between descriptions that are used to refer to particular individuals and
those that refer to arbitrary individuals, i.e., whoever or whatever fits the desargue that which is used in constructions
cription, if anyone at all. In section 2,
not introduced by the definite article which imply that the N modified by the
I
restrictive relative
clause has a
definite, particular referent,
a generic,
//laf-constructions implies reference to
A
whereas the use
of
arbitrary individual.
theory which provides the framework for a unified account of the
between that- and w/7/c/7-constructions is Horn's (1984) theory of Q-
distinctions
based and R-based inference. In it, Horn reduces Ghee's (1975) maxims of
conversation to two principles: the Q-Principle (similar to Grice's maxim of
Quantityi) and the R-Principle (based on Grice's maxim of Relevance). These
principles are in opposition to one another, as a speaker following the QPrinciple says as much as she can (given R), whereas a speaker abiding by the
R-Principle says no more than she must (given Q). The interaction between the
two creates what Horn calls the 'division of pragmatic labor,' a notion which
accounts for, among other things, the distinction between marked and
unmarked expressions. In section 3, argue that Horn's theory of Q-based and
R-based inference provides a unified account of the different contributions
which and that make to the restrictive relative constructions they are part of, as
well as an explanation for why the two relative pronouns continue to coexist.
I
Bundrick:
1.
An
inference-based account
21
REFERENTIAL/ATTRIBUTIVE DISTINCTION
The
referential/attributive distinction
was
first
proposed by Donnellan
(1966) as a distinction in the way definite descriptions are used. Since this diswill
tinction consists of contrasts that are relevant to the rest of the discussion,
first briefly describe Donnellan's distinction before going on to give examples
I
using which and
that.
A speaker
could use
(3) for
example, either
referentially
or attributively:
The lady who
(3)
lives
on Main Street
On
the referential use the speaker would be referring to a particular person, say, her hairdresser Marie, who she just happened to describe in the way
that she did. It is possible that there were any number of other ways the speak-
same referent with an equal probability of success
enabling her addressee to pick out her referent. Thus, the speaker could
refer to her hairdresser Marie with (4) - (6) and still possibly succeed in denoting
er could have described the
in
her intended referent:
The lady with the pointed toenails
The lady with the beehive hairdo
The lady who just drove by
(4)
(5)
(6)
the atthbutive use, the speaker uttering (3) refers to whoever happens
the description. It could be that there is no other way to describe the person that the speaker is referring to. For example, imagine a camp for boys
where the only females on the whole compound consisted of one housemother
per street. If a camp contest based prize giveaway on the ___location of one's res-
On
to
fit
would be appropriate to announce The next prize goes to the lady
on Main Street, without it being necessary or even possible for the
speaker to be referring to a particular person as long as it was assumed that
only one lady lived on Main Street. Clearly, though, the prize could not be
given to a woman with pointed toenails or a beehive hairdo unless it was also
true of her that she lived on Main Street.
idence,
who
it
lives
Even
if
his description of
description referentially and
still
a referent
is
may use
mistaken, a speaker
successfully refer to his intended referent.
the
If
I
you The lady who lives on Main Street is on my bowling team and you
know that have trouble with names and always get Main and Market Streets
confused, then still may have successfully referred to the person intended on
my bowling team. But if a speaker uses a mistaken description attributively, the
description either won't refer to anyone or will be taken to refer to someone that
instruct a florist to deliver some
the speaker didn't intend to refer to. So, if
flowers to the lady who lives on Main Street and three women live on Main
Street or else no woman lives on Main Street, then the florist won't know who
want the flowers delivered to.
say
to
I
I
I
I
I
To sum
may either denote a particular referent
whatever fits the description (atthbutive use). On
use, reference may be made almost in spite of the attribute, since
up, definite descriptions
(referential use) or
the referential
whoever
or
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:1 (Spring 1989)
22
may be more than one way to referentially pick out a referent (including a
proper name), and mistaken or wrong descriptions may still be used referentially and serve to pick out a referent. But on the attributive use, reference is
impossible without the correct attribute. Because the attribute is essential to
there
correct reference, there
speaker uses an
attribute, the description either
someone
that the
one way to refer attributively. Also, if a
and turns out to be mistaken about the
won't refer to anyone or will be taken to refer to
may be
only
attributive description
speaker
didn't intend to refer to.
distinction is illustrated in (7), where the
construction with that implies reference to a generic, arbitrary individual,
The
referential/attributive
whereas with who^ a
(7)
The
a.
is
referent of the
is
is
NP
implied.
be understood as the individual that
will
the referent of the subject,
The
b.
definite referent
referent of the
NP
will
be understood as the individual who
the referent of the subject.
is that the author is referring attributively to any indithe description of 'being the referent of the subject'.
As long as it is true of any individual X that X has the property Y of being the referent of the subject, then X is being referred to. Any other property of X is not
In (7a)
vidual
the implication
who happens
to
fit
in this example. In (7b) a different implication is
example an addressee may infer that there exists some particular, but unknown individual of whom it happens to be true that this individual is
the referent of the subject. It is possible that the author could have described
this individual in some other way with equal success in enabling her reader to
relevant to successful reference
made. From
this
pick out the intended referent.
which and that involved in referential and attributive
With that used to introduce the restrictive relative
clause, the implication is that, regardless of the nature or form of the semantic
rules which guarantee John to be the object of please, whatever they are, they
might have been different:
Another example
constructions
is (8)
of
below.
is no logical reason why English adjectives go
before the nouns they modify (e.g., united states) rather than after, as
Likewise, the semantic rules that
unis).
in French {etats
guarantee that John is understood as the object of please
(8a) For example, there
in
John
is
easy
to
please
(i.e.,
that
make
it
equivalent to
It
is
easy
people] to please John), might have been otherwise, allowing
John to be understood as the subject (making the sentence equivalent to It is easy for John to please [people]). (Green p. 6)
[for
When which
implication
is
is
used
to introduce the
restrictive
relative clause, the
that particular semantic rules are being referred to:
(8b) For example, there
is
no logical reason why English adjectives go
after, as
before the nouns they modify (e.g., united states) rather than
Likewise, the semantic rules
in French (etats unis).
which
Bundrick:
An inference-based account
23
guarantee that John is understood as the object of please
equivalent to It is
in John is easy to please (i.e., which make
easy [for people] to please John), might have been otherwise,
allowing John to be understood as the subject (making the sentence
equivalent to It is easy for John to please [peoplej). (Green p. 6,
it
which substituted
for that)
example, the writer indicates that there exist particular semantic
say Rule A, Rule B, and Rule C. That is, she believes they exist in some
form or other and they can do a particular job (i.e., guarantee that John is
understood as the object of please).
In this
rules,
Because the
use of a definite description implies a particular
use implies a more arbitrary referent, it makes
sense for a definite description used referentially to actually refer to a previous
mention in a text (or context). A definite description used attributively, on the
other hand, need not be used to make reference to something encountered
previously in the text, since it implies an arbitrary rather than particular referreferential
referent while the attributive
ence. This
is
the situation
in (9).
In (9), the referent of the situation can be either taken to be part of the
previous text, i.e. what the speaker has said in the previous clause, or it could
be taken to be simply whatever situation the speaker might be indicating exists,
including what he/she has said, (i.e., the speaker might be implying an insult by
saying Your mother wears combat boots.)
(9a)
of the discourse-interpreter is a) to understand what the
speaker has said, that is, to construct a mental model of the situation WHICH the speaker is indicating exists; and b) to
evaluate that model and use it to update his own model of the world.
The task
(Green,
p. 5)
With which used to introduce the restrictive relative clause, the situation
implies a particular referent. In the context of this text, a logical referent for the
situation is what the speaker has said, since what a speaker says can be taken
to represent a situation. Thus, when which is used to introduce the restrictive
relative clause, the implication is that the situation refers directly to
speaker has
what the
said.
With thatXo introduce the restrictive relative clause the implication
no particular interpreter, discourse, or speaker is being referred to:
(9b)
is
that
of the discourse-interpreter is a) to understand what the
speaker has said, that is, to construct a mental model of the situation THAT the speaker is indicating exists; and b) to
to update his own model of the world.
evaluate that model and use
The task
it
(Green,
Rather,
it
p. 5, f/7af
substituted for which)
Whenever they
implies a universal claim:
interpreter's job to construct
a mental model
of
whatever
exist,
it
is
the
situation the speaker's
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:1 (Spring 1989)
24
words
indicate.
the situation that the speaker is indicating exists need
what the speaker has said. The speaker might have said
a delightful woman, but implied that he was being insulting.
In fact,
not refer directly to
Your mother
2.
is
PARTICULAR/ARBITRARY DISTINCTION
refer
Ns other than those modified by the definite article can also be used to
two ways. On one view they can be used to refer to particular individuals,
they can be used to refer to_whoever fits the description. This distinction can
be seen in (lO).^ When the N sincere questions is modified by a restrictive
relative clause introduced by which, the implication is that particular questions
had been under discussion at some earlier point in the text. One may infer that
or,
the questions also happen to indicate
When
implication
the restrictive relative
is that,
of
some
clause
a set consisting
of
speaker's desire for information.
is
all
introduced by that, however, the
sincere questions, only those that
could be used to indicate the speaker's desires were under discussion.
(10)
a.
b.
We
discussed sincere questions which indicate that the speaker
wants some information he believes the addressee has.
We discussed sincere questions that indicate that the speaker
wants some information he believes the addressee has.
is that the sincere questions under discussion just
be described as indicating that the speaker wants some
information he believes the addressee has. It's possible these questions could
have been described in some other way, with an equal chance of successful
reference. That situation does not hold true of (10b). In (10b), the relative
clause serves to remind the reader of the definition of the term sincere
questions. Any other description of the questions may not have resulted in ref-
In
(10a) the implication
happened
erence
to
to the
same
intended referent.
Example (11) also illustrates the arbitrary reference of f/7af-constructions
compared to the particular reference of w/7/c/7-constructions. This example is
one gave to eight informants as part of an informal test which involved inserting which or that in sentences taken out of context where the relative
pronoun slot was left blank. All eight participants, including the original author
of the sentence, wrote that for this example. The original sentence"* was written
I
with which.
(11)
a.
The remark also threatens the addressee's face
referring to the
in
implicitly
addressee's wanting something that the speaker
has.
b.
The remark
also threatens the addressee's face
referring
the addressee's wanting something which the
to
in
implicitly
speaker has.
In
(11a), with that, the implication
is
that
it
is
face-threatening for reference
be made to the addressee's wanting anything at all the speaker might have,
whether it be her husband, her jewelry, her dining room table, or even a glass of
to
..
Bundrick:
An inference-based account
25
water from her kitchen sink. Whatever it is, as long as it is something the
speaker has, the addressee's face will be threatened if implicit reference is
made to the addressee's wanting it. And, out of context, this seems the most
In the original text, a much
likely way to view the implication of this example.
different scenario was created. The sentence was located in the middle of a
discussion of using may, should, and mustXo show deference to an addressee.
The examples used to illustrate this deference involved a hostess offering
fruitcake to a guest. The something that the speaker has in (11b) is clearly the
would be face-threatening to the
fruitcake, and the discussion points out that
addressee/guest for the hostess to imply (by uttering You may have some of this
fruitcake, for example) that the addressee wants some of it.
it
In (11a) with the f/jaf-construction, the restrictive relative clause contains
information essential to inferring the denotation of the intended referent. Without any given context, something only implies arbitrary reference. The restric-
clause supplies the information necessary for the hearer to infer a
In (lib), though, something clearly has a particular referent. This point will be discussed more fully in the next section.
tive relative
possible referent for something.
3.
HORN'S THEORY OF Q-BASED AND R-BASED INFERENCE
Horn proposes a schema for pragmatic inference derived from Grice's
conversational maxims. He reduces Grice's (1975:45-46) maxims (given in
example (12) below) to the two principles (13) and (14):
(12) Grice:
Quality:
Try to
Do
Do
1
2.
make your
contribution
one
that is true.
not say what you believe to be false.
not say that for which you lack evidence.
Quantity:
contribution as informative as
required (for
1.
Make your
2.
the current purposes of the exchange).
Do not make your contribution more informative than
is
is
required.
Relation:
Be
relevant.
Manner:
3.
Avoid obscurity of expression.
Avoid ambiguity.
Be brief. (Avoid unnecessary prolixity.)
4.
Be
1
2.
Horn
(p. 13):
(13)
The
Q
orderly.
Principle (Hearer-based):
Make your contribution sufficient. (Cf.
Say as much as you can (given R).
(Lower-bounding
principle, inducing
Quantityi)
upper-bounding implicata.)
26
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:1 (Spring 1989)
(14)
The R Principle (Speaker-based):
Make your contribution necessary.
Relation, Quantity2.
(cf.
Say no more than you must
(Upper-bounding
The
Q
Manner)
(given Q).
principle, inducing
lower-bounding implicata.)
hearer-based in the sense that a speaker must overcome an inclination toward least effort and become as informative as the conversational exchange requires. Instead of saying as little as possible, a speaker
operating on the Q Principle must say as much as is relevant to ensure his contribution is sufficient for the exchange. This principle is a lower-bounding principle which may be exploited to generate upper-bounding implicata.
In other
words, by saying ... p ... a speaker may license the hearer to infer... atmostp...
A
alized;
Principle
is
conversational implication can be made so often that it becomes generi.e., some expressions consistently license the hearer to infer that
is meant than was said. The main examples of generalized Qbased implicata are those from scalar predications. For example, some (lower
bound) can license the inference not all (upper bound). If tell you that some of
my dishes were broken license you to infer that not all of them were. If knew
that all of the dishes were broken and felt that this was relevant knowledge for
you, would have been bound by the Q Principle to say so. Assuming that was
something more
I
I
I
I
I
obeying the
Q
stronger claim
Principle licenses the inference that
โ
All of the
dishes were broken
I
โ was
was
not certain that the
true.
Principle is just the opposite of the Q Principle. Where the Q Prinhearer-based, forcing the speaker to overcome an inclination toward
least effort, the speaker-based R Principle encourages minimal effort. A speaker operating on this principle would say only what he must (as long as it is
enough) to make his contribution necessary to the exchange. Just the opposite
of Q, the R Principle is an upper-bounding principle which may be exploited to
induce lower-bounding implicata. That means that a speaker uttering ... p ...
The R
ciple
is
licenses the inference
The
speech
...
more than p
...
example of a generalized R-based
As Horn aptly puts it:
classic
act.
implication
is
the indirect
ask you whether you can pass me the salt, in a context where your
do so are not in doubt, license you to infer that am doing
something more than asking you whether you can pass the salt
am in
fact asking you to do it. (If
know for a fact that you can pass me the salt,
the yes-no question is pointless; the assumption that
am obeying the
Relation maxim allows you to infer that mean something more than what
If
I
abilities to
I
I
โ
I
I
I
I
I
say.) (p. 14)
Although the R Principle and the Q Principle may operate independently to
generate implicata, their simultaneous operation also licenses various inferences. These two opposing forces in inference strategies create a conflict
whose most common
explicit derivation
Bundrick:
An
inference-based account
resolution
is
summarized by Horn
given
The use
(15)
sion
27
with his
in (15),
more
in (16a-f):
of
a marked
(relatively
complex and/or
when a corresponding unmarked
prolix)
expres-
(simpler, less 'effortful')
alternate expression is available tends to be interpreted as
conveying a marked message (one which the unmarked
alternative would not or could not have conveyed).
The speaker used marked expression
E' containing 'extra' matotherwise less basic in form or distribution) when a
corresponding unmarked expression E, essentially coextensive
(16a)
erial
with
(or
it,
Either
(16b)
(ii)
it
was
(i)
available.
was irrelevant and unnecessary, or
E could not have been appropriately
the 'extra' material
was necessary
(i.e.,
used).
(16c)
(16b(i))
is
in
R
conflict with the
Principle
and
is
thus (ceteris
paribus) to be rejected.
Therefore,
(16d)
(16b(ii)),
from (16b), (16c) by modus tollendo pon-
ens.
The unmarked
(16e)
use or
alternative
E tends
to
become associated
โ through conventionalization โ by
marked
(by
meaning) with un-
situation s, representing stereotype or salient
member
(R-based inference ...)
The marked alternative E' tends to become associated with the
of extension of E/E'.
(16f)
complement
of s with respect to the original
(Q-based inference
...)
(p.
extension of E/E'.
22)
Marked and unmarked expressions may coexist when a productive
process creates an expression synonymous to a lexical expression already in
existence. One such example is the productive pale red in contrast to the already existing lexical item pink first discussed by McCawley (1978). By using
the marked expression pale red a speaker implies that the unmarked alternative
pink does not hold. For those speakers for whom pale red is meaningful (some
find it impossible according to Horn), it could only be used to describe a range
of colors not already preempted by pink. The use of pink licenses the R-inference that the stereotypic or salient color is being referred to. Use of the marked
alternative pale red Q-implicates that unmarked pink does not or may not hold
of the color being described.
A
similar situation obtains with the distribution of lexical
causatives.
ited in their
causative
use
to stereotypic causation,
kill in
i.e.,
result.
(17a)
(1
Lexical causatives, such as
7b)
Jack killed Susan.
Jack caused Susan
to die.
and productive
(17a) have a tendency to be lim-
where physical action has a
direct
28
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:1 (Spring 1989)
Such limitation of lexical causatives to stereotypic situations
sidered to be straightforward R-based conversational implicature.
may be conA Q-implic-
ature would obtain through the use of the relatively marked productive
causative cause to die in example (17b) that the unmarked situation does not
Use
could not have been used appropriately,
amounts of poison in her tea every day or
loosened the screws on a balcony she is known to lean on.
hold.
of (17b) implies that (17a)
possibly because Jack put small
The alternative to an unmarked single lexical item need not be a producexpression made up of two or more words. Although neither which nor that
is a productive expression, still which is marked in a way that is not.
The relative pronoun that is used exclusively in restrictive relative clauses, whereas
which may be used in either restrictive or non-restrictive relative clauses.
tive
The desk which was being repainted got damaged.
The desk, which was being repainted, got damaged.
The desk that was being repainted got damaged.
*The desk, that was being repainted, got damaged.
(18)
(19)
(20)
(21)
tions
The differences between which- and ^A)a^constructions pointed out in sec1 and 2 can be given a unified account if we assume thatXo be unmarked
and which marked. First, according to Horn's division of pragmatic labor, unmarked that\N'\\\ represent the stereotypic use of a restrictive relative pronoun.
As an unmarked lexical item, that will have a tendency to be limited in use to
stereotypic restriction, i.e., it will be used to restrict the reference of the N to
those possible referents of which the condition given by the
believed to be true.
Such
clause is
conBecause the
restrictive
limitation of that to stereotypic situations
may be
sidered to be straightforward R-based conversational implicature.
R Principle is one of minimal effort (say only what you must), unmarked relative
that licenses the inference that the restrictive clause it introduces is essential to
the reference of the N in the relative construction. A speaker saying the minim-
um
the relative clause if he felt the N alone could
intended referent. Since the minimum possible
included the restrictive clause, the implication is that it is the attribute or property
stated of the N in the restrictive clause that crucially enables reference to the
possible would have
have been used to refer
left off
to his
N could serve as referent, as long as it
by the restrictive clause. It is this implicatum
that gives rise to the arbitrary reading for f/7af-constructions discussed in
intended referent. That implies that any
was a member
sections
1
and
of the set defined
2.
Assuming which to be marked also explains its role in licensing the inferences it does. As the relatively marked expression, its use Q-implies that
something different was meant from the straightforward restriction that that provides.
Otherwise the speaker/writer would have used that to introduce the
A speaker saying as much as he could might use a
he felt the N alone could have been used to refer to
Since the speaker is understood to be saying as much as
restrictive relative clause.
w/7/'crt-construction
his
even
intended referent.
if
he can given R, the implication
is
that the attribute stated of the
N
in
the
Bundrick:
restrictive
clause
to reference.
is
29
enable reference, but not necessarily essential
words, the use of a w/7/'c/7-construction may license the
has a particular referent.
sufficient to
In ot^her
inference that the
N
Examples (22a-b)
used
An inference-based account
illustrate
these differences.
In
(22a) with
unmarked
to introduce the restrictive clause, the implication is that the
that
speaker
is
operating under the R Principle and saying only as much as is absolutely necessary. Since the R Principle is a law of minimal effort, a speaker operating
under it would have only said the lamp without the restrictive clause if he felt
that that would have provided the hearer with enough information to enable him
to pick out the intended referent. Since the speaker didn't only say the lamp but
a hearer making an R-inference would
necessary to denote the intended lamp,
other lamps that this particular lamp is in
went on
to include the restrictive clause,
assume
that the restrictive relative
that there
may
is
possibly exist a set of
contrast with.
(22a)
The lamp
that
we bought
at
Carson's short-circuited.
marked which used to introduce the restrictive
that the unmarked situation represented by that
In (22b) with the relatively
clause, the Q-implication is
does not obtain. In other words, the stereotypic restriction that that generates,
with its implication that the N by itself is insufficient to establish reference to the
intended referent, does not hold. With strict restriction preempted, along with its
subsequent implication of modifying an arbitrary or indefinite N (as in a member
of a set), the marked situation represented by the iv/7/c^-construction is that the
N has some particular referent. The Q condition on sufficiency licenses the inference that the restrictive clause is sufficient for but not essential to reference.
Thus, with (22b) the implication is that some particular lamp is being referred to,
which the speaker happened to describe as being from Carson's. The property
of being bought at Carson's still serves to distinguish this lamp from other
lamps, although
(22b)
4.
it
need not be the sole distinguishing
The lamp which we bought
at
quality.
Carson's short-circuited.
SUMMARY
I
have
tried to
show
that ivrt/c/7-constructions
and
//7af-constructions
have
That
systematically different use conditions and consequent impiicatures.
means they can be used to produce distinct differences in the nature of the reference of the N modified by the restrictive clause. By assuming that\o be the
relative pronoun and which the marked one, use of Horn's division of
pragmatic labor generated by his Q and R Principles makes possible an account of both the different implications arising from the use of each expression,
as well as an explanation for the continuing coexistence of two words used for
the same purpose, i.e., to introduce restrictive relative clauses.
unmarked
30
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:1 (Spring 1989)
NOTES
*l
am
grateful to
Georgia Green
for her
many
helpful
comments on
earlier
drafts of this paper.
^By 7/jaf-construction'
I
mean a
construction represented by a structure of
the sort
where the restrictive relative clause, represented by S, is introduced by the
relative pronoun that. Likewise,
use 'w/i/c/j-construction' to indicate the whole
NP, only with which used to introduce the relative clause. When refer to the
noun modified by the restrictive relative clause, use N. By this refer only to
I
I
I
I
N
the circled
2|
have
in
the structure given above.
tried
wherever possible
to
use examples from
to
I
will
be applicable
to
who, although
I
do not apply
it
in this
(This
real texts.
me by Georgia Green from a manuscript she is
example uses who instead of which, but am assuming my
was given
one
working on.) The
analysis of which
paper.
3The examples in (10) only make sense if the set of sincere questions can
be taken to include questions that don't indicate that a speaker wants to know
something he thinks the addressee knows. These include questions which indicate a speaker is being polite, such as Would you care for some of this
fruitcake? or even sincere rhetorical questions, such as Who knows the mind of
Chomsky?
''Example
(1 1
)
is
an altered version
of
a sentence from Green
p.
1
50.
REFERENCES
DONNELLAN,
Keith. 1966. Reference and definite descriptions. Philosophical
Review 75.281-304. Repr., Readings in the philosophy of language, ed.
Englewood Cliffs, NJ:
by J. F. Rosenberg and C. Travis, 195-211.
Prentice-Hall.
GREEN, Georgia
1989. Pragmatics and natural language understanding.
Lawrence Eribaum Associates, Inc.
GRICE, H.P. 1975. Logic and conversation. Syntax and semantics, 3: Speech
acts, ed. by P. Cole & J. Morgan, 41-58. New York: Academic Press.
M.
Hillsdale, NJ:
Bundrick:
HORN, Laurence
An
inference-based account
31
Toward a new taxonomy
for pragmatic inference:
Meaning, form, and use in context:
Washington, DC:
Linguistic applications, ed. by D. Schiffrin, 11-42.
R.
1984.
Q-based and R-based
Georgetown
implicature.
University Press.
McCAWLEY, James
D.
1978.
Syntax and semantics,
9:
Conversational implicature and the lexicon.
Pragmatics, ed. by P. Cole, 245-259. New
York: Academic Press.
Herbert F. W. 1976. Which that. Language 52.584-610.
STAHLKE,
Studies
in
Volume
19,
t
he Linguistic Sciences
Number 1, Spring 1989
SHINGAZIDJA NOMINAL ACCENT
Farida Cassimjee and Charles
W. Kisseberth
In this paper we explore the accentual system of Shingazidja, a
Bantu language spoken on the Grand Comoros island, belonging to
the Sabaki group, and closely related to Kiswahili. This system is interesting both in terms of general linguistic theory and in terms of the
history of Proto-Bantu tone in East Africa.
We
argue that Shingazidja
(at least in
the nominal system) has
essentially retained the Proto-Bantu distribution of High (H) tones,
it superimposes a metrical structure over these tones, and
the metrical structure that determines the surface ___location of
but that
is
One
tones.
H,
tone
is critically
rule,
Meeussens' Rule, which deletes an H
involved
in
after
obtaining the correct surface ___location of
it
H
an
H
tones.
โ
We review two earlier accounts of Shingazidja a descriptive
study by Tucker and Bryan (1970) and a metrical analysis by
Philippson (1988). We attempt to clarify what the facts are with respect to Shingazidja nominal accent and to show why our analysis is
superior.
1.
Introduction
In this paper we present an analysis of some of the fundamental aspects of
the accentual system of the nominal in Shingazidja, a Bantu language spoken
on the Grand Comoros island. This system is of considerable interest both from
the theoretical point of view and from the point of view of the student of the
We
demonstrate that Shingazidja has
system in the noun, but that it
regards High tones as rendering a mora metrically heavy, and builds an
unbounded, left-dominant, quantity-sensitive foot over each High tone in a
history of
Bantu tone.
will
attempt
to
essentially preserved the Proto-Bantu tonal
phonological phrase.
We
will
show
that, prior to the
construction of metrical
^
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:1 (Spring 1989)
34
underlying distribution of High tones may be altered. Further, we will
subsequent to the construction of metrical feet, a well-known Bantu
applies to delete the High tone in one foot if
Meeussen's Rule
tonal rule
the immediately preceding foot has a High tone. This rule must apply iteratively
feet, the
show
that
from
left
โ
โ
to right, since given the underlying distribution of
High tones,
it
es-
beginning at the left edge of an expression,
the first foot and every other one after it has a surface High tone. The actual
phonetic realization of the High tones that remain after Meeussen's Rule is
controlled by two principles: The H in a foot is realized on the last mora of the
foot, and the Highs in a phonological expression exhibit 'downstep'. There are
further matters of phonetic implementation that merit detailed phonetic exploration, and it is our intention to ultimately provide such a study. But the present
paper is largely confined to the major structural aspects of the Shingazidja
pitch/accent system, rather than the phonetic implementation of these structablishes an alternating pattern;
i.e.,
tures.
literature on Shingazidja accent is not extensive. The first
system is found in a paper by Tucker and Bryan (1970), henceforth T&B. T&B offer no analysis of the system, actually. Their focus is mainly
classificatory, based on what they perceive to be the pitch patterns displayed by
nominals in isolation and phrases containing nominals. Because their paper is
well-known to students of the Sabaki language group (which includes Kiswahili
and its various dialects, the Comorian languages [= Shimasiwa], the Mijikenda
languages, Pokomo, and Elwana), we have taken some pains to clarify T&B's
account of the Shingazidja data and to explain why their attempt at classi-
The published
account
of the
fication is ultimately unsuccessful.
Philippson (1988) explores the accentual system of three Comorian
Shin[d]zuani, Shimwali, and Shingazi[d]ja, but his discussion of
Shingazidja is based (apparently) largely on T&B, and he refers to these data
languages
โ
as 'tres fragmentaires et assez peu sures, mais neanmoins revelatrices' (35).
Despite the limitations of the data, Philippson (unlike T&B), does offer an
analysis of the system underlying the surface pitch patterns in Shingazidja. As
Philippson presents them, the accentual systems of the other two Comorian
languages discussed seem closely related to Shingazidja (although from the
published literature we cannot gauge whether the phonetic implementation of
the systems are parallel, and we have not as yet had a first hand opportunity to
study the other languages). We will not here attempt a detailed review of the
material in Philippson, but rather concentrate on his analysis of Shingazidja
and the main outlines of his analysis of Comorian accent in general.
2.
Tucker and Bryan's description
T&B distinguish three tonal (pitch) patterns of nouns in their isolation form.
type they refer to as a 'Level Tone Pattern' (I); a second type they refer to
as a 'Mid + Low Tone Pattern' (II); and the third type they refer to as a 'High +
One
& Kisseberth:
Cassimjee
Shingazidjia nominal accent
35
(III).
However, with respect to Type III, T&B note: 'Memberonly tentative, dependent in the first instance on our ability to
Low Tone
Pattern'
ship here
is
distinguish a 'High' from a 'Mid' tone
in
words spoken
isolation by
in
one
informant who, from time to time, varied his intervals' (354). We will ultimately
argue that Tone Pattern (= TP) II and III are phonetically distinguishable, and
that the structural basis for this phonetic difference
look at the
morphophonemic
becomes very
clear
when we
variation exhibited by these nominals.
As turns out, T&B's analysis of Shingazidja does not stop at classifying
nouns on the basis of their isolation forms: '... there is another allocation of
nouns according to their Tone Patterns in certain contexts. For the present
exercise the deictic form of the noun in conjunction with the pronominal possessive has been selected as most representative, and three main Tone Patterns have been found, called here A, B, and C. These Patterns in many
respects fall in with the Tone Patterns already discussed [i.e.
II, and III; FC and
CWK], but in other respects cut across them' (360).
should be noted that the
three Tone Patterns A, B, and C do not refer just to the shape of the nominal
word itself, but also to the shape of what follows. (In the case that T&B discuss in
detail, this is the pronominal possessive.) In other words, these Tone Patterns
it
I,
It
refer to the tonal influence
a nominal has as well as
to its
own
surface shape.
The picture that emerges from the T&B account of Shingazidja is a
confusing as well as a confused one. In the end, the intersection of Tonal
Patterns
I,
II,
and
III
with
Tone Patterns
A, B,
and C
tonal classes (out of the logically possible nine).
count, bisyllabic nominal stems
show
yields for
six different
T&B
other words,
In
six different
in
T&B's ac-
(unpredictable) patterns of
Since the Proto-Bantu tonal system, from which Shingazidja
and Low, and
since a bisyllabic noun stem in Proto-Bantu could have one of four possible
tonal shapes (LL, LH, HL, and HH), it would be somewhat surprising if in
Shingazidja there are in fact six different underlying tonal types. We shall argue
that in Shingazidja, there are in fact four distinct accentual types for a bisyllabic
stem (just as in Proto-Bantu). There are good reasons for the confusions in
T&B. The data are subtle and not at all straightforward; in many instances there
are alternative forms available that confuse the classification.
tonal behavior.
surely derives, exhibited a contrast between two tones. High
3.
T&B's Tone Pattern
I
Let us begin our discussion of Shingazdija with
nouns.
The
first
point about these
tinguishable from the nouns that
way
T&B
nouns
label
is
T&B's Tone Pattern
I
that they are in fact readily dis-
Tone Pattern
II
and
III.
T&B
provide
TPI nouns, simply describing them as (mid) 'level' (although at one point indicating a possible raising
of the final syllable above this mid level). In our experience, items of this type
(in isolation) consistently exhibit a level pitch up until the last syllable, at which
point the pitch rises. It is not simply that the last syllable has a higher pitch level,
little
in
the
of discussion of the pitch patterns of
36
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:1 (Spring 1989)
For the time being, we will transfinal vowel, with all the
preceding syllables being unmarked. In addition, we will underline the final
vowel. (Underlining indicates the syllable which we will ultimately analyze as
having an H tone associated with it.)
but the pitch
seems
to rise
on that
syllable.
mark over the
cribe items of this type with an acute
Some examples
of this type of
kapwa
(1)
'armpit',
godorQ
'river',
'face',
noun follow below.
nyumba
'mattress',
parg
'house', sutru 'spoon',
meza
m-dri
'road', hi-ri 'chair',
'tree',
'table',
m-drfi
m-levi 'drunkard', (r])koha 'dove', u-bu 'porridge', u-sq.
gada
'hole',
terยฃ 'drop', i-tsawazi
'a
kind of plate',
m-berยฃ
m-tsuzl 'a kind of tree', nanga 'anchor', m-tsana
'day', mfuri(y)apa 'a kind of tree', birci 'office, closet', bawa
'wing', furaha 'happiness', m-nazi 'coconut tree', kasha 'suit
'finger ring',
case'
[Note:
m indicates a syllabic nasal.]
if we were to attempt a purely tonal
might propose that there is a High tone associated
with the ultimate vowel of these words. Indeed, if we look at bisyllabic ProtoBantu noun stems that have a LH pattern, we find that when they have cognates
in Shingazidja, they do indeed appear as TP
nouns with regularity. (Problematic correspondences are not discussed here.) Below we list some relevant
reconstructions along with their Shingazidja cognates. (In these materials, 'G'
refers to Guthrie 1971, and the number refers to the numbering of his re-
Given
just this isolation pronunciation,
we
analysis of Shingazidja,
I
constructions.)
*-baba 'wing' (G. 6)
*-cana 'day, daylight' (G. 273)
*-c\6 'face' (G. 346)
โข-dor^go 'clay' (G. 667)
โข-nyCimba 'house' (G. 2168a)
(2)
*-nyur]gu
*-tf
'tree'
From the data so
'pot'
(G.
far presented,
Shingazidja nominals.
In
in
it
is
'wing'
rti-cana
u-sa
'
day'
'face'
donga
'clay'
nyumba
nyungii
m-drf
(G. 1729)
between where Highs appeared
of
2173a)
bawa
'house'
'pot'
'tree'
clear that there
is
some
correlation
Proto-Bantu nominals and the pitch pattern
our opinion, however,
it
will
quickly
become
evident that Shingazidja did not simply retain the Proto-Bantu tone system, and
that
it
is
not best regarded from a synchronic point of view as
simply a tone
language.
That the correlation between Proto-Bantu High tones and the surface
of raised pitches in Shingazidja is indeed not direct becomes
immediately appparent from an examination of phrasal phonology. Consider
appearance
& Kisseberth:
Cassimjee
Shingazidjia nominal accent
37
example what happens when a word that in isolation has the same pitch
Tone Pattern nouns is combined with a Tone Pattern noun. The
example we will use here is the element djuu 'on' (cf. *-judu 'top', G. 959).
for
pattern as
(3)
I
I
meza
djuu 'on a table'
djuu 'on a chair'
pare djuu 'on a road'
nyumba djuu 'on a house'
hiri
We
have transcribed the above expressions with an acute accent over the
second vowel from the end of the expression.
should be noted that the
It
phonetic implementation of this syllable in these expressions is not the same as
the phonetic implementation of the final syllable in (1). We shall return to this
matter of phonetic implementation below.
Given that the two words involved both have a final raised pitch in
we might have expected phrases with shapes like *mezi, djuu. and
'hiri djuu. We do not find such pronunciations. There is a single raised syllable
and it is the one in between the underlyingly raised syllables (assuming that
the isolation forms represent the underlying pattern). Consideration of some
additional data will help us to establish more precisely where the raised syllable
isolation,
will
occur.
Let us consider the situation where an adjective which has an isolation
form with a final raised syllable follows a noun with a final raised syllable. We
will use -(bjili'Xv^o' (cf. *-bidi'\vjo', G. 113).
(4)
ma-soha
ma-ili
birQ mbili
mi-rj mi-ili
'two axes'
'two offices, closets'
'two trees'
mi-furi(y)apa mi-iH 'two (kinds of) trees'
zi-tsawazi
zi-ili
'two plates'
is that in expressions consisting of two words
which end, in their isolation form, in a final raised syllable (we will refer to these
as underlined syllables in what follows), there will be a single raised syllable
immediately to the left of the final underlined syllable. In an example like birQ
mbili there is just one syllable between the two underlined syllables; in zitsawazi zi-ili, there are two syllables in between. Regardless of how many
What these data demonstrate
syllables intervene, the raised syllable
is
one
to the left of the final underlined
syllable.
While a tonal treatment of this material is not impossible, it is not at all
obvious how we can start with two High tones (located on the final vowels of two
successive words) and reduce them to a single H tone located to the immediate
We would have to propose
left of the ___location of the second of these Highs.
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:1 (Spring 1989)
38
something
like
Given two H tones, the first spreads rightward up
second H; then the second deletes; and finally all
a multiply-linked H structure delink. This would result in
the following:
to the syllable before the
syllables but the last
in
an H on the appropriate
syllable.
Given that there is no particular evidence for the spreading and delinking
operations required by the tonal analysis, and given that there will be additional
evidence later, suggesting that Shingazidja is not simply a tone language, let us
explore how we might make sense out of these data. We will follow the suggestion of Philippson (1988) that Shingazidja represents a language where
metrical structure plays a pervasive role in terms of determining the surface
pitch pattern. Our analysis will, however, differ radically from Philippson's in
terms of the metrical structures involved.
We
feel that in the interests of clarity
it
best to examine Philippson's analysis later, after the data motivating our
analysis have been introduced and analyzed.
is
We suggest that one part of the tonal analysis is correct; namely, a High
tone must be deleted after a High tone. This is a well-known rule of Bantu
tonology and in recent years has come to be known as Meeussen's Rule. 2 But
we propose that the apparent shift of the High tone from the final syllable of the
first word to the syllable immediately in front of where the High tone in the second word is (underlyingly) located is due to a very simple principle: The High
tone associated with the head of a foot is realized phonetically as a raising of
the pitch of the last syllable of that foot.
Let us spell out our proposal a little more carefully. We suggest that ProtoBantu High tones have been retained in Shingazidja. Furthermore, we suggest
that Shingazidja has developed a system of metrical prominence that involves
and that
the constnjction of unbounded, left-dominant, quantity-sensitive feet
syllables associated with High tones count as 'heavy' in this system. It could be
maintained that the feet are constructed starting at the left edge of the phrase
(whether the syllable at the edge is heavy or not), or that they are constructed
subject to the proviso that the head of the foot must be heavy. If the feet are
constructed starting at the left edge, then in some phrases there will be an initial
foot that contains no High tone. For the sake of simplicity, we will assume that
feet are built only over heavy syllables, but we know of no evidence at the
โ
moment
In
bearing on this particular issue.
our presentation,
we
will
adopt the metrical grid approach to the reprewe will not attempt to motivate
sentation of 'accent' ('prominence', 'stress'), but
this
approach
in
general nor explicate
it
beyond the
level of detail required for
approach, the cooccurexample) and accent Is represented as the
linkage of that unit to a prominent position in a grid. A grid is an array of asterisks (which can be equated with a positive value for prominence at a given
level) in columns and lines. A grid consists of as many columns as there are
the presentation of our analysis of Shingazidja.
rence of
some
unit (a syllable, for
In this
Cassimjee
& Kisseberth:
Shingazidjia nominal accent
39
the representation. For present purposes, we may
as many lines as there are levels of prominence. Line
consists of as many asterisks as there are accentable syllables in the representation. Line 1 consists of an asterisk for every position on Line
that is in
fact accented. The syllables with a Line 1 asterisk are the heads of metrical
feet. The syllables that are joined together with a head to form a foot are shown
by enclosing them with the head inside brackets on Line 0. Finally, syllables
that are extrametrical are shown by enclosing them and their asterisk on Line
in parentheses.
accentable syllables
suppose
in
that there are
Consider first how we account for Tonal Pattern
nouns in isolation.
we propose that syllables with an H tone are metrically heavy and that
left-dominant, unbounded, quantity-sensitive feet are constructed over heavy
syllables in Shingazidja. In TP
nouns, the last syllable is associated with an H
tone. Thus a foot will be constructed with that syllable as the head of the foot.
Since there are no syllables to the right, this foot will not contain any other
syllables. The H tone will be realized on the last (which is the only) syllable of
I
Recall,
I
the foot.
Next consider how we account for the pronunciations in (3) - (4). The
phrase will have two H syllables (the underlined syllables in our transcriptions).
Unbounded, left-dominant, quantity-sensitive feet are built over the heavy syllables. Thus we will have representations such as the following:
*
(5)
*
*
Line
**][*]
*
[*
ma-so
ha,
ma-i li
H
H
1
Line
extend from the last syllable of the first word through the penult
second word. The last syllable of the second word will be itself a
foot. Meeussen's Rule will delete the H from the second foot. The H of the first
which is the syllable
foot will be realized on the last syllable of the foot
immediately preceding the second foot. In other words, we account for what is
special about the syllable immediately preceding the second of two High tones
by saying that this syllable represents the end of a foot, and the raising of pitch
in Shingazidja coocurs with the end of a foot.
The
first
foot will
syllable of the
โ
of
is
Let us now turn to another source of evidence about the proper treatment
Tone Pattern nominals. In particular, we will examine what in the literature
sometimes referred to as a 'stabilized' noun phrase. The general structure of
I
such noun phrases in Shingazidja is: a 'stabilizer' (/ndV/) plus an element proto the noun that serves as a definite marker, plus the noun. There is some
morphological complexity that is beyond the concerns of this paper; e.g., the
stabilizer sometimes merges with the definite marker into a single syllable.
Some examples of stabilized Tone Pattern nominals appear in (6). (The
clitic
I
40
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:1 (Spring 1989)
phonetic implementation of the syllable marked here with an acute symbol is
same as the phonetic implementation of the syllables in (3) - (4) marked with
the
See below
the acute.
for discussion.)
ndยฃ meza '(it is) the table'
ndfi le godorQ '(it is) the mattress'
ndQ usQ '(it is) the face'
(6)
The
where a raised
appears immediately to
suggests that in the underlying
structure of the complex 'stabilizer + definite proclitic' there must be an H tone.
It
is not possible to argue here whether it is the stabilizing element or the
definite marker that contributes this H tone. (In some cases the two are fused in
any case into a single syllable.) Somewhat arbitrarily, we will assume that it is
the proclitic element that bears the H tone underlyingly.
the
tonal pattern in (6),
syllable
of the underlined syllable of the noun,
left
Given the assumption that the
stabilizer
has an H, then the above data
Feet will be constructed with
follow directly from the analysis presented above.
the heavy syllables
structure that results
in
the phrase as the heads of the feet.
The
metrical
is illustrated in (7):
(7)
r
*
ndfi.
*
*
*
r
]
le godo
*
1
ro.
H
H
The first foot spreads from the stabilizer up to the penult syllable of the noun.
The second foot consists just of the last syllable of the noun, fvleeussen's Rule
deletes the H from the second foot. The H associated with the first foot is
realized on the last vowel of the
Tone Pattern
I
first
foot
โ
on the penult syllable
i.e.
of the
nominal.
To summarize,
nouns are, in our analysis,
then, T&B's Tone Pattern
have an H tone associated with their final syllable. In general, this
syllable will be the head of a foot. The H tone associated with this syllable will
is not subject to
as long as
be realized on the final syllable of the foot
Meeussen's Rule.
nouns
I
that
โ
At this point
the examples
let
in this
us discuss
section.
mez^, godoro^ and so
foot
has a
on), the
rising quality to
it.
briefly
When
it
the matter of phonetic implementation of
there
is
H associated
a single foot
in
the
word
(cf.
sohg,
with the final (only) syllable of the
Furthermore, the extent of the rising
is
not sharp
(witness T&B's deschption of this TPI nouns as 'mid level'), though certainly
detectable. The raised syllable that appears on the last syllable of a foot, before
a second foot (in our transcriptions, on a vowel before an underlined vowel)
does not have such a clear rising quality, and indeed seems to have some
Cassimjee
falling
& Kisseberth:
Shingazidjia nominal accent
41
character to it. We assume that these phonetic distinctions are to be
in the phonetic implementation component of the grammar.
specified
4.
T&B's Tone Pattern
nouns
II
T&B's Tone Pattern
II
nouns turn out to represent for us two (partially
although their pronunciation in isolation is identical. Let us
consider one subset of T&B's TP II nouns. Call them TPII-A for now. TPII-A
distinct) types,
nouns have the following isolation pronunciation: They have a relatively level
on the syllables prior to the penult, and the pitch rises on the penult, and
then is low on the final syllable. Some examples are:
pitch
(8)
paha (ma-pvaha)
keng^le
buku (ma-)
'cat',
falasika
'bell',
'bottle',
'book', i-tranda (zi-) 'bed',
shon^nde
'knife',
almasi
'diamond', sabuni 'soap', djunjya 'sack', i-fuba 'chest',
'knee', shishiyo 'ear', tiho 'roof, m-sihiri 'mosque',
gunguno
dziwa
'lake',
fumu
kalamu 'pen', masikini 'poor person', siriwali 'pants',
'fare', shano 'plate', sh-iba 'bone*, sindanu 'needle', katfli
rti-draya 'quarter (of
a
city)',
sufuri(y)a 'pan', kofl(y)a
'hat',
'spear',
nawili
'murderer', shati
'shirt',
mw-ana
'child',
bunduki 'gun'
We
have transcribed these nouns with an acute mark over their penult syllable
and we have underlined this syllable (or at least its vocalic nucleus) as well. It
should be stressed that this syllable does not have the same phonetic implementation as the expressions given in (3), (4), and (6). In fact, the implementation involves the
nouns
same
sort of rising quality
(and not sharply
rising)
as the
in (1).
A look at the historical sources of the nouns in (8) shows immediately that
they reflect the case where Proto-Bantu bisyllabic stems had an HL pattern.
Some relevant data establishing this point are as follows.
(9)
*-bQda
'rain'
mvu(w)a
(G. 225)
'rain'
*-c[ku 'day' (G. 352)
u-siku
*-c(_mba
slmba 'lion'
nyQha 'snake'
paha 'cat'
'lion'
(G. 357)
*-j6ka 'snake' (G. 952)
*-paka 'cat' (G. 142)
*-tanda 'bedstead' (G. 166)
*-tQmu 'spear' (G. 1868)
'day'
i-tranda
fiimu
'bed'
'spear'
If we assume that these nouns continue in Shingazidja to have an H tone
associated with their penult syllable, then according to our analysis we would
expect a foot to be constructed over this syllable. If the final syllable of the noun
were permitted to be incorporated into this foot, we would expect the H tone of
the penult syllable to surface as a rise on the last syllable of the noun. This
does not happen
(at least
when
the
noun appears
phrase-final).
What we
42
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:1 (Spring 1989)
would like to suggest here is that phrase-final syllables, if not associated with a
High tone, are extrametrical. Thus in the case of the nouns in (8), the foot will
consist just of the penult syllable of the word, since the ultimate syllable will be
The
extrametrical.
structure
is
shown below:
(10)
*
[*]
The H tone
*)
(
sho no
H
(nde)
be realized on the last (in fact, the only) syllable of
like shonQnde and sohQ share the property that they
have a single foot and that foot consists of a single syllable. The realization of
the H tone in these cases is similar: There is a rising quality to the syllable.
Phrases like nds. le sohQ, where there are two feet, realize the H tone of the first
foot differently: It has more a falling character than a rising character.
that foot.
of the foot will
Notice that nouns
Our treatment
of the
nouns
in (8)
as having an H on their penult syllable
Consider first the case where the
finds confirmation in various context forms.
element djuu
is
(11)
located after a
TP
ll-A
noun.
i-tranda djuji 'on a bed'
beramu djuu
'on a flag'
a roof
dzjwa djuu 'on a lake'
m-sihiri djuu 'on a mosque'
sufuriya djuu 'on a pan'
kofjya djuu 'on a hat'
tiho djuu 'on
nouns in that they
find here is that TP ll-A nouns are just like TP
induce the appearance of a raised pitch on the syllable in front of the (underlyingly High) final syllable of djui2. In our analysis, this follows from the assumption that there is an H tone on the penult of these nouns. We predict the
What we
I
following metrical structure:
(12)
dju
ko fi ya
H
The presence
of the
the noun means that a foot will be constructed
noun and continuing to the penult of djuu.. (Notice
of the noun is not phrase-final, it is not extrametrical
H tone on
starting at the penult of the
that since the last syllable
and therefore
will
in the first foot of the phrase. Note also that since
associated with an H, it is heavy and thus cannot be
foot. Instead it will form the second foot of the phrase.)
be included
the last syllable of djuu
incorporated into the
is
first
Cassimjee
The H
of djuu.
now
is
be realized on the
in
phrases
43
Shingazidjia nominal accent
subject to Meeussen's Rule.
last syllable of the first foot
(Incidentally, this
syllable of djuu.
observed
& Kisseberth:
H tone has
The H
โ which
the
same
of the
is,
TP
ll-A
noun
will
of course, the first
phonetic realization as
mezg^ djuu)
like
Up to this point, when discussing combinations of TP ll-A Noun plus Word,
we have limited ourselves to structures with djuu as second member, i.e. with a
word in final H. Suppose, however, that we combine a TP ll-A noun with another word that can be argued to be TP ll-A underlyingly. Examples include
-rstru 'three'
(13)
and
-f/'f/
We
'small'.
find the following tonal patterns:
'three bones'
z-iba zi-raru
sindanu n-dr^ru 'three needles'
ma-katili ma-r^ru 'three murderers'
ma-djuniya ma-raru 'three sacks'
shati
i-titi
i-tranda
w-ana
small
'a
'small children'
wa-titi
bunduki
shirt'
small bed'
'a
i-titi
'a
n-tinti
small gun'
Before proceeding to demonstrate that these surface forms follow
let us make a few comments about the phonetic
implementation of these structures. The pitch rises on the syllable that we have
marked with an accent, and then descends sharply on the following syllable.
automatically from our analysis,
Under our
analysis, the metrical structure of these phrases
will
be as
in
(14):
*
*
(14)
*
*
*
[*
ma-dju ni ya
*]
[*]
ma- ra
H
H
Meeussen's Rule plus the
of
its
(*)
(ru)
an H tone is realized on the
which syllable will be raised in pitch.
principle that
foot correctly predicts
last syllable
TP ll-A nouns have an H tone in
They do not necessarily require that this H tone
be on the penult of the noun. The H could have been on some earlier syllable
than the penult. The next data that we will consider establishe more clearly that
this H must be on the penult syllable.
The preceding data help
to establish that
their underlying representation.
(15)
ndยฃ
ndยฃ
ndยฃ
16
le
paha
fuma
'the cat'
'the spear'
zi-tranda 'the beds'
44
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:1 (Spring 1989)
ndยฃ nyfiha 'the snake'
ndยฃ ze nyfiha 'the snakes'
ndfi.
'the chicken'
r]kuhu
ndg m-pundra 'the donkey'
ndยฃ le sungurwa 'the hare'
ndfi
she i-fuba
ndยฃ
ndยฃ
ndยฃ
le
'the chest'
gunguno
masikini
siriwali
'the
'the
knee'
poor person'
'the pants'
Notice that In every case the H tone contributed by the stabilizer appears
on the syllable immediately preceding the penult of these nouns. In
some cases this syllable is the definite particle (which may be coalesced with
the stabilizer, as in ndQ nyoha), in other cases this may be the first stem syllable
or even the second stem syllable. This pattern falls out from our analysis,
provided that the noun has a High tone associated with the penult syllable. The
metrical structure of ncfg masikini, for example, will be:
(16)
[*
nde
*
*]
masi
H
[*
ki
H
]
(*)
(ni)
Again, Meeussen's Rule and the principle that realizes an H on the last syllable
of the foot will correctly locate the position of the H tone in the expression.
As mentioned earlier, the nouns in (8) represent only one subset of T&B's
nouns. A second subset is contained in (17). We will refer to
Tone Pattern
these nouns as TP ll-B.
II
(17)
pera 'guava', trunda (ma-runda) 'orange', m-dji
'town',
mw-ango
'door',
'cow', ndzi(y)a 'road', fti-lfmi 'farmer',
'wall',
djando
'wall',
domo
'lip',
ndovu
'elephant',
m-be
u-pando
ndevu 'beard'
These nouns are implemented with a raised (in fact, a rising) pitch on their
penult syllable. (We do not underline this raised syllable here for reasons that
will
become
clear below.)
historical perspective, the nouns in (17) are characterized by the
they derive from Proto-Bantu stems which did not contain an H tone.
data illustrating this point are as follows:
From a
fact that
Some
(18)
*-gen(^ 'stranger* (G. 805)
m-djeni
*-g6b|, 'skin'
(G. 837)
n-gozi
*-g6ma 'drum'
(G. 844)
r)-g6ma
*-gubd
'cloth' (G.
873)
'stranger*
'skin'
r]-gu(w)o
'drum'
'clothes'
Cassimjee
&
"path" (G.
*-jicia
*-yama 'meat'
n-dzi(y)a
940)
nyama
(G. 1910)
(G. 2170)
*-yun|^ 'bird'
When pronounced
45
Kisseberth: Shingazidjia nominal accent
isolation,
in
we have
tinguishable from the nouns
nuni
the
TP
'bird'
nouns
ll-B
referred to as
'road'
'meat'
TP
ll-A
in
(17) are indis-
and which, we have
seen, derive from noun stems with a (single) H associated to their penult
Despite this overt lack of distinction between TP ll-A and TP ll-B
syllable.
nouns, they demonstrate contrastive patterns of behavior in context (although,
as we will see below, there are forces at work in the language that may merge
these two types in certain situations).
in which TP ll-B nouns differ from TP ll-A nouns is illustrated in
where these nouns are followed by words that are either Tone Type
or Tone Type ll-A (i.e., words that either end in an H or have an H on their
One way
(19) below,
I
penult syllable).
(19)
u-pando djuu 'on the wall'
djando djuii 'on the wall'
r)-goma m-bili 'two drums'
wa-ndru wa-i 'bad people'
r)-goma n-tinti 'a small drum'
'big clothes'
r)-guo n-kiiu
wa-ndru wa-huu
wa-ndru wa-raru
Notice that the phrases
foot
in
'big
people'
'three people'
(19) are
pronounced as though there
โ namely, the foot constructed over the
is
just
one
last syllable of djuu, -(b)ilL or -(b)f,
If there were a syllable in the noun
-kjiu, or -r^ru.
an H tone, we would expect a foot to be constructed
from that syllable to the penult syllable of djuu, and we would expect the last
syllable of that foot to bear the only raised pitch in the phrase. Compare the
data in (13) above for examples of Tone Pattern ll-A nouns which behave
or the penult syllable of
that
was associated
exactly
In
in this
-titi,
with
fashion.
other words,
TP
nouns
ll-B
not have any underlying
H
considering the pronunciation of
ndยฃ
le
from
trunda
ndยฃ r)-guo
ndยฃ le pera
TP
"the
ll-B
nouns
orange'
'the clothes'
guava'
drum'
ze r)-g6ma 'the drums'
'the
ndg. r]-g6ma
'the
ndยฃ
ndQ u-pando
'the wall'
ndfi m-limi
TP
ll-A
nouns
in
that the former
H associated
do
underlyingly
Further evidence for this position derives from
with their penult syllable.
(20)
differ
while the latter have an
'the farmer'
in
the stabilized construction.
46
It
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:1 (Spring 1989)
is
important to
make a comment about
the phonetic implementation of the
This syllable has the rising quality that is characteristic of
TP II nouns in isolation. In other words, these phrases have the character of an
H tone realized on the last syllable of a foot that is the only foot in the phrase.
penult syllable
in (20).
If the nouns in (17) are regarded as having no underlying High tone, then
a foot will be formed starting from the heavy (= H) stabilizer and extending as far
as the penult syllable of the phrase (the last syllable is of course extrametrical).
The H tone associated with the stabilizer will be realized on the last syllable of
i.e. on the penult syllable of the phrase.
TP ll-B nouns (cf. (15) will
the foot
have an entirely different pattern since there will be two feet
one starting at
the stabilizer and one on the penult syllable of the noun.
โ
โ
We
have now seen how the assumption that TP ll-B nouns are underan H tone will explain the differences in behavior between these
nouns and TP ll-A nouns. What we have not yet said is why TP ll-B nouns
surface, in isolation, with a shape identical to TP ll-A nouns. We turn to that
lyingly without
issue now.
One notable fact about Shingazidja is that there are no independent
words/expressions that are appropriately analyzed at the surface level as
seems fair to assume that this
lacking a High tone. Given this observation,
surface lack of phrases without High tones must be attributed to the application
of a rule. Given the analysis that we have developed, we have to assume a mle
that assigns an H tone to any phrase lacking an H tone. It is not immediately
clear where this H tone would be assigned. It could be assigned directly to the
penult syllable (actually, given the extrametricality of the final syllable, the
penult syllable is the same as 'the last (visible) syllable'). But it could also be
assigned to some pre-penult syllable since under our analysis an H located on
some pre-penult syllable would still surface on the penult. We turn below to an
examination of where toneless words are assigned an H tone.^
it
In order to provide some evidence about where the H tone is assigned to a
toneless word, we must consider the case where the toneless word is itself
followed by a modifier and this entire expression is placed after a stabilizer.
Two
pronunciations are available.
(21)
One
wa-ndru wa-huu
ndยฃ ze r)-goma n-tjnti
ndfl
pronunciation
is
illustrated in (21):
'the big people'
'the small
drums'
ndยฃ ze r)-goma m-bili 'the two drums'
ndQ wa-ndru wa-ili 'the two people'
In
these pronunciations the toneless noun behaves just as we would expect a
It has no H tone and therefore is incorporated into the
toneless noun to behave.
Cassimjee
& Kisseberth:
The
foot that begins with the stabilizer.
47
Shingazidjia nominal accent
stabilizer
H
will
surface at the end of this
foot.
The second possible pronunciation
of
these phrases
is
given
in
(22):
nda wa-ndru wa-hliiu
ndg ze n-g^ma n-tlmti
(22)
wa-ndru wa-il!(
ndfize n-gama m-bil!i
ndfl
clear that there are three feet
Is
It
in
these phrases, and the head
of the
located on the penult syllable of the noun. This is reflected by the
fact that the H of the foot containing the stabilizer appears on the syllable immediately preceding the penult syllable of the noun. The H of the foot that
second
foot
is
begins with the penult syllable of the noun does not surface, of course, due to
the application of Meeussen's Rule. Notice that the third foot is built over the H
syllable of the modifier, and that the H of this foot does in fact surface (although
We attribute the appearance of the H on the third foot to the
it is downstepped).
fact that
Meeussen's Rule applies
See below
feet.
for further
iteratively
from
left
to right, affecting alternate
discussion of this point.
can be explained as follows: A toneless noun may be
an H in a phrase of the form stabilizer + noun + modifier.
clear from (22) is that when a toneless noun is assigned an H, the
The data
(22)
in
optionally assigned
What
is
H
___location of that
Actually,
nouns
is
is
one
the penult syllable.
of the
sources
confusion between TP ll-A and TP
pronounced the same in isolation, but
of the
not just the fact that they are
ll-B
that
in certain contexts as a result of (a) the possibility of assigning
toneless items and (b) the possibility of deleting underiying H
In (23) we
tones. The data in (22) above illustrated the former situation.
illustrate the possibility of deleting the H tone of a TP ll-A noun.
they
fall
together
an H tone
to
ndfi
(23)
Or:
she i-tranda
ndยฃ she
'the bed'
i-tranda
ndยฃ sh-iba
'the
Or:
ndfi shfba
Or:
ndยฃ ze trunguu
ndยฃ ze trunguu
bone'
zi-illi
'the
ndfl wa-pisi wa-illi 'the
Or:
In
nda
two onions'
zi-ili
two cooks'
wa-pisi wa-fli
the alternative pronunciation, the noun has lost its H and thus has no heavy
and is simply gathered together into the same foot as the stabilizer.
syllable,
48
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:1 (Spring 1989)
What we have seen above
is
that there are situations
where TP
ll-A
nouns
High tone and situations where TP ll-B nouns can acquire a High
tone. And the ___location of the H tone is always the same (i.e. penult). Because
of these possibilities, the correct identification of nominals as TP ll-A and TP ll-B
underlyingly is difficult. At the present time, we do not know for sure whether
there are any morphological or syntactic (or semantic/pragmatic) environments
can lose
their
between TP
and TP
between penult H and
where the
distinction
toneless)
invariably maintained. (In our data, the locative noun, formed with
-nf, seems to maintain the contrast with consistency.)
is
the enclitic
We
ll-A
ll-B (i.e.
should observe that Philippson (1988), on the basis of T&B, suggests
that Shingazidja consistently maintains the contrast
(TP
and ij-guo (TP ll-B).
H, and 'non-marque'
(In
ll-A)
lexical
Philippson states:
CWK] nous
is
between nouns
like
i-tr^nda
the following quote, 'marque' is equivalent to a
equivalent to lack of a lexical High tone.)
de ces exempies nga. [= Shingazidja; FC &
done une introduction simplifiiee aux mecanismes de
'La discussion
fournit
Simplifiee, car les autres dialectes de notre corpus
ne nous fournissent pas d'exemples aussi clairs d'opposition entre themes
marques et non-marques. En effet, tant en nzu. [= Shin(d)zuani; FC & CWK],
que'en mwa. [= Shimwali; FC & CWK], dans le contexte syntaxique cite cidessus (nom. + adj.), I'ecrasante majorite des themes qui nous sont apparus
non-marques en nga. ne se distinguent pas de ceux qui nous sont apparus
I'accentuation comorienne.
marques.' (49) To
(24)
illustrate this point,
Philippson cites the following phrases:
wa-ndru wa-i 'bad people'
wa-ndru wa-titi 'small people'
w-ana
w-ana
'bad children'
wa-i
wa-titi
'small children'
regard w-a_na as a TP ll-A noun and wa-ndru as a TP ll-B noun in
The data in (24) from Shindzwani and Shimwali illustrate them
being both treated as TP ll-A nouns. But as we have seen, they may be treated
this way in Shingazidja as well. At this juncture it is not really dear that there is
a difference between the dialects, and Shingazidja should not be viewed in any
We
Shingazidja.
way as
5.
'simpler' in this respect.
T&B's Tone Pattern
III
nouns
We have now identified three distinct accentual structures for bisyllabic
= toneless, H = High). In Philippson's account
stems: OH, HO, and 00 (where
of Shingazidja, these are in fact the only three types that he recognizes. However, T&B do have yet another tonal pattern in their account, and this tonal
pattern indeed seems to have considerable validity to it, despite the fact that
T&B often are mistaken in their identification of membership in this class.
Cassimjee
T&B
characterize
&
TP
Kissebenh: Shingazidjia nominal accent
III
49
nouns as 'High+Low' (in contrast to the 'Mid+Low'
Some examples of the nouns that we would
pitch pattern of TPII nouns).
as
classify
TP
III
are as follows.
(25) bisvllabic
stem
u-shashi
'scarcity'
u-nkabยฃ 'spoon'
m-hiinga 'eel'
'tamarind tree'
fti-hadju
i-kflmbยฃ 'cup'
(n)-kudยฃ
n-dravi
trisyllabic
'beans'
'banana'
stem
kuvยฃti 'wash basin'
kapiika 'can'
fulfishi
piichah
kiidjime
dfidflke
'spear'
'knife'
'rooster'
'a
kind of vegetable'
budume
'male goat'
m-fiimatso 'blind person'
dukutยฃra 'doctor'
ma-dukutยฃra 'doctors'
We
do not believe
that there
is in
fact
any clear
the syllables marked with an acute symbol
marked
syllables
there
a phonetic contrast.
is
in
TP
'high' vs. 'mid' pitch contrast for
(25) as
TP
particular, we
the isolation form of
In
in
II
compared
nouns.
But
with the acute-
we do
believe that
believe that the syllable that
is
nouns in fact is equivalent to the raised syllable in an
example such as ndg nyumba. 'the house' or sind^nu n-drg,ru 'three needles'.
To be more precise, the phonetic implementation of the acute-marked syllables
in (25) is parallel to ndg nyumba. in all cases except for the type puchari, where
the phonetic implementation is parallel to sind^nu n-dr^ru.
raised
If
in
pitch in
we
are right
in
III
our phonetic identification
of the
acute-marked syllables
in
nde nyumba and sind^nu n-drgru, then
the analysis of the items in (25) is fairly easy to work out. Assuming that prefixes
are without an H tone, then in the case of bisyllabic stems, there must be an H
on each of the two syllables. In the case of thsyllabic nouns of the type kuveti,
there are two possible sources, OHH or HOH; but below we will see that all of
the examples so far available indicate OHH. In the case of trisyllabic nouns like
puchari, there is only one possible source: HHO.
(25) with the acute
marked
syllable
in
50
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:1 (Spring 1989)
nouns and TP
nouns is an audible
it with any degree of reliability,
as can be seen from the fact that in our opinion they misclassify a number of
words as being TP III which should not be so classified. In a future study, we
will provide an extensive lexicon of Shingazidja with the accentual structure
The phonetic
one, but
T&B
TP
contrast between
clearly
were not able
systematically marked.
to
III
II
recognize
For that reason
we
will
not attempt here to review
all
of
Examples of nouns that T&B incorrectly
pera 'guava' (actually 00), n-devu 'beard' (actually 00), gisi
the examples misclassified by T&B.
label
TP
III
are:
'goose' (actually HO), pfho 'wing' (actually 00).
If we are right in our analysis of the nouns in (25), it would be reasonable
expect that these nouns might have their source in Proto-Bantu HH noun
stems. Unfortunately most of the nouns that we have identified as TP III do not
have Proto-Bantu sources known to us. One of those that does
m-hiingo,
'eel'
does have a PB source, and it is HH; cf. '-kurjga 'eel', G. 1228 And the
examples kudume and bijdume can quite plausibly be argued to have such a
double H source since the -dume part of these words is clearly derived from PB
*-dume 'male' (G. 697) and the other part is a contraction of PB HL nouns,
namely *-kuku 'chicken (G. 1203) and *-iJud('goat' (G. 185). But other examples of TP III are HL in PB, at least according to Guthrie's reconstructions:
(n)kude. 'beans' (cf. *-kunde 'beans', G. 1222), u-nkQbs. 'spoon' (cf. *-k6mbe
'spoon', G. 1140), i-kQ.mbs, 'cup' (cf. *-k6mbe 'cup', G. 1139). Clearly, the historical development here is not entirely clear-cut.
to
โ
โ
The synchronic evidence
for
TP
III
nouns and
their
proper analysis derives
not just from the isolation pronunciation of these nouns, but from the behavior of
these items
type
is
in
Consider, for instance, the case where a noun of this
context
followed by djuu:
biidiime djulu 'on a male goat'
(26)
washing bowl'
a floor'
on a tamarind tree'
kuvยฃti djulii 'on a large
ikfimbfi djulii 'on
m-hadju
We
djulii
'
element djuii continues to have a raised final
symbol
is employed to indicate that this
raised syllable is not raised to the same pitch level as the first raised syllable in
the expression. We refer to this as 'downstepping'.
have indicated
that the
syllable in these expressions, but the
'I'
were understood as having just one H tone in their
where the H on djuu. would be
deleted by virtue of Meeussen's Rule and the H of the noun would be realized
on the penult syllable of djuu. We would not predict in any way the pronunciations cited in (26). However,
we accept the analysis suggested, where
these nouns have two High tones, then an account of why the H remains on
djuii is readily available. We hypothesize that Meeussen's Rule operates from
If
the nouns
structure, then
in
(25)
we would
predict pronunciations
if
1
Cassimjee
an H
& Kisseberth:
Shingazidjia nominal accent
one foot if the immediately preceding
Meeussen's Rule guarantees that
of three or more feet, alternating Highs will be deleted. Thus in
second H of the noun will be deleted, the H of djulu will remain.
left
to right, deleting
The
in
left-to-right application of
5
has an H.
a sequence
foot
in
(26), while the
To complete our account of the phonetics of these phrases, we need only
have downstep occur between each pair of H tones in the representation.
This can doubtless be accomplished in terms of how the feet in a representation
to
are organized into larger, phrase-level metrical structures. But
demonstration of this point in the interests of conserving space.
Even more
(27)
evidence of the correctness of our account
a stabilized form.
striking
placing these nouns
in
ndflm-hadjlu
'the
ndยฃ mi'-hadjlii
ndQ u-nkab!ยฃ
ndflm-hungla
ndยฃ
ndg
we
'the
'the
omit a
comes from
tamarind tree'
tamarind trees'
spoon'
'the eel'
le
kuvยฃt!i 'the
le
kapukia
ndยฃpuch!ari
will
washing bowl'
'the can'
'the knife'
ndยฃ le kudlume
ndยฃ le djidlfike
ndยฃ madQdifike
'the rooster'
'the
kinds of vegetable'
'the kinds of vegetables'
ndjยฃ dukutยฃr!a 'the doctor'
ndยฃ ma-dukutยฃr!s
'the doctors'
these phrases were regarded as having a single H tone,
this H tone to undergo Meeussen's Rule after the
But in fact
stabilizer and thus there would be just one H tone in the phrase.
there are two High tones. And where these High tones are located is interesting.
We will now proceed to go through all the data and show how the
analysis we have suggested will account for the behavior of the nouns in these
phrases.
If
then
the nouns
in
we would expect
Consider first the nouns with a bisyllabic stem. We have claimed that
these must have an H on each syllable. Therefore, when placed after the
stabilizer, which has an H, we find that these nouns will have their first H
deleted by Meeussen's Rule but not their second H (in accordance with the
alternating pattern observed earlier).
Next take nouns
like kuveti.
We
suggested that there are two possible
underlying sources: HOH or OHH. The data cited demonstrate that for the nouns
given, the representation must be OHH.
In (28) we show the incorrect
representation.
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:1 (Spring 1989)
52
*
(28)
[
*
*]
*
[*
*
*] [*]
kuve ti
nde le
H
H
H
This representation would incorrectly predict that the H of the first foot would be
realized on le. The representation in (29) correctly predicts that the H of the first
foot will
be realized on
ku.
*
(29)
[
*
*
*
*
*] [*] [*]
nde le ku ve ti
H
H
H
Next take nouns
representation: HHO.
like
puch^ri.
The data
in
We
claim that this has only one possible
If the noun
(27) support this representation.
has an initial HH sequence, the foot built over the stabilizer will be able to
extend only as far as the syllable in front of pu.chs,ri. The initial H of puchQhwW
delete by Meeussen's Rule, but the second H will surface. This is exactly what
happens.
A noun like dukuts^ra. could have any of the following representations:
OOHH, HOOH, or OHOH. All of these representations would have an initial foot
whose last syllable is the penult vowel of the word. The data given in (27)
suggest that OOHH is the correct representation, since the foot built over the
stabilizer extends as far as the second syllable of dukutQrQ. (Recall that how far
the foot extends is shown by where the H of the first foot is manifested.)
We should mention that there seems to be a certain amount of variability in
these 'double-H' nouns, and that at the present time we do not have a clear
grasp of all that is involved in this variability. Nevertheless, the existence of this
class of nouns is well-established. The tonal representations that we have
motivated for TP III nominals involves a violation of the OCR, which claims that
HH is not a permitted representation. While we do not believe that the OCR is
an absolute principle of phonology at the underlying level of representation, it is
a constraint that undoubtedly influences phonological representations and
processes. The variability in TR III nouns may in the final analysis be a product
of the tension created
We
have shown
by the
HH shape
for bisyllabic
they manifest.
noun stems
and HH.
four possible tonal types: OH, HO, 00,
in
Shingazidja that there are
have not yet done a suf-
We
ficiently extensive study of the lexicon to determine exactly how many tonal
types are possible in trisyllabic noun stems. We suspect that there may be
some significant gaps (e.g. HOO and 000 are so far suspiciously absent, sug-
Cassimjee
& Kisseberth:
53
Shingazidjia nominal accent
gesting a constraint on representations that does not permit nominals to end
two toneless syllables), but a full study of this must await another occasion.
6.
T&B's Tone Patterns A,
in
and C
B,
Why do T&B not simply stop in their classification scheme with the three
and III? One reason should be obvious: Since T&B's TP
Tone Patterns
actually lumps together HO and 00 nouns, and since these nouns show distinct
II
II,
I,
patterns of behavior
some contexts, nothing in T&B's classification would
HO and 00 nouns into separate categories. What T&B
in
permit segregating our
do to solve this problem is to establish three 'context patterns' and to say that
nouns are classified both for their isolation shape and the context pattern that
they are involved in. They refer to the three context patterns as A, B, and C.
The context that they use as their test case is one they refer to as a 'genitive'
construction. In this construction, a noun is followed by a particle AG-a (where
AG = an agreement element determined by the noun class membership of the
head noun) plus a possessive root. The examples cited mostly involve the
possessive root -ghe, but occasionally T&B cite -Qngu, first person. T&B actually are not always correct in their transcriptions of the first person cases, and
since they do not recognize that the two possessive roots have different accentual properties, they run into problems in making accurate general descriptions of their A, B, and C tone patterns.
T&B
characterize
occasionally with the
High.
The Tone
of the
Some examples
(30)
TP A
la
is
kapwa
hahe
le
soha
ye
le
la
High.
are as follows:
'his
ye nyumba ya hahe
le
'The tone of the noun is Mid level, or
The tone of the Genitive Particle is
Mid + Low or Low + Low' (361 ).
as follows:
Possessor
of
soha
le
TP A
final syllable
h^he
axe'
'his
house'
'his armpit'
hanglu 'my a^e'
'my house'
kapwa la hanglu 'my armpit'
la
nyumbaya h^nglu
ye m-buzi ya hahe 'his goat'
wo m-hfino wa hahe 'his arm'
wo
u-lime
wa hahe
'his
tongue'
ye m-buzi ya hanfliu 'my goat'
wo m-h^no wa hanglii 'my arm'
wo u-lime wa hanglji 'my tongue'
Some comments
about T&B's description of
the noun occasionally having a
final syllable of
final
TP A
H seems
are
in
order.
The reference to
where the
to refer to situations
the noun and the genitive particle
AG+a
contract.
We
will
not
54
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:1 (Spring 1989)
on
There
indeed considerable contraction in Shingait
to the extent of determining
whether it interacts in any cmcial way with the matters dealt with in the present
paper. With reference to T&B's claim that there are two possible shapes for the
possessive root, viz. Mid + Low or Low + Low, we find only one pattern for the
third person possessive and only one pattern for the first person possessive.
But they are different. The syllables that T&B described as 'Mid + Low' (cf. the
possessive in ye nyumba. ya h^he, for example) have the following phonetic
implementation in our experience: The first syllable of the possessive shows a
clearly audible descent from the high of the -a particle, while the second
syllable is low in pitch. The syllables that T&B describe as 'Low + Low' (cf. the
possessive in ye nyumba. ya ha.ng!ii) have the following phonetic implementation in our experience: The H of the -a particle descends during the initial
syllable of the possessive, while the second syllable exhibits a rise that is
downstepped relative to previous Highs.
dwell at
all
this matter.
zidja speech, but
we have
is
not investigated
T&B recognize that all of their TP nouns (OH nouns in our analysis) also
TP A. Some of T&B's TP nouns are also in TP A. Those TP nouns
that are in TP A are simply those that have the structure HO. Our 00 nouns and
our HH nouns are never in TP A.
I
exhibit
II
II
Tone Pattern B is characterized by T&B as follows: 'The Tone of the noun
and the Genitive Particle are Mid level. The Tone of the Possessive is Mid
falling
(occasionally High falling) + Low' (362).
Some examples
(31)
Or:
Or:
T&B's TP B are as
follows:
ye r)-guo ya hahe 'his clothes'
ye r]-giio ya hahe
ye ngoma ya hahe 'his drum'
ye rj-g^ma ya hahe
ye
^-Qii.0
ya hanglu 'my clothes'
hanglii 'my orange'
ye r]-gama ya hanglu 'my drum'
ye r]-goma ya hangu
le
Or:
of
trunda
la
The alternatives cited involve the possible assignment of an H to the penult of
toneless nouns even when these nouns appear in conjunction with other
elements bearing an H tone (i.e., even when the phrase is not toneless in its
entirety).
we should comment
first of all on T&B's description of the pattern.
+ Low' is not clear to us. It seems clearly to be
referring to the third person possessive root, but we are not certain whether it
is referring to the pronunciation in ye ij-goma ya hQhe or ye rj-go^ma ya h^he.
Again
The reference
to 'Mid falling
In
& Kisseberth:
Cassimjee
55
Shinga2ddjia nominal accent
syllable of the possessive in the former example has a
the second example that same syllable shows a descent
from the previous High syllable. Thus it would seem that T&B are referring to
the second pronunciation when they speak of 'Mid falling'. However, they do
our experience, the
first
rising quality, while in
not
their description
in
make
reference to the appearance of a raised pitch on
the genitive particle.
the other hand, T&B's 'High falling + Low' cases can, from T&B's actual
be seen to refer to the first person possessive root in the pronun-
On
transcriptions,
where the noun
q-goma ya hi,ngu.
ciation
In
TP
B,
T&B
treated as toneless,
is
place
some TP
II
They also place some nouns
analysis.
nouns
in this
i.e.
โ the
in
pronunciations
ones
that are
like
ye
in
our
00
pattern that they identify as
TP
III.
these instances, they are simply mistaken in their identification of these
nouns as TP III. The nouns they have misclassified here are: mw-ili 'body',
i-levu 'chin', rv-limi 'farmer', pera 'guava', w-embe 'razor'. All of these nouns
In
are
in fact
T&B
wholly or
examples
โ
00 nouns
i.e.
TP
ll-B.
describe Tone Pattern C as follows: 'The tone of the noun stem is
part higher than that of the genitive, which is as in B' (363). Some
in
are:
wo u-nkabยฃwa
(32)
le
wo
le
hiahe
kuv^ti la hlahe
'his
spoon'
'his basin'
wa hlgngu 'my spoon'
hiangu 'my basin'
u-nk(ibยฃ
kuvยฃti la
noun consists of two feet. The third person possessive has one foot,
person possessive has two feet. In all cases, the H of the first foot of the
noun will be realized. And, since Meeussen's Rule applied iteratively from left
to right, the H of the third foot (which is the first foot in the possessive root) will
A Type
the
III
first
also manifest
these cases
is
itself,
but
it
will
be downstepped.
Clearly,
T&B's description
of
roughly accurate.
nouns and some of their TP III
place some of their TP
nouns they place here are in fact the ones that they have
correctly identified (i.e., ones that have two H tones in our analysis). The TP
nouns placed in this pattern are ones that T&B have misclassified. In other
(of the HO variety) but TP III (HH). The misclassified
words, they are not TP
nouns are: i-kQmbQ 'cup', n-dz^a 'child-bearing', and n-drjcw 'banana'.
In
nouns.
TP
C,
T&B
The TP
II
III
II
II
What we have seen, then, is that TP A is characteristic of HO and OH
nouns, while TP B is characterstic of 00 nouns, and TP C is characteristic of HH
nouns. In other words, the context patterns cited do bring out the distinction
between HO and 00 nouns (which T&B treated together as TP II), but they have
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:1 (Spring 1989)
56
no other bearing on the classification
some nouns and
forms that led
[= HO],
MB
the fact that
T&B
of
nouns.
It
HO and 00 nouns
to claim six different classes of
[= 00], IIIA
[erroneous classification],
is
T&B's misclassification
are identical
โ
in their
of
isolation
i.e. lA [= OH], IIA
nominals
[erroneous classification],
IIIB
andlllC[=HH].
8.
Philipsson's analysis
We have so far (a) motivated our classification of Shingazidja nominals
and compared it to T&B's classification, and (b) presented an analysis based on
the four-way distinction of bisyllabic stems into OH, 00, HO, and HH. We have
demonstrated that this analysis will predict a wide range of data involving nouns
in isolation and in context (although we have certainly not surveyed the full
range of tonal contexts). In the remainder of this paper, we will summarize
Philippson's (1988) analysis of Comorian accent, which includes an account of
Shingazidja (based on T&B's data). In terms of the general character of the
system, Shingazidja (= Ng.) does not seem to differ radically from the two
dialects that Philippson primarily concentrates on: Shin(d)zuani (= Nz.)
Shimwali (=
and
fvlw.)
Philippson proposes that in the underlying structure of Shingazidja,
vowels are either 'accented' or not. For the sake of clarity, however, we will
refer to such syllables as 'marked' versus 'unmarked' (since the notion of
'accent' will also be invoked by Philippson in the sense of metrical prominence,
and for him metrical prominence and a 'marked' syllable do not necessarily
coincide). There are no tonal specifications. To this extent, Philippson's proposal
is
essentially the variant of our analysis presented
unmarked
in
phrase-final syllables are extrametrical, just as
3. Furthermore,
our analysis.
note
in
But his analysis diverges radically from ours when it comes to the process
on the basis of accented syllables. He proposes
that feet are right-dominant in Shingazidja (not left-dominant, as we maintain).
He does not, however, attempt to give a single definition of how to build feet; for
of building metrical structure
example, he does not say: Build right-dominant, unbounded, quantity-sensitive
feet starting at the right edge of a phrase (where 'marked' syllables would be
metrically heavy). Rather, he goes through the following separate procedures.
(We will see below why a general foot-building strategy will not work, under his
assumption that feet are right-dominant.)
When
in a phrase is marked, he proposes that a
over that syllable. In the case where there are no other
marked syllables, Philippson assumes that nothing more will happen, except for
the earlier syllables being gathered together into that single foot (although this
step plays no critical role in his account of the data as we understand it).
the last (visible) syllable
'degenerate' foot
is built
Cassimjee
& Kisseberth:
57
Shingazidjia nominal accent
Thus for Philippson, nouns such as soha_ and i-trstnda will have the following metrical structure (once the syllables in front of the accented vowel are
gathered together into the foot):
*
(33)
[*
*
*]
[*
*]
i-tra
soha
(
*)
(nda)
He then assumes that an LH tonal melody is inserted, with the H linked to the
accented syllable. Since we are not actually going to be concerned here with
any aspect of the pronunciation other than the syllable that is the locus of the
High tone, in our discussion we will just discuss the H and omit any reference to
the
Low
part of the melody.
Why does
Philippson want to say that 'degenerate' feet are built over the
a phrase if it is marked? In the above examples, where
last (visible) syllable in
there
is
just
one marked
syllable,
he turns around and allows the earlier sylsame foot as that final marked syllable.
lables to be gathered together into the
Why does
he not want just to build right-dominant, quantity-sensitive feet startedge of a phrase? The answer comes from how he proposes to
deal with phrases where there are two marked syllables.
ing at the right
Before discussing these phrases, we should note that Philippson proposes
is the initial
is a single metrical prominence in a phrase, and that
foot in the phrase that has this prominence. He proposes to achieve this result
by assigning prominence to the left-most foot in a phrase. He then proposes
that the LH tonal melody is inserted only on the accented syllable in the phrase.
We will have more to say about this aspect of Philippson's analysis below.
that there
it
meza, djuu, where an H is manifested on the
Given that the last syllable of mezg
and djuii are marked, if in this phrase we built right dominant, unbounded,
quantity-sensitive feet starting at the right edge of the phrase, we would have a
metrical structure such as:
Recall, now, phrases like
syllable in front of the final syllable of djuu-
*
(34)
[*
*]
me za
If
we
[*
dju
*]
u
then accented the left-most foot
the head of this foot,
this result,
we would
in
the phrase,
and assigned an H tone
incorrecty derive 'mezQ, djuu.
'n
to
order to avoid
Philippson proposes an entirely different strategy for building feet.
After having built degenerate feet over the last (visible) syllable if it is
marked, Philippson proposes a second foot construction pattern that will be
triggered just in the event the phrase has more than one marked syl-
58
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:1 (Spring 1989)
lable.
This second foot construction procedure
to
building right-dominant,
left,
unbounded
will
apply iteratively from right
feet that will
extend as
tar as, but
not pass, a marked syllable.
mez^ djuu, the procedures work as
a degenerate foot is built over the last syllable of the phrase,
since it is marked. Second, since there is another marked syllable, the second
foot constnjction procedure will come into play. It will build a right-dominant foot
starting at the right-most unfooted syllable (which is the first vowel of djuu). This
i.e. as far as the
foot will extend as far to the left as the next marked syllable
final vowel of mez^.
No further feet will be constructed, since there are no
more marked syllables in the expression (though the initial syllable of mezs, will
be gathered together into the following foot). Next the left-most foot will be
accented, and an H tone will be associated with the head of that accented foot.
And this is the crucial point: For Philippson, the head of the first foot in the
expression is the syllable immediately to the left of the final (degenerate) foot!
Thus Philippson proposes to account for the appearance of the H immediately
In
the case of an expression such as
follows.
First,
โ
to the left of the final
We
marked
syllable.
can now see why a degenerate
built on a final marked
a foot starting at the marked
final syllable, and if this foot extended as far as the preceding marked syllable,
then there would be no way to get the first syllable of djuu to be the head of a
foot and thus no way, in Philippson's analysis, to get an H tone associated with
that vowel. For Philippson, High tones only occur on the heads of feet.
syllable.
If
in
the expression
mezQ
djuu
To complete Philippson's account
has no mark, a foot will be constructed
syllable
is
extrametrical)
of
foot
we
must be
built
Shingazidja accentuation,
if
a phrase
starting at the penult (since the ultimate
and continuing
in
unbounded fashion
leftward.
The
usual rule assigning an H to the metrically prominent syllable will again come
into play.
Thus Philippson accounts for the raising of the penult syllable in
unmarked words (00 words
One
in
our analysis).
feature of Philippson's account needs to be
expanded
on.
The claim
a single accented syllable in a 'phrase' is a bit misleading,
since Philippson in fact uses the foot structure to define the 'phrase'. In particular, the account that he gives of Shimwali seems to coincide with the
observations that we have made for Shingazidja: 'Pour le mwa., la situation est,
en principe, plus simple, puisque les groupes accentuels ne peuvent comporter
plus de deux pieds. Si une syntagma comporte trois pieds ou plus, le decoupage se fait normalement par groupe de deux pieds, de gauche a droite' (76).
What Philippson is describing here is presumably what we have expressed
earlier in terms of claiming that (a) Meeussen's Rule applies to High tones
iteratively, in an alternating pattern, from left to right, and (b) there is downstep
between each pair of High tones.
that there
is
just
Cassimjee
& Kisseberth:
59
Shingazidjia nominal accent
Having summarized Philippson's account of Comorian, let us briefly
why we prefer the analysis presented above to his. The major objection
Philippson's account is the diversity of foot-building procedures and the lack
universality of these procedures. Why should there be a degenerate foot built
review
to
of
over final (visible) syllables that are marked? And why should the syllables
preceding these marked syllables be gathered into a foot just in case there is a
preceding marked syllable? And why should the foot being constructed to the
left
of the
marked
cedures seem
phonology.
to
final syllable go up to and include the mark?
be entirely arbitrary and unmotivated in terms
These
pro-
of universal
the advantage that there is just one type of
unbounded, quantity-sensitive, a type of foot that is certainly
predicted by universal phonology. The fact that the H tone is realized on the
is realized on the head of a foot)
last syllable of a foot (whereas in Philippson
does not seem to us objectionable on any universal grounds. There seems to
us to be considerable evidence that metrical structure may determine the
surface realization of High tone, but no evidence that the ___location of a High tone
necessarily correlates with the head of a metrical foot.^
The analysis we propose has
foot: left-dominant,
it
H tone realized on the last
and by invoking Meeussen's Rule, we explain the tonal shape
of phrases containing no H tone, one H tone, two H tones, three H tones, four H
tones, and so on.
By making
feet left-dominant, but having the
syllable of a foot,
9.
Conclusion
We have presented here what we believe represents a classification of
Shingazidja nominals which can serve as the basis for predicting the shape of a
nominal both in isolation and in context. Furthermore, we have developed an
analysis that involves 'foot' construction that is familiar from universal grammar:
left-dominant, unbounded, quantity-sensitive feet. We believe that the analysis
presented has validity beyond the nominal, and in fact operates in the verbal
conjugation and the phrasal tonology as well. We leave it to another occasion,
however, to demonstrate the validity of our analysis in this wider ___domain.
We hope to have demonstrated that Shingazidja largely preserves the
Proto-Bantu tonal system, but integrates it with a metrical system that explains
why there is no very direct correlation between the ___location of Proto-Bantu tones
and the surface realization of High tones in the language. We also hope to
have demonstrated the fruitfulness of exploring Bantu tone in terms of metrical
structure. We do not claim that all Bantu tone systems display the effects of
metrical structure, but we do suggest that the history of Proto-Bantu tone in the
Sabaki languages of East Africa is the story of the ways in which tone and
metrical structure
may become
interlinked.
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:1 (Spring 1989)
60
NOTES
Of course, no one can guarantee that we have not mistakenly attributed
Sonne phonetic phenomena to the realm of 'implementation' when they should
be considered to have an account in terms of the very structures that we are
dealmg with In the present paper. We have systematically attempted throughout the paper to offer some comments on implementation, but we feel that
detailed phonetic exploration
is
needed
in
order to validate these
comments
in
detail.
2For discussion of Meeussen's Rule see Goldsmith 1984.
3|t might be objected that the insertion of an H on the last visible syllable of
a phrase lacking any H tones is rather arbitrary from a purely tonal point of view.
And indeed it is. However, in a system where H tone has become equated with
metrical prominence, the insertion of a High tone is equivalent to the insertion of
prominence. In the event that the reader is unwilling to accept the notion of a
rule assigning H (= metrical prominence) to the last (visible) syllable of words
lacking H (= metrical prominence), we can reshape our analysis as follows.
Suppose that we were to assume that Shingazidja has reinterpreted ProtoBantu High tones as being 'accents'; in other words, lexical items do not have
High tones, but rather have some syllables marked as the (obligatory) heads of
Given these heads, left-dominant unbounded feet are constructed.
let us assume that an H tone is associated by rule with the last
syllable of each foot, and that f\/leeussen's Rule applies to delete the second of
two successive High tones. Under this analysis, TP ll-B nouns lead us to
assume that when an unaccented word is the only word in the phrase, will be
assigned an accent on the last (visible) syllable. We have now produced the
same results as under the analysis in the text. The only difference is that in this
analysis, High tones are assigned on the basis of foot structure and are not
lexical; in the other analysis, foot structure is based on H tones, and H tones
may be lexical or inserted by rule. We will not seek to choose between these
two approaches, since at present it is not clear what sort of evidence could
choose between them.
feet.
Furthermore,
it
To Appear for a discussion of metrical structure in Chishown that heads do attract H tones, but where is also the
"^See Kisseberth
zigula,
where
it
is
case that some High tones cannot
to
H
tones.
it
link to
heads and some heads are not linked
Cassimjee
& Kisseberth:
61
Shingazidjia nominal accent
REFERENCES
Goldsmith,
Aronoff
J.
&
rule. Language sound structure, ed. by M.
Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Comparative Bantu, v. 2. Farnborough, Hants., England:
1984.
Meeussen's
R. T. Oehrle.
Guthrie, M. 1971.
Gregg International Publishers, Ltd.
Kisseberth, C. To Appear. Metrical structure
in
Chizigula tonology.
A
festchrift
honor of E. O. J. Westphal. University of Capetown.
Philippson, G. 1988. L'accentuation du comorien, essai d'analyse metrique.
Etudes d'ocean indien 9.35-79. Paris.
Tucker, A. N., and M. A. Bryan. 1970. Tonal classification of nouns in Ngain
zidja.
African
Language Studies 11.351-382.
the Linguistic Sciences
Number 1, Spring 1989
Studies
in
Volume
19,
ON THE REPRESENTATION OF KEJIA DIPHTHONGS*
Raung-fu Chung
most other Chinese dialects, Kejia has at most four sega syllable, which form a sequence of consonant-glidevowel-consonant (or glide). This paper argues that a rising diphthong
GV occupies one single skeletal slot, whereas a falling diphthong VG
occupies two slots in the skeletal tier. This proposal is based on the
postulate that there
theory advanced in Schane 1987. In addition,
are at most three skeletal slots for a Kejia syllable. This assumption
accounts for the generalization that no falling diphthong can be
followed by a consonant. Furthermore, it is shown that a branching
nucleus, i.e. a falling diphthong, behaves differently from a branching
rime, which is composed of a nucleus vowel and a coda consonant.
Like
ments
within
I
1.
Introduction
This paper discusses the diphthong representations in Kejia, one of the
Chinese dialects spoken in southern China and part of Taiwan. Like most other
Chinese dialects, Kejia allows at most four segments in a syllable, with the
eventual form appearing as CGVC (or G), where G is a glide. Another generalization is that no consonant can follow a falling diphthong, whereas a hsing
diphthong can precede a coda consonant. This is illustrated as follows.
(1)
a.
yam/p
ex.
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:1 (Spring 1989)
64
The generalization
that no consonant can follow a falling diphthong cannot
accept the syllable structure posited in traditional Chinese
linguistics given in (2), because if there are four slots in a syllable, there is no
reason to prevent a consonant from occupying the coda position. In particular,
syllables like *tuin or *tiun cannot be ruled out by (2), for both u and / can be a
glide or a vowel, and there are no more than four segments.
be captured
(2)
if
The
we
traditional representation
$
\
/
F
I
/
R
N
I
F:
final
rime
nucleus
E: ending
N:
E
I
I
initial
R:
\
/
I
syllable
I:
M: medial
\
M
$:
I
XXX
X
propose, following Kaye (1985) and Schane (1987), that Kejia has two
diphthong representations. The first one is for falling diphthongs, in
which there are two slots in the skeletal tier, as given in (3a). The other is for
rising diphthongs, which are linked to a single slot in the skeletal tier, as shown
I
distinct
in (3b).
N
a.
(3)
/
X
I
I
a
y
RD
(4)
\
X
X
/
FD
b.
BR
c.
$
$
$
/
\
\
\
/
\
/
R
R
R
/
I
I
I
1
I
I
N
I
N
I
N
I
I
I
I
I
X
X
I
p y
/
/
XX
\
I
I
pa
\
X
I
y
XX
i
I
pa
\
C
I
X
1
n
To account for the generalization that no falling diphthong can precede a
consonant, postulate that there are at most two skeletal slots in a rime. On this
background, a rime containing more than two segments has three possible
structures as in (4) above, to take ^^pya 'to run', ^^pay 'cripple', and ^^pan 'to
I
On
Chung:
move' as examples. (FD
BR a branching rime.)
the representation of Kejia diphthongs
for
is
a
falling
diphthong,
RD
a
rising
65
diphthong, and
Since a rising
It follows from (4) that either N or R branches, but not both.
diphthong occupies a single skeletal slot within a non-branching N in (4a), it is
possible for a rising diphthong to occur in a branching N, as shown in (5a), or to
occur in a branching R, as in (5b). Examples can be seen in ^^tyaw 'bird' and
sspyan 'to avoid'.
N
a.
(5)
R
b.
\
/
/
/
\
\
XX
XX
/
yaw
I
y
\
I
a
n
However, as shown in (4b), a rime having a falling diphthong occupies two
There is therefore no possibility of having another skeletal slot in N. This
why forms such as 'ayn and those in (lb) are ungrammatical.
slots.
is
a prevocalic glide should be
be explored in Section 2.
In addition, if a falling diphthong is represented as in (4b) while a branching
rime is as in (4c), there must be some phonological differences between a
branching rime and a non-branching rime. Those differences will be discussed
Section 5 provides further evidence of distinguishing a
in Sections 3 and 4.
branching N from a branching R. Section 6 presents a summary and conIf
a
rising
diphthong
is
represented as
part of the rime instead of part of the onset.
in
(4a),
This
will
clusion.
The data are transcribed
in
the IPA system with tone marked by a
The phonetic inventories
superscript Arabic numeral preceding each syllable.
of Kejia are
(6)
a.
as follows
([
]
is
'
consonants
for aspiration).''
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:1 (Spring 1989)
66
c.
1.
tone
MM
Chung:
(9)
On
the representation of Kejia diphthongs
a.
pray for bread
b.
pay
for
67
^ bray for pread
bay for preeze
breeze ^
The salient difference between Kejia and English is that English allows
consonant clusters in the onset as well as in the coda position, as in tree and
palm, though they are subject to some constraints (Clements & Keyser 1983,
Sohn 1987). However, save the CG sequence in the beginning part of a
syllable, no GC, CG, or even CC occurs in any other position within a Kejia syllable. Thus in terms of syllabic pattern, if G in Kejia is assumed to be part of an
onset, then there is an asymmetry between the consonant clusters in that they
occur only in the onset but not in the coda (cf. Clements and Keyser 1983). The
argument based on English is therefore not relevant for the analysis of Kejia.
2.2.
Colloquial and literary differences
In the phonological relationship between the literary and colloquial levels
speech, there are certain cases in which the onset is different while the rime
remains the same, as shown in (10a) and (10b). 2 in other cases, only the rime
is different and the onset is the same, as shown in (10c) and (lOd).
of
(10)
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:1 (Spring 1989)
68
initial consonants remain the same in the colloquial
except for the palatalization of dentals before y. What differs
in (10c) the literary form has GV,
is the (glide plus) vowel that follows the initial,
while the colloquial one has a plain vowel; in (lOd) the relationship is reversed.
However, in both cases the change is limited to the combination glide plus
vowel, suggesting that both are members of the rime.
In
and
(10c)
and
(10d), the
literary levels,
To sum
between the
up, the difference
affects only the rime or only the onset.3
with the rime, suggesting that
Tone and the
2.3.
A
i.e.
syllable with
[11] tone.
initial
it
is
In
literary
and the
colloquial levels
either case, the prevocalic glide stays
part of the rime.
consonant
a voiceless unaspirated consonant cannot have yangping,
The condition
is
given
voiceless, unaspirated consonants
in
in
(12),
where L
Kejia are: p,
t,
is
ts, tc,
yangping tone.
and k.
The
*L
(12)
I
$
I
I
-voice
-spread
This condition applies without regard to the presence of a prevocalic glide,
suggesting that the prevocalic glide is not part of the onset. In (13), Arabic
numerals like 44, 31, and 55 show that a voiceless unaspirated consonant can
occur in syllables with other tones.
11
(13)
a.
b.
tone
33
kyang
tyam
c.
pyen
d.
tcyang
The condition in (12) has a historical motivation. Words with yangping
in Kejia (among other Chinese dialects) came from words with a voiced
Specifically, the voiced onset
initial consonant in Middle Chinese (Tung 1968).
consonant of MC underwent a rule of devoicing if it occurred in a yangping
syllable regardless of the presence of a prevocalic glide or not. The historical
change thus provides further evidence for the suggestion that a prevocalic glide
is
part of the rime.
Chung:
2.4.
Rhymes
in folk
On
the representation of Kejia diphthongs
69
songs
Kejia has folk songs, usually referred to as shangge 'mountain songs', of
which more than 300 have been studied. The general rule for rhyming is that
the nucleus vowels must be identical, while following consonants may differ, as
shown
in
the examples below.
(14) a.
33tc'im
Hfin
33cim
70
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:1 (Spring 1989)
If we consider the distribution of prevocalic y, it is clear that there are no
cooccurrence restrictions between initials and following glides; all combinations
are possible, as illustrated in (16). As for prevocalic w, the case is more
complex, because it can be preceded only by the velars k, k', and h, as shown
in (17) below. This raises the question whether w should be regarded as part of
the onset.
(16)
1
On
Chung:
2.6.
the representation of Kejia diphthongs
7
Summary
The overall evidence examined in this section is in favor of the claim that
prevocalic glides are not part of the onset but occupy a position within the
nucleus.
3.
The construction
of diphthongs
no constraint on the combination of the initial consonant and
is a dissimilatory constraint on the formation of
diphthongs, whether combinations of a prevocalic or a postvocalic glide plus a
vowel. The dissimilatory constraint, which is given in (18), states that glides and
vowels cannot agree in their specification for the feature [back]. The constraint
works under the assumption that the feature specification for vowels is as in
(19), where the low vowel [a] is underspecified for the feature [back] (cf.
Steriade 1987).
While there
is
the prevocalic glide, there
(1
Dissimilatory Constraint
8)
(first
version)
*N
/
/
[aback]
Back feature
(19)
\
\
[aback]
specification
back
+
u,
i,
e
a
The
constraint
(20) a.
in
*ye
(18) precludes the following
b.
*ey
On
diphthongs
*wo
*ow
the other hand, the following diphthongs are allowed.
(21) a.
falling
diphthongs
55tyy
'team'
^^loy
'to
ay
iw
ssppay
'to sell'
55kjw
'long'
ew
aw
33t'ew
'to steal'
33paw
'to
uy
oy
ex.
come'
wrap'
in Kejia.
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:1 (Spring 1989)
72
b.
is
rising diphtfiongs
ya
yo
55pya
-to
33k'yo
'cripple'
wa
we
33kwa
'melon'
55kvve
'very'
run'
Given below are the [back] feature specifications for (20) and (21), where A
Only C is ungrammatical, being in
for (21a), B for (21b) and C for (20).
violation of the Dissimilatory Constraint.
(22) A.
uy
[
+
]
[-]
B.
ya
yo
wa
we
[-]
[
]
[-] [+]
[
+
]
[
[
+
]
[-]
]
C.
*ye
*ey
*wo
*ow
[-] [-]
[-] [-]
[
+
]
[
+
]
[
+
]
[
+
]
By connparing (23) with (22A) and (22B), we further realize that the first
segment of a rising diphthong and the second of a falling diphthong must be
[+high].
(23)
a
Chung:
The evidence
On
of the
behavior of the triphthongs requires the following
modification of the Dissimilatory Constraint
(26)
73
the representation of Kejia diphthongs
Dissimilatory Constraint
(final
in (18).
version)
*N
/
\
\
/
/
[aback]
\
(X)
[aback]
where X
is
a segment
In other words, no two segments with the same value for the feature [back]
can occur within a nucleus position, no matter if another segment intervenes.
The
fact that the Dissimilatory Constraint affects not only
also
GV
and
GVG
combinations provides strong
โ and
I
VG
combinations, but
believe, conclusive
โ
evidence that prevocalic glides are part of the same structure as vowels and
postvocalic glides, namely, part of the nucleus.
"*
4.
The construction
of
branching rimes
If the combination of the nucleus vowel and the following consonant is not
a diphthong but a branching rime (henceforth, BR), then we would expect
constraints on a BR to be different. This is indeed true, as will be demonstrated
in
the following discussion.
First of all, as shown in (27) and (28), a labial or velar consonant and a
vowel forming a BR must agree in their values for the feature [back]; otherwise,
ungrammatical forms result. Contrast the (a) and (b) versions in (27) and (28).
(27) labials or [-back]
JMBBSBC !^
% Wl 1^
"=
I'iS
T.'f
are-
Tcr
ae
--ยฃ
:2r
T5
3racEยฃ2rc 2SIโsSCT STOWS, trec S X
โโ-35=:- โ
2S
โ --
s-
-'
-
i
-- --'
โ
1
-
------ โ โ--
'T'
5*^23ยซg- r^.~-'~-
-
"t-:
i-r :>ยซ.
1 -~z~T ~ri_n:
(36)
i-z
--,,;-;
-fi*"
r 55
76
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:1 (Spring 1989)
(38) a.
*om/p
*um/p
Following Yip (1987) and Steriade (1987), the distributions of labial
segments are
attributed to the Labial Constraint in (39).
Labial Constraint
(39)
*[+lab
The
+lab]j
To begin
round vowel are specified for
other words, the specification for the [labial] feature in UR is as
Labial Constraint applies under the following assumptions.
with, only the labial
[+lab] in
...
UR.
In
consonants and the
front
follows.
(40)
Lab
The
application of the
coda
rule in the
sense
of Steriade
1984 triggers the
a syllable does not have a coda,
back vowels will not have the [lab] feature. The Labial Constraint thus succeeds
Examples are
in accounting for the labial distributions in (35) through (38).
given in (41), in which [+] stands for [+labial].
[+lab] feature specification for
(41) a.
*pam
back vowels.
b.
If
*pu
c.
*tom
d.
55p
>po
'newspaper'
UR
[
CV
[+]
+]
+
]
[
[+]
[
[
p a m
p a m
I
]
[
I
P
+
]
u
+
[
+]
[+]
o m
t
[
]
u
I
1/
R
P o
+]
I
I
O R
+]
torn
1/
O R
+
I
O R
[
[
]
P o
I
I
+
I
torn
I
]
[
+
1
torn
Labial
[
t
I
R
p a m
lab specify
[
[+]
[+]
I
+
I
I
R
Coda
]
P
1
I
+
]
Chung:
In
On
the representation of Kejia diphthongs
77
(41a) and (41b), the [+lab] feature for the consonants and u is underThey are thus clear violations of the Labial Constraint. The
lyingly specified.
back vowel o
leads the o
becomes
However, the coda rule
and hence "torn
finds no chance to apply, so the
underspecified for the feature
is
in
[lab].
(41c) to be specified for the [lab] feature,
ill-formed.
In
(41 d), the
coda
back vowel o remains underspecified
rule
for the [lab] feature.
This accounts for
why
(41 d) is grammatical.
However, this analysis runs into great difficulties, in that a
cooccur with the labial glide w in the coda position, as shown in
55pay^
'leopard'
b.
55p'aw
'firecracker'
c.
55maw
'to
(42) a.
The asymmetry
labial
onset can
(42).
buy'
that a labial onset
not with a labial consonant has long
can cooccur with a final labial glide but
been a problem both in the traditional
analysis (Light 1977) and in non-linear analyses (Yip 1987, Steriade 1987).
One of the contributions of our proposal here is to help make the Labial
Constraint work more successfully: If falling diphthongs are [+syll] units, as
suggested in Chung 1989, then the glide in (42) is dominated by the nucleus
and is therefore the vowel [u] in UR. And since [u] is not specified for the feature
[lab],
is immune to the Labial Constraint, and paw is grammatical.
it
6.
Conclusion
I
have argued
nucleus.
In
that the prevocalic glide within
addition,
I
have argued
that, with the
a Kejia syllable
is
part of the
representation of diphthongs
the generalization is captured that a falling diphthong cannot be followed
by another consonant, because there is no other skeletal slot left. Moreover, the
difference between a falling diphthong and a rime, both of which look the same
in that they occupy the last two positions in a syllable, cannot be accounted for
without appealing to the representations given in (3). (See also below.) Finally,
the diphthong representations suggested here also account for the asymmetry
of the labial coda consonant and the labial offglide with respect to the Labial
in (3),
Constraint.
me
conclude with a brief summary of the arguments in favor of the
between diphthongs/triphthongs and branching rimes, and
with a summary of the rules and representations that account for the distinction.
Let
structural distinction
We have seen that diphthongs and triphthongs are subject to DC and thus
must be considered dominated by N. Further, nucleus vowels and the final
consonants of branching rimes are subject to the BRC, suggesting that these
structures are dominated by a different node, R.
Now, what needs to be
accounted for is that combinations of the type yam/p are possible, while
78
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:1 (Spring 1989)
We
Structures of the type *aym/p are not.
and
can account
if we accept the
assumptions in (44)
for this
of rime stnjcture in (43) together with the additional
account
(45).
R
N
(43)
*
N(+C)
-*
X
(+ X)
Rising diphthongs are analyzed as light diphthongs
(44)
(cf.
Kaye 1985):
N
I
X
/
y
A
(45)
\
a
may
rime
more than two
not contain
As a consequence, the rime
the following combinations and
structure rules
skeletal slots.
will
be permitted
to
generate
to generate the starred structures
fail
and
(c')
(d-):
R
(a)
R
(b)
N
N
(C)
X
/
a
(m)
y a
*R
/
N
/
II
I
ay
/
(b)
/
I
X
\
way
I
C
\
/
\
w a
I
I
I
y m
structures dominated by
by definition
X
C
\
XXX
I
N
while complex structures dominated by
Note that
/
I
\
N
y m
Complex
N
C
\
X X
(m)
/
It
I
/\
*R
(d*)
\
XXX
a
/
(X)
\
C
\
N
(C)
(X)
R
(d)
/\
II
II
X
II
(C")
R
(c)
/\
/\
is
and (d)) are subject to DC,
and (b)) are subject to BRC.
(in (b), (c),
R
(in (a)
subject to both constraints.
NOTES
*l
am
Kenstowicz
indebted to Chin-chuan Cheng, Hans Henrich Hock, and f^ichael
for their comments and suggestions. All errors are of course mine.
On
Chung:
79
the representation of Kejia diphthongs
and n are palatalized from ts, ts', s, and ng or n,
they are followed by / or y. Note that tc, tc', and c are
traditionally transcribed as tg, tg', and g, respectively.
^The palatals
respectively,
tc, tc', c,
when
2There are two levels
books while the
of
speech in
is used
colloquial level
The
Kejia.
in
daily
used to read
For further discussion, see
literary level is
life.
Chung 1989.
3Tone might be also involved, as shown in (15c). However, here we are
concerned with the position of the prevocalic glide, hence tone is ignored.
"^Underthe DC, the structure
a triphthong might be as
for
N
a.
/
N
b.
/
\
XX
\
/
I
I
III
I
G
V
G
there are three skeletal slots within a nucleus, there is no
to prevent a nucleus "ayn from occurring, which is absolutely prohibited in
favor
way
\
XXX
V G
G
follows.
(a),
because
if
Kejia.
REFERENCES
CHEN, Matthew.
The primacy
1980.
of
rhythm
in
verse:
A
linguistic per-
spective. Journal of Chinese Linguistics 8.15-41.
CHUNG,
Raung-fu.
1989.
Urbana-Champaign
CLEMENTS, G. N., and
Aspects
of Kejia
dissertation
J.
Keyser.
in
phonology.
University of
Illinois at
Linguistics.
1983.
CV
phonology.
Cambridge:
MIT
Press.
HASHIMOTO,
Phonology of Cantonese.
Yu. 1972. Studies in Yue dialects 1
Cambridge: University Press.
KAYE, Jonathan. 1985. On the syllable structure of certain West African
languages. African linguistics: Essays in memory of M. W. K. Semikenke,
Amsterdam & Philadelphia: John
ed. by D. L. Goyvaerts, 285-308.
Benjamins.
LAI, Bixia. 1983. Kejia folk Ssongs. Taipei: Beike Press.
LIGHT, Timothy. 1977. The Cantonese final: An exercise in indigenous analysis. Journal of Chinese Linguistics 5.75-102.
SCHANE, A. Sanford. 1987. The resolution of hiatus. Papers from the 23rd
Regional Meeting of the Chicago Linguistic Society, 278-290.
:
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80
SHAW,
Patricia.
1987.
Non-conservation of melodic structure
in
reduplication.
Papers from the 23rd Regional Meeting of the Chicago Linguistic Society,
291-306.
SOHN, Hyang-Sook. 1987. Underspecification in Korean phonology. University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign
dissertation in Linguistics.
STERIADE, Donca. 1984. Glides and vowels
in Rumanian. Proceedings of the
Berkeley Linguistic Society, 10.
1987. Redundant values. Papers from the 23rd Regional Meeting of the
Chicago Linguistic Society, 339-362.
TENG, Xunzi. 1982. The source of the Kejia people. Taipei: Wunhua Press.
TUNG, Tong-ho. 1968. Hanyu yinyunxue (Chinese phonology). Taipei: Stu-
dent Book Store.
Li.
1957. Hanyu shilu xue (Chinese versification). Shanghai: Yanzhi
Press. (Reprinted 1973, Hong Kong.)
YIP, Moira. 1982. Reduplication and skeleton in Chinese secret language.
WANG,
โ
Linguistic Inquiry
.
1987.
identity.
13.637-661
The Obligatory Contour
Principle
Linguistic Inquiry 19.65-100.
and phonological
rules:
A
loss of
Studies
in
Volume
19.
the Linguistics Sciences
Number
Spring 1989
1,
RESTRICTION AS A MEANS OF OPTIMIZING
UNIFICATION PARSING*
Dale Gerdemann
Restriction
in
was
originally
parsing unification
employed as
grammars without
1985). Other uses of restriction
cussed
in
previous literature.
be used optimize several steps
backbone (Shieber
unification parsing have not been dis-
in
In this
in
a device to avoid infinite cycles
a context free
paper,
I
argue that restriction can
parsing with Earley's algorithm. These
steps include the subsumption test, the completer step, and lookahead.
general, restriction
information
in a
the parser to
1
is
a useful operation
whenever only
a
subset of
all
In
the
possibly large feature structure needs to be considered for
make
next step.
its
Introduction
Since Shieber (1985). restriction has been recognized as an important operation
unification parsing.^
As Shieber points
in
most straightforward adaptation of
grammars fails because the infinite number
out, the
Earley's algorithm for use with unification
grammars can cause the predictor step in the algorithm to go
more and more new predictions (i.e.. the problem
The basic idea
is that new predictions are not subsumed by previous predictions).
of restriction is to avoid making predictions on the basis of all of the information in
a DAG,^ but rather to take some subset of that information (i.e.. a restricted DAGhenceforth RD) and use just that information to make new predictions. Since there
are only a finite number of possible RDs. the predictor step will no longer go into the
infinite loop described above. The price you pay for this move is that some spurious
of categories
in
these
into an infinite loop, creating ever
predictions
will
be made, but as Shieber points out. the algorithm
any spurious predictions
will
Shiebers use of restriction
other hand, there has been
of parsing.
In this
paper.
I
is still
correct since
be weeded out by the completer step.
in
little
will
the predictor step
is
by
now
well established.
discussion of the uses of restriction
in
On
the
other stages
argue that restriction can be used to advantage
in at
82
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:1 (Spring 1989)
least three additional ways. First, restriction
can be used to significantly speed up the
subsumption check on new predictions. Second,
in
can be used
it
the completer step
in
order to speed up the process of finding the correct states in the state sets to be
completed. And
parser.
third,
it
can be used to add a lookahead component to the unification
begin by briefly reviewing Shieber's use of restriction and then
will
I
discuss
will
the three additional uses for restriction mentioned above.
2
Restriction in the predictor step
To understand
the
the original purpose of restriction
recursion problem.
left
gorithm was to solve the
algorithm
One
left
recursion problem, but
generalized to handle attribute- value
is
cursion problem emerges. Restriction
new
this
A
it
help to
will
review
first
is
when Eariey's
new analog of the left re-
turns out that
it
grammars
a
the device used by Shieber (1985) to eliminate
recursion problem.
left
The
2.1
parsing,
in
of Eariey's prime motivations for developing his al-
recursion problem
left
simple recursive descent parser must contain at least the two operations: expand
and scan. These operations are used pretty much as
in a left derivation.
That
is.
the
The start symbol is expanded by replacing
it with the right hand side of some rule whose left hand side matches the start symbol. Then, the left-most non-terminal in the new string is expanded and the process
operation begins with the start symbol.
continues
terminal
are
manner
in this
until the left-most
matched against the
is
"popped"
off.
first
word
The process continues
element
in this
At
a terminal.
is
the input sentence.
in
manner
If
until all of
this point the
they match, both
the input has been
matched against the top-down expansion and no elements remain to be expanded
or
scanned.
All that
the problem
remains, then,
is
that
is
to
add a control regime
some way must be found
terminal gets expanded over and over again.
happen
is
the arrow
when
is
non-terminal
there
is
some
rule in
is
next non-terminal
expanded using the
in line
to be
expanded
eliminate mainly because the loop
It
the
goes beyond the scope of
left
The simplest case
this
which
in
this
which the category immediately to the
rule
may
A
will
โ^
A
.
.
.
,
then,
is
more than
paper to give a
full
can
right of
For example,
when A
if
the
expanded, the
again be A. This kind of loop
involve
But.
which the same non-
in
identical to the category to the left of the arrow.
A
and backup.
for failure
to avoid loops
is
hard to
a single rule.
exposition of Eariey's solution to
recursion problem. Nevertheless, the basic idea
is
fairly
simple. Left recursion
loops are avoided by dividing the expansion step into two steps called prediction and
^
Gerdemami:
Restriction as a
completion. Prediction works just
only once.
once, the
new
can only apply
It
left
turns out that
analog of the
infinitely
is
a finite
A new
left
if it
turns out that a
left
needed to be used more than once, the completer step
many
times as needed.
a parse has been found for
portion of the input
2.2
expansion except that a prediction can be made
predictions are thrown away. Then,
to complete the prediction as
when
like
83
unification parsing
the parser starts to go into a loop by making a prediction more than
If
rule (or set of rules)
applies
means of optimizing
in
some
ambiguous
number of
recursive
will
portion of the input. So. unless
or the input
apply
Now, the completer step only
is infinitely
some
long, the completer
times.
recursion problem
the
most straightforward adaptation of
recursion problem reemerges.
Earley's algorithm, an
Shieber (1985) illustrates this with
grammar' but the same point can be made using a type of
somewhat more familiar in recent linguistic theory. Specifically, infinite
cycles can arise in grammars that handle subcategorization with list valued features
such as Head Driven Phrase Structure Grammar (Pollard and Sag 1987) or PAIR style
grammars (Shieber 1986). To illustrate the problem, suppose that we are parsing a
sentence using a grammar with the PATR style rules in (1) and (2). The problem of
non-termination can arise with this grammar since rule (2) allows for lexical items with
problem with
a "counting
grammar
is
that
indefinitely long subcategorization lists.
(1)
(2)
xO -^ xl x2
84
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:1 (Spring 1989)
DAG). Since the
start
rule in (1) satisfies this requirement, the next step
xl daughter.
a prediction for the
In
Earley's algorithm as
was
it
il would simply be its category label
grammar, however, category labels are just features
(Eariey 1970). the prediction for
this unification style
DAGs
Since the
feature.
is
make
to
originally formulated
np).
(i.e.
In
any other
like
associated with each of the non-terminals (iO,il,.
.
.
,in)
may express just partial information about that non-terminal, it is possible
that some non-terminals (such as x2 in the second rule) will not be associated with
any category label at all. The natural solution, then, would be to make a prediction
using the entire DAG associated with a given non-terminal. Suppose, now. that we
have parsed the np in rule (1) and were ready to parse x2. The DAG associated with
in a rule
x2 would be
(3)
(3).
vp
cat
first
np
cat
subcat
rest
When
rule
this
shown
unifies with the category
on the
left
hand side of
(2)
we
get the
in (4).
xO
(4)
DAG
end
xl x2
cat
vp
subcat
[2]
cat
vp
xO
first
il
subcat
cat
first
np
rest
rest
end
x2
Now. following the same procedure, the predictor would next make
can easily be seen that when the
the non-terminal xl
in (4).
unifies with the left
hand side of
It
rule (2) the predicted rule
is
DAG
a prediction for
associated with xl
almost the same as
(4)
becomes the value for {subcat rest rest)
in the new prediction. In fact, the predictor step can continue making such predictions
ad infinitum and. crucially, the new predictions will not be subsumed by previous
except that the value for {subcat rest)
in (4)
predictions.
To
solve this problem Shieber proposes that the predictor step should not use
of the information
in
the
DAG
associated with
use some limited subset of that information.
DAG
non-terminal, but rather
all
it
should
Of course, when some nodes
of the
a
are eliminated the predictor step can overpredict. but this does not affect the
correctness of the algorithm since these spurious predictions
Shiebers proposal
is
basically that before the predictor step
will
is
not be completable.
applied, an
RD
should
Gerdemann:
Restriction as a
means of optimizing
unification parsing
be created which contains just the information associated with a
finite set of
85
paths
(i.e..
number of categories
Since the number of possible
a restrictor).^ In this way. Shieber's algorithm allows an infinite
number of equivalence classes.
becomes impossible to make the kind of
to be divided into a finite
RDs
is finite,
it
infinite cycle of predictions
illustrated above.
Primarily for notational reasons.
I
define restriction
will
DAG
the least specific
of P
if
in
D
is
D"
D
in
is
from Shieber's definition
not really a
for the
list
DAG
for every
in
D'
is
path P
the
same
complex then the value of P
in
in
in
is
a tree
and hence
it
the restrictor
is
in (5)
(from Shieber 1985)
will
manner
DAG D
D' of
D. and
in
This
a variable.
to be
the value
if
as the value of P
D'
differs
Thus the RD is
can be represented more easily by a
that reentrancies are eliminated
but rather
RD
in
the RD.
structure. For example, given the restrictor [(a b). (d e
DAG
in (6). in
such that
atomic then the value of P
the value of P
simple
C D
different
in a slightly
from Shieber (1985). For our purpose here we can define the
f).
(d
i
j
be represented by the indented
the
f)].
list
RD
shown
which variables are indicated by []}
(5)
\j
k
[1]
I
[[a,[[^c]]],
(6)
K[[e,l[/,11]]
3
The
Restriction
first
dictions.
in
the subsumption test
use of restriction
In
I
will
new premade on each
been made in the
discuss involves the subsumption check on
the original Earley's algorithm (Earley 1970). a check was
new prediction to see that an identical prediction had not already
same state set. Of course, if duplicate predictions are retained the parser can
the
left
recursion trap.
In
Shieber's adaptation, however, this identity check
is
fall
into
changed
more general notion of a subsumption check. If a new DAG is predicted that is
subsumed by a previous (more general) DAG. the new DAG is not retained since any
DAGs that could be predicted on the basis of the new DAG could already have been
predicted on the basis of the more general DAG. Clearly, the move from an identity
check to a subsumption check is the right sort of move to make, but a subsumption
to the
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:1 (Spring 1989)
36
check on
arbitrarily large
ideal area in
DAGs
can be an expensive operation. This seems to be an
which restriction could be used to optimize the algorithm.
The move propose is the following. Initially, new predictions are made in the
manner suggested by Shieber; i.e.. make an RD for the category 'to the right of the
Dot' and then collect all the rules from the grammar whose left hand side category
unifies with this RD - these rules then constitute the new predictions. At this point
I
I
RD
suggest that the
new
predictions: that
used to find these predictions should be retained along with the
is.
kept for each state set.
RDs
a list of
I
that have been used to
enters the predictor step and creates a
a
subsumption check can be made
make
predictions should be
the RD_List. Then, the next time the parser
will call this list
new RD from which
directly
between
this
to
RD
make new
predictions,
and the RD.List.
If
the
new RD is subsumed by any member of the RD.List then we can immediately give up
trying to make any new predictions from this RD. Any predictions made from this RD
would necessarily already have been made when the predictor encountered the more
general RD in the RD_List. Thus we avoid both the expense of making new predictions
and the expense of applying the subsumption test to weed these new predictions out.
Moreover, since
in
RDs
are typically very small (at least given the sample restrictors given
Shieber 1985, 1986). the subsumption test that
is
performed on them can be applied
very quickly.
As an example, suppose that some
made
set of predictions has already been
using
making predictions using [cat. np].[num.
sing]] since any such predictions would necessarily fail the subsumption check: i.e..
rules expanding singular noun phrases are more specific than (or subsumed by) rules
the RD.
[cat. np]
[
then there
|.
is
no point
expanding noun phrases unspecified
for
in
[
number.
This particular case probably does
not arise often in actual parsing, but cases of left recursion
optimization can
make
a
very significant difference
in
do
arise for
processing speed.
which
this
In fact
our
(Gerdemann and
experience with the
UNICORN
Hinrichs 1988). has
shown that for grammars with a large amount of left recursion.
make the difference between taking several minutes of
natural language processing system
this simple optimization can
processing time and several seconds of processing time.
There
that two
is
one problem that can arise as
RDs
nevertheless result
in
a result of this optimization.^
It
may happen
any subsumption relationship with each other may
the same prediction. For example, the RDs [f.a] and [g.b] may
that don't stand
in
result in the same prediction
some spurious ambiguity since each
of the identical predictions could be completed in the same manner. This problem can
be avoided, however, by linking predictions back to the RDs responsible for making
both unify with the
being
left
made more than
hand side
the prediction. This linking back
described
in
of
some
rule,
which could
once. This could result
the next section.
is
in
an independently motivated optimization which
The two
is
predictions, then, can be viewed as different
.
Gerdemann:
Restriction as a
means of optimizing
unification parsing
predictions since they are linked back to different RDs. Thus, only a finite
predictions can be
4
made and
Restriction
The next use
there
is
no possibility of
87
number
of
a left recursion loop reemerging.
the completer step
in
of restriction
I
The completer
propose involves the completer step.
applies, in Earleys algorithm, at the point
where
of the right hand side of a rule
all
some state has been consumed, i.e.. the point at which the Dot' has been moved
the way to the right in some rule. At this point the completer goes back to the
state set in which the state to be completed was originally predicted and searches for
in
all
which has a category
a prediction in this state set
unify with the
mother node of the
'to
the right of the Dot" which can
rule in the state to
be completed. This search can
be quite time consuming since the completer must attempt to perform a unification for
each state
In
in this
state set.
each state, there
is
which indicates
a variable F
in
which state set that state
was predicted so the completer can immediately go back to the Fth state set in order
to make the completion. But there is no variable which indicates which state in the
Fth state set could have been responsible for making that prediction. And. in fact, it
would be quite
difficult to
particular state
is
it
implement such a
really only indirectly
would have been responsible
check. For example, suppose
Each state
BP
is
will
for the prediction
we
a
some
had not been
its
Shieber's adaptation of Barley's algorithm:
the rule represented by Dag, and F
in
problem with
i
in
this
which state set the
(7)
.
.
[Labi,
Now suppose
[(cat, np],
is
[num. sing]].
Dot
is
F,
was
and Dag are used, as
a pointer to
in
the current position
was made. To
partial state set in (7), in
illustrate the
which the subscripted
the tth state set.
RD
for
When
Dagl
is
[[cat.np]]
in (8).
it
will
.
.]
RD
for Dag2 is
make some number
and suppose that the
the predictor looks at state Labi
.
(For ex; [Lab3,Labl.0.i.Dag3]
is
a
state with an arbitrary label. Lab3. a backpointer to state Labi, the Dot set at
indicating the beginning of the
was made
(8)
label.
the more general kind of backpointer which
of predictions with backpointers to Labi as
new
an arbitrary
is
BPl, Dotl, Fl, Dagl\,[Lab2, BP2, Dot2, F2, Dag2\,
the
subsumption
for the
value the label of the state that
original prediction
scheme, consider the
indicates that this
.[.
is
i.e..
a
the sense that
in
system of backpointers as follows.
responsible for predicting the current state, and Dot.
only indicates
prediction,
be a quintuple (Lab.BP.Dot.F.Dag) where Lab
kind of backpointer which takes as
a
if it
implement
try to
many cases
direct backpointer since in
responsible for
in
state set
i.
left
hand
side. F set to
i
and DagS representing the new
indicating that the prediction
rule.)
i[...[Labl,BPl,Dotl,Fl,Dagl],[Lab2,BP2,Dot2,F2,Dag2l
[Lab3, Labl,Dot3, Dag3], \Lab4, Labi, Dot4, F4, Dagi],
.
.]
88
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:1 (Spring 1989)
But when the predictor looks at Lab2 no predictions will be made, since its RD is
subsumed by the RD of Labi. Thus even though (without the subsumption check)
Lab2 could have been responsible
for the predictions
Lab3 and Lab4. no backpointers
are created for Lab2.
is
it
RDs
at this point that
predictor attempts to
to that state and to
make
can again help us out.
predictions on the basis of
predictions
all
made from
The idea is
some state
that
if
will
be
either:
no predictions were made because
unification only
on states that have
many attempted
RD
is
unifications that
RD
Now
before.
(9)
,[.
In
.
FP
is
an
RD
Now
the completion
to the Fth state set and attempt
this move eliminates
To implement this idea,
RD-markers. Clearly
would be doomed to
failure.
BP
states will be defined as quintuples (BP.FP.Dot.F.Dag) where
a backpointer.
is
acting as
Dag
are as
the analog of (7) will be (9).
BPl and BP2
(9)
RD
an
acting as a forward pointer and F, Dot. and
[BP1,FPI, Dotl, Fl, Dagl], [BP2, FP2, Dot2, F2, Dag2],.
.
(ii)
had already been used to make
used as the marker.
identical
The RD
used to make the predictions, or
The completer can go back
greatly simplified.
is
the
more general
more general RD
predictions, then this
step
a
(i)
RD
that state as a kind of marker (or
coindexing between a state and the predictions resulting from that state).
used for this coindexing
when the
adds an
it
for the prediction
will
each be instantiated to the value of the
which created
their respective state.
.
.]
RD
responsible
FPl and FP2. however,
will
be uninstantiated variables since these two states have not yet been responsible for
new
creating any
in (7)
the state set
(10)
predictions.
Now assuming
then when the predictor applies to the
.[.
.
shown
.
[BPl,
in
that the
first
state
RDs
for
shown
Dagl and Dag2
in (9).
the result
are as
will
be
(10).
[cat, np]
[
],
Dotl, Fl,Dagl],
[BP2, FP2, Dot2, F2, Dag2],
[cat,
[
np] ],FP3, Dot?,, F3, DagZ],
[
[cat, np]
[
[
],FPA, Dot4, F'i,Dag4],
.
.
.]
Then when the predictor looks at the second state in (10). no predictions will be
made as before, however the predictor will register the attempt to make a prediction
by instantiating the variable FP2 as in (11).
(11)
,[...
[BPl,
[BP2,
[[cat,
[cat, np]
np]],Dotl,Fl, Dagl],
],Dot2, F2, Dag2],
[
[cat, np]
[
[
[cat,
[
[
],FP3, DotZ, F2, DagZ],
np]],FPA, DotA, FA, DagA],.
.
.]
Gerdemann:
Now whenever
Restriction as a
means of optimizing
89
unification parsing
the descendants of states 3 and 4 are ready to be completed,
will
it
be easy to go back to this state set and find the states whose forward pointers are
Thus many candidates
identical to the backpointers of the states to be completed.
for
completion are immediately ruled out.
5
Restriction used
The
in
use for restriction that
final
I
lookahead
propose involves lookahead. Lookahead
one aspect
is
of Earley's algorithm which clearly needs modification in order to be used efficiently
with unification grammars or natural language grammars
algorithm, a calculation of lookahead
was performed as
in
general.
the original
In
part of the prediction step.
simple example can show the problem with Earley's version of this procedure.
S
โ NP VP
>
rule,
when
the predictor
makes
a prediction for
a state for each possible lookahead string that can be derived
number
the large
of verbs or adverbs that can start a
would require adding
to simply
to find
list all
a
VP
huge number of states to the state
in
NP,
it
is
In
A
the
required to add
from the VP. But given
language this
a natural
set.
Clearly
we
don't want
the possible lookahead strings: rather the correct approach would be
what features these
strings have in
common and
then, to add a smaller
number
of states with feature based lookaheads.
Aside from the question of what kind of lookahead to calculate, there are two other
questions that need to be considered:
and second how to calculate
it.
first
the question of
when
to calculate lookahead
Beginning with the when question,
grammars require lookahead to be calculated at
approach. The reason for this is illustrated by rules
it
unification
a later point
Earley's
like (2).
here as (12)
(12)
lO
xO
xl
xl
is
clear that
than
which
is
it
is
in
repeated
90
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:1 (Spring 1989)
immediately before the predictor applies to that category:
for a category
can be considered
made immediately
quick check to be
a
Unlike Eariey's original algorithm, then,
is
it
lookahead
i.e..
before applying prediction.
not necessary to put a lookahead string
into a state to be checked at a later point.
The
question, then,
gorithm, there
how
is
to calculate lookahead.
Hk which when
a function.
is
k-symbol strings of terminals which could begin
to unification
a
We
can begin each category.
certainly cannot
is
It
of implementing this idea
C, the first thing
does
it
infinite
some form
is
When
as follows.
make an RD
is
When
applied
number
of cat-
of restriction
implement any kind of lookahead. One.
to be necessary in order to
again going
the predictor applies to a category
Then
for C.
is
relatively simple,
lookup
a table
performed to
is
determine what preterminal categories could begin C. Since there are potentially
nite preterminal categories, restriction
the table lookup finds a set of
RDs
must be applied here
that the next item
of the preterminal
the input
in
RDs.
If
make
is
So more
too.
call
RDs
the preterminal RDs.
Then
check must be performed to
verify
these
a prediction a
an instance of a category that can unify with one
the check
how the lookup
then the prediction
fails,
is
abandoned.
One way such
table
is
constructed.
be constructed would be to run the parser
in
reverse for generation as
remains
Thus,
is
for
to specify
each possible
RD
determine what preterminal
6
1
in
might
Shieber 1988.
(given a particular restrictor). the generator
RDs can
All that
a table
is
used to
begin a phrase of this category.
Conclusion
have argued here that restriction can be used
optimizations. First,
it
the completer step, and finally
The
first
in unification
it
it
can be used to speed up the searching used
can be used to implement
two of these uses have been
fully
In
is still
general, the fact that unification
in
some way
these categories.
is
UNICORN
The use
natural
of restriction
It
grammars may have categories
of indefinite
of focusing on limited portions of the information
seems quite
likely,
useful even in other parsing algorithms for unification
that remains
form of lookahead.
under development.
complexity necessitates
contained
a
implemented within the
language processing system (Gerdemann and Hinrichs 1988).
with lookahead
parsing to effect three
can be used to greatly speed up the subsumption test for adding
predictions to the state set. second
new
in
infi-
precisely,
that could unify with whatever actual preterminal
could begin a phrase of category C. Let us
before the predictor can actually
al-
returns a set of
possible strings of preterminals that
list
clear, then, that
version of the
C
phrase of category C.
grammars, however, the problem of having an
egories again appears.
way
In Eariey's
applied to a category
what portion of the information
in
then, that restriction would be
grammars. The primary question
complex DAGs should be used
in
Gerdemann:
Restriction as a
these algorithms: that
means of optimizing
the question
is.
how
is
91
unification parsing
to choose a restrictor.
Up
to now, no
general principles have been given for choosing a restrictor for greatest efficiency. Given
the proposals
in this
paper,
it
becomes even more
critical to find
since restriction can affect the efficiency of several steps
such general principles
the parsing algorithm.
in
NOTES
โข|
would
like
to thank Alan Frisch. Erhard Hinrichs. iucja Iwaiiska. Jerry Morgan.
Mike Mendelson, and Tsuneko Nakazawa
must
comments. Any
for their useful
deficiencies
me. Thanks also to the UIUC Cognitive Science/ Artificial Intelligence
rest with
fellowship committee for the support that
version of this paper appeared
in
made
An earlier
Workshop on
this research possible.
the Proceedings of the International
Parsing Technologies. Carnegie Mellon University. 1989.
*By unification parsing.
I
mean
parsing of unification grammars. See Seifert (1988)
for a precise definition of a unification
^As
tion
is
in
grammar.
Shieber (1986) the basic data structure for expressing grammatical informa-
the directed acyclic graph or
DAG.
^For a fuller treatment of the algorithm, the reader
an introduction to Barley's algorithm and
its
is
referred to Early (1970).
For
relationship to chart parsing in general,
see Winograd (1983).
''The question of
remain
a
how
to select an appropriate restrictor for greatest efficiency
See the conclusion of this paper
question for further research.
must
for further
discussion.
RDs may
^Eliminating reentrancies from
computational point of view.
1985. 1986.
it
would appear that reentrancies
may be
also be a reasonable thing to do from a
Judging from the particular restrictors used
occur
rarely
in
desirable to include
more information
in
would be the use of parsing algorithms
for generation, in
which
purposes
to use as
it
much
top
down
in
RDs. However,
RDs.
it
A
Shieber
for
some
possible example
would be desirable
information as possible.
^This potential problem was pointed out to
me
by Henry
Thompson.
REFERENCES
EARLEY.
the
J.
ACM
1970.
An
efficient context-free parsing algorithm.
Communications of
13:2.94-102.
GERDEMANN.
D. and
attribute-value
HINRICHS.
E. 1988.
grammars. Studies
in
UNICORN:
a unification parser for
the Linguistic Sciences. Vol. 18:2.41-86.
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:1 (Spring 1989)
92
POLLARD,
and SAG.
C.
\.
and semantics: Volume
1987.
\:
An information-based approach
to syntax
Fundamentals. CSLI Lecture Notes No. 13, Chicago:
University Press.
SEIFFERT.
rules.
R. 1987. Chart-parsing of unification-based
E. Klein
fication.
and
J.
335-54. Centre for Cognitive Science/Institute for Language, Logic and
Information. Edinburgh.
SHIEBER,
grammars with ID/LP-
van Benthem (Eds.), Categories, Polymorphism and Uni-
S.
Amsterdam.
1985. Using restriction to extend parsing algorithms for complex-
feature based formalisms. Association for Computational Linguistics Proceedings. 23rd
.
1986.
Annual Meeting, 145-52.
An
introduction to unification-based approaches to grammar. CSLI
Lecture Notes No.
A
WINOGRAD.
.
1988.
4,
Chicago: University Press.
uniform architecture for parsing and generation. COLING-88, 614-9.
T. 1983. Language as a cognitive process: syntax. Norwood: Ablex.
the Linguistic Sciences
Studies
in
Volume
19,
Number
Spring 1989
1,
CONJOINED WE STAND:
THEORETICAL IMPLICATIONS OF SANSKRIT RELATIVE
STRUCTURES*
Hans Henrich Hock
Relative-correlative structures are wide spread in South Asian
languages and are commonly analysed as derived from embedded
structures in which the relative clause is base-generated under NP,
as in English. An alternative view considers the relative clause of
such structures to be base-generated in situ, as a subordinate clause
adjoined to the correlative clause. A rarer third view, that the relative
clause is conjoined to the correlative clause, has most recently been
considered
in Dasgupta 1980.
and rejected
โ
โ
paper
argue that relative-correlatives are typologically
in a subset of SOV languages
that includes Sanskrit.
provide language-specific evidence that a
conjoined analysis is the most appropriate for Sanskrit relative-correlatives.
conclude with an examination of relative pronoun (RP)
placement: In addition to occurring initially and near-initially, RPs
may be placed into a preverbal 'focus' position. This suggests that
in this
I
well motivated as conjoined structures
I
I
the 'landing
but either
1.
site* for
TOPIC
RPs
in
Sanskrit relative-correlatives
or preverbal
is
not
COMP,
FOCUS.
The problem
The predominant relative clause strategy of Sanskrit, with counterparts in
most other South Asian and many non-South Asian languages, is what is aptly
called relative-correlative: A relative clause (RC) containing a relative pronoun
(RP) is followed by a correlative (main) clause (CO) introduced by an (optional)
'correlative' pronoun (CP). Compare example (1). Note that in this archetypical
example, the RC precedes the CC, the RP and CP are initial in their respective
clauses (often separated from the remainder of their NPs^), and the coreferential
NP
(1)
or 'head'
is
present
[yami u ha
_
'
RP
[tamj u
CP
ha
^
"
in
both clauses.
pasavo manusyesu kamamj arohamsjpc
head
eva pasiisu kamanhj rohatijcc (SB 2.1.2.7)
eva
tat
head
'What very desire the cattle then obtained among men, that very
desire he (now) obtains among cattle.' = 'The very desire the
cattle then obtained among men he now obtains among cattle.'
(2)
Hock: Conjoined we stand
95
S
Tree Diagram
I
S
Tree Diagram
II
Andrews, Dasgupta, Lehmann, and Srivastav provide special motivation
for this analysis
by pointing to 'multiple-headed*
RCs
of the type (7a-c) which,
because their RPs refer to more than one constituent of the CC, cannot possibly
be accounted for as embedded. For which NP would they be embedded
under? As Kiparsky (1989) has noted, similar difficulties are encountered in
structures of the type (7d) in which there is no coreferentiality between the
relativized NP and any NP of the CC. (Cf. further Hettrich 1988 with references,
and Hock 1989d.) Passages like these tend to be difficult to translate. In many
is possible to render one of the two RPs
multiple-headed RCs, such as (7a),
as an indefinite pronoun; and this has been claimed to be the general interpretation for Sanskrit structures of this type; cf. e.g. Andrews. But in other cases,
e.g. (7b) and (7c), such a translation is not appropriate. It is therefore unlikely
it
96
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:1 (Spring 1989)
that the
the
RP
second RP
of
such structures
structures exemplified
in (7),
simply a morphological peculiarity, with
In fact, for most of the
(a)
is by means of conditionals;
(See also note 12 below.)
the best translation
the alternative glosses of (7a,b,d).
(7)
is
functioning as a suppietive indefinite pronoun.
yahj svabhavo
hi
RP
yasyaj syat
tasyaj ^ asauj duratikramah
RP
CP
^ that
(Hit.
cf.
3.8)
(b)
"Whatever nature; whoj might have, thatj is difficult to overcome
of/by himj." = *What(ever) nature someone might have ..."
Or: 'If someone has a particular nature ..."
yatarei no yataranj yajayisyanti
tei hasyante (JB 3.187)
(c)
"WhOj of us will be sacrificers for whomj (= the others), theyi will
be left behind."
Or: 'If some of us will be sacrificers for the others ...'
bhajamy aham
tathaj
yathaj marh prapadyante tarriSj
yei
(d)
share
"WhOj howj turn to me, in thatj way share themi." =
those who turn to me in the way they turn to me.'
tasmanj nah pahy
yoj no agne dureva a martOj vadhaya dasati
RP
CP
RP
RP
CP
CP
RP
(Bh.G.4.12)
~'
"I
I
|
CP
RP
amhasahj (RV 6.16.31)
'Which mortalj, O Agni, with evil intention exposes us to the
blow, from that distressj rescue us.'
Or:
A
third
'If
a mortal
...'
approach, which
ficulties with structures of
like
the type
the preceding 'adjoined' one has no dif(7), considers the RCs of (some) relative-
be conjoined with their corresponding CCs, as in Tree
Diagram III. This analysis appears to underly Bach & Cooper 1978 and has
been argued for on typological grounds in Hock 1988b, 1989a,b,d.s
correlative structures to
Tree Diagram
Dasgupta (1980) objects
with the following arguments:
to
(i)
III
a conjoined analysis of relative-correlatives
that precede CCs cannot be followed by
RCs
Hock: Conjoined we stand
97
sentence-final intonation breaks, while the members of conjoined sentences
can; (ii) RCs may be embedded into their matrix clauses, something which a
conjoined analysis cannot account for; (iii) excepting exclamatory structures
with unusual semantics, syntax, and phonology, RCs cannot occur by themselves, while the members of conjoined sentences can. An additional argument, (iv), underlying Hettrich's (1988) approach, is that RCs are subordinate
and thus should not be considered
Not
all
of these
syntactically conjoined.
counterarguments are
of
equal cogency.
seems
Argument
(i)
is
a role in
Intonation. But what is more important are pragmatic considerations. Consider
e.g. the English sentences in (8). Syntactically, (8a) and (8b) exhibit subordinNevertheless, to insert a sentence-final
ation, while (8c) has coordination.
intonation break after back is as infelicitous in (8c) as it is in (8a/b). The reason
no doubt is the pragmatic 'special connectedness' that holds between the component clauses, rather than syntactic notions such as subordination and
coordination. The situation is the same in other syntactically coordinate structures with similar 'special connectedness', such as (9).
True, syntactic information
phonological, not syntactic.
(8)
(a)
Whoever scratches my
(b)
If
(c)
You('ll)
back,
scratch his/hers.
I
my back, scratch
scratch my back, and
you scratch
to play
I
yours.
i('ll)
scratch yours.
(On one hand) they had everything money could buy,
but (on the other hand) they felt depressed all the time.
(9)
Argument
(iii), appealed to also by Hettrich (1988),9 runs into similar diftaken seriously, it would force us to consider sentences linked by
means of coordinating conjunctions not to be conjoined, since their component
at
clauses cannot occur by themselves if they contain these conjunctions
least not as well-formed structures; cf. (10). True, some structures with coordinating conjunctions, such as (10b), are possible as 'elliptical' sentences; but
so are RCs unaccompanied by CCs, as in (11). Moreover, structures of the
(English) type (12), even though non-subordinate, are altogether unacceptable.
ficulties:
If
โ
(10) (a)
srnvanta
johavFmi
vrdhe ca no bhavatam vajasatau
โข&
(RV 1.34.1 2c/d)
support you two (who are) hearing, and (may you)
us for growth in the winning of booty.'
*/?vrdhe ca no bhavatam vajasatau
'I
call for
appear
(b)
vam avase
to
โข&'
*/?'And appear to us for growth
(1 1
)
(ta
u haptya ucuh
kam
abhi _
|
aty
in
the battle for booty.'
eva vayam idam asmat para nayama
^
iti)
'whom'
ya evadaksinena havisa yajata
iti
RP
'(Now, these Aptyas said: "Let us lead this
away from
us."
"Onto whom?")
"[Onto him]
Who
shall sacrifice
an offering without a daksina."'
I'ti
98
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:1 (Spring 1989)
*/???0n one hand, they had everything money could buy.
(12)
As
for
argument
Hettrich correctly observes that semantic
(iv),
and
Consider the German
expressions in (13) - (15), in all of which the second clause gives the reason for
the first one and thus is semantically subordinate to it. But only (13) has syntactic subordination, as indicated by verb-final order; the others have conjoined
or juxtaposed main clauses, with the finite verb in 'second' position. Further
evidence that (13) and (14/15) differ syntactically comes from topicaiization,
which is freely possible in the second clauses of the conjoined/juxtaposed (14)
and (15), but not in (13); cf. (13') - (15'), where the topicalized NP, diese Stadt
syntactic subordination are not necessarily coterminous.^
'this
town',
(13)
is
set off
in
boldface.
Er kennt sich hier nicht aus,
well er diese Stadt
noch nie
'because'
besucht
hat.
[V,
'He doesn't
visited this
(14)
+
fin.]
know
town
way around here because he
his
denn
Er kennt sich hier nicht aus,
er hat diese Stadt
nie besucht.
'He doesn't know his
(15)
way around
noch
[V,+fin]
'for'
town
hasn't
before.'
here, for he hasn't visited this
before.'
Er hat diese Stadt noch nie
Er kennt sich hier nicht aus.
[V,+fin.]
besucht.
'He doesn't
town
know
his
way around
here.
He
hasn't visited this
before.'
(13')
*/??Er kennt sich hier nicht aus, well diese Stadt er noch nie
(14')
besucht hat.
Er kennt sich hier nicht aus, denn diese Stadt hat er noch nie
besucht.
(15')
Diese Stadt hat er noch nie
Er kennt sich hier nicht aus.
besucht.
This leaves just one argument, namely
(ii)
concerning surface-embedded
RCs.
will try to show that for Sanskrit, this one
In the remainder of this paper
argument must be weighed against several others which, on balance, favor the
will try to demonstrate that surfaceconjoined analysis of relative-correlatives.
embedded RCs are only apparent exceptions to the proposed analysis. Finally,
will examine the evidence of RP placement and suggest that the 'landing site'
I
I
I
for
RPs
in
Sanskrit
is
not
COMP,
โ
but either
TOPIC
or preverbal
โ
FOCUS.
While the arguments
and supporting evidence
presented in this
paper have obvious implications for syntactic theory, the argumentation itself
will be kept 'pretheoretical', i.e. independent of specific current theories, on the
Hock: Conjoined we stand
99
assumption that the arguments and evidence should be relevant
independent
any theory
of,
to,
and
of syntax.
Note that throughout the paper, will assume that structures of the type
forms of the RP stem ya- and of the CP stem (e)sa/(e)ta(from now on referred to as tad/etacf), are relative-correlatives, just like structures of the type (1 ) and (7), which contain inflected forms of the same stems. In
so doing deviate from traditional approaches, including the most recent treatment in Hettrich 1988, which distinguish the type (16) from (1) - (7) as 'dependent' vs. 'relative'. Both kinds of structures are relative-correlative, are ordinarily
not embedded, and generally use the same pronominal stems.iยฐ They are thus
syntactically and even morphologically entirely parallel. And as Hettrich's detailed discussion shows, even in their functions, they are not clearly differentiated; cf. also Hock In Press and see note 12 below for the close pragmatic
I
(16), with adverbial
I
relationship
between generalizing
(16) (a)
akararh
yat
ki'm
RP
Interr.
relative structures
and conditionals.
tasmad idam apad(i) (SB
4.1.5.4)
CP
'Because have done what ?, therefore this has happened.' =
'What have done to have gotten into this?'
aloka u tarhi yajamanah
yadi va ftvijo 'loka bhavanty
CP
(SB 9.5.2.16)
RP
'If the priests are dispossessed of the worlds, then also the
sacrificer (is) dispossessed of the worlds.'
evam agnir ahito jFryati
yatha vai puruso 'svo gaur jfryati
CP
(TS 1.5.7.3)
RP
'Just as a man, horse, cow ages, so the fire, (when) lit, ages.'
I
I
(b)
(c)
2.
SOV
'Strict
There
is
typology and relative-correlatives^
^
a well-known crosslinguistic tendency for SOV languages to use
such as participles, absolutives, infinitives, and verbal
non-finite verbal devices,
nouns
to
embed
(Tamil) data
that this
is
in
propositions into 'matrix' propositions;
(17)
and the Turkish ones
the normal pattern
in 'strict'
(17) (a)
In fact,
finite
โ
(Relative participle)
nan pokira vrttukku nlvaravendam
come to the house (to which) am going.'
(Absolutive)
nan atai-c ceytu mutittu-p ponen
did that,
'Having done that, having finished, went away.' =
finished, and went away.' Or; 'After had done that and finished
went away.'
(Infinitive)
mm pitikka arampinarkal
'They began to catch fish.'
avan ivanai atittu nintittatu cari alia
(Verbal noun)
'It is not proper that he has beaten and cursed him out.'
I
'I
I
I
I
(c)
(d)
e.g. the Dravidian
is
predicate.
'You must not
(b)
it
SOV
have a constraint on the distribution of
simple or complex
can contain only one
โ
cf.
generally believed
languages, which are considered to
finite verbs such that each sentence
(18).
in
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:1 (Spring 1989)
100
adam gikarildi
([Relative]
man (who was) laughing was thrown out."
gijlem
(18) (a)
'The
kalkip gittik
'Having risen
(b)
gali^mak
(c)
participle)
(Absolutive)
we
went.'
= 'We rose and went.'
(Infinitive)
istiyor
'He wants to go.'
(Verbal noun)
kapiyi kilitlediginizi unutmayiniz
(d)
= 'Don't forget that
'Don't forget your having locked the door.'
you have locked the
However, as
pointed out
I
in
door.*
Hock 1988b, even
for 'strict'
SOV
languages
simply inaccurate. In many
such languages, coordinated or 'conjoined' propositions are permitted to each
contain a finite verb. This appears to have been the case for early Dravidian; cf.
the Modern Tamil relics in (19). Turkish likewise permits conjoined structures
with finite verbs in each clause; cf. (20). Conjoined structures of this sort are
optionally marked by coordinating conjunctions, and these conjunctions may
like
Dravidian, the preceding characterization
appear
in
each
(19) (a)
of the
itu
conjoined clauses;
mey
neg.V
'this'
cf.
e.g. (19b)
atu-v-um
alia
that
mey
is
and
(20b).
alia
&
'that'
and
'This is not true,
is
neg.V
not true.' = 'Neither this nor that
is
true.'
manitar(-um)
(b)
(&)
'(Both)
men
kutiraikal(-um) arintana
arintarkal
masc.
(&) pi. 3 neut.
perished and horses perished.' = 'Men and horses
pi.3
perished.'
(20) (a)
kalktik
gittik
pl.1
pl.1
'We rose (and)
(b)
went.'
Ahmet(-te) baligi
Mehmet-te
pi^irdi,
'Ahmet cooked the
fish,
istakozu
&
sg.3
(&)
pi^irdi
sg.3
and Mehmet cooked the
lobster.'
SOV
languages, permit cited discourse to connot to do so would make direct
discourse, cross-linguistically preferred to indirect discourse, unavailable for
'strict' SOV languages, since the finite verbs of quoted discourse, embedded
under a 'matrix' clause with its own finite verb, would increase the number of
finite verbs per sentence beyond the limit of one. It is probably in order to signal
that cited direct discourse is not subject to these restrictions, that SOV
languages tend to use quotative markers to mark cited discourse as being
syntactically independent from the 'matrix' sentence and thus entitled to its own
finite verbs; cf. e.g. the Dravidian (Tamil) and Turkish examples in (21) and (22).
(For the syntactic motivation of quotative mariners, see also Steever 1988.)
Further,
many, perhaps
(21)
all,
As Steever (1987) has argued,
tain finite verbs.
[nan avan ihke
'I
think (that) [he
vantan]
en-ru
ninaikkiren
sg.3
Quot.
sg.1
has come
here].'
3
Hock: Conjoined we stand
[kim
(22)
bunu
yapti]
diye
du^unuyordum
sg.3
Quot.
sg.1
was wondering [who had done
'I
101
this?]'
SOV languages exhibit a variety of
These prominently include non-finite, participle-like structures of the
type (17a) and (18a) which agree well with the tendency of SOV languages to
As
for relative-clause formation,
strategies.
use non-finite structures for embedding. But beside (or instead of) these nondevices, a number of SOV languages offer relative-correlative structures;
cf. Andrews 1975(1985), Downing 1978, K. Hale 1975, Keenan 1985, Chr.
finite
Lehmann 1984.
As noted
Hock 1988b, Dravidian belongs to this type of SOV language
cf. the Old Tamil example (23). As
turns out, Turkish
such constructions, although these structures are used only as
in
with relative-correlatives;
likewise offers
generalizing RCs;
(24). ''^
cf.
[minnitai
(23)
it
natunkuh kataippeyal vatai
enrijRc
[akkal
sg.2
CP
varuvar
ekkal
varuvat(u)
RP
sg.3 neut.
en-k katalor-e]cG
sg.3 honorific
'My lover will come at the time that you say the cold wind will
come.'
[ne kadar yukandan
inerse]Rc
[o kadar derine girer]cc
(24) (a)
RP
CP
sg.3cond.
sg.3
"From whatever extent high
(= the pile driver) descends, to that
extent low it enters.' = 'The greater the height it falls from, the
deeper it goes down.'
it
[ne
(b)
[softalar
yikilmi^-sa]Rc
yikmi^tir]cc
RP
pi.
sg.3cond.
'What(ever) has been demolished, the bigots have demolished.'
Note moreover that
SVO
or
VSO
languages do not commonly have
relative-clause strategies that are exclusively of the relative-correlative type.
Like non-finite subordinating devices, relative-correlative structures thus
significantly linked with basic
In
Hock 1988b
follows:
finite
In
I
like
as well as from the postnominal clausal type of
English, by the fact that the
correlative or 'main' clause.
seem
On
to involve conjoining, not
that this
behavior
significant.
seem
order.
argued that this correlation can be accounted for as
surface structure, relative-correlative constructions differ from non-
relative strategies,
languages
SOV
In
that
is
embedding
not just a surface
case we can argue
correlatives are construed as
RC
is
not
embedded
into the
the surface, therefore, relative-correlatives
Let us
or subordination.
phenomenon
that
in
but
such languages,
conjoined sentences and are
conjoined structures of the type (19)
clauses.
-
(20),
permitted to have
assume
syntactically
is
relative-
therefore, like
finite
verbs
in
both
3
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:1 (Spring 1989)
102
This permits us to formulate the following rule concerning the distribution
verbs in languages like Dravidian and Turkish:
of finite
Rule A: One finite verb is permitted per sentence. However, in
conjoined structures, each of the conjoined clauses is treated as a
sentence in its own right and is therefore permitted to have its own
finite verb.
Relative-correlatives syntactically are conjoined struceach
tures, permitting
verb.
two sub-clauses
of the
addition, cited discourse
In
dependent and thus
own
is
to
have
its
own
finite
treated as syntactically
in-
Elsewhere, i.e. in
structures with syntactic embedding, only one finite verb is permitted
per sentence, occurring in the 'matrix' clause; other verbs have to
appear
entitled to
shape
non-finite
in
its
finite
verb(s).
(participles, absolutives,
or
infinitives,
verbal nouns).
3.
Evidence for Rule A
There
is
a
in
amount
fair
of
Sanskrit
evidence that Sanskrit had a constraint against
differed markedly from the modern
it
multiple finite verbs, or at least, that
European languages in using non-finite expressions, especially participles and
where the latter would prefer embedded dependent clauses with
finite verbs; cf. the examples in (25) - (28).
absolutives,
(25) Participles:
(a)
samiddhasya srayamanah purastad brahma vanvano ajaram
pple.
pple.
pple.
suvfram
|
are
asmad amatim
bhadamana uc chrayasva
sg.2
pple.
mahate saiibhagaya (RV
3.8.2)
'Being installed
the
in front of
lit
(fire),
winning the never-aging,
heroic devotion, banning lack of thought far from us, rise for
great fortune.' = 'You,
who
are being installed
in front of
the
lit
and who are winning the never-aging, heroic devotion, ban
(fire)
lack of thought far from us, rise for great fortune.'
(b)
yunjanti
bradhnam arusarh carantam
pari
pple.
pi.
tastusah (RV 1.6.1)
pple.
'They yoke the njddy stallion, moving around the standing
ones.' = 'They yoke the ruddy stallion that moves around those
who
(c)
stand/stay
in
place.'
marhsai nivacanani samsan (RV 10.113.10)
pple.
'I
may
think
making speeches.' =
'I
may
think that
I
am
speeches.'
(26) Absolutives:
(a)
pusi
tveto nayatu hastagrhya
sg.3
'Let
(RV 10.85.26)
abs.
Pusan lead you from
here, taking you by the hand."
making
3
'
Hock: Conjoined we stand
(b)
103
punardaya brahmajayam krtvrdevafr nikilbisam
|
urjam prthivya
abs.
abs.
bhaktvaya ^ urugayam
upasate (RV 10.109.7)
abs.
pi.
'Having given back the brahmin's wife, having accomplished
expiation through the Gods, having partaken of the earth's vigor,
they pay their respects to the far-striding one.' = 'After they
have given back the brahmin's wife and accomplished expiation
through the Gods, after they have partaken of the earth's vigor,
they pay their respects to the far-striding one.'
(27) Infinitives:
havamahetva^ upagantava
"
pi. 1
'We invoke you
u
(RV 10.160.5)
inf.
to
come/so
that
you
will
come.'
(28) Verbal n9uns;
pura sambadhad abhy a vavrtsva no ... (RV 2.16.8)
Verbal Noun
sg.2 impve.
'Before (our) oppression turn to us ...' = 'Before we get oppressed, turn to us ...'
While thus, compared to the modern European languages, Sanskrit has a
marked tendency for employing non-finite subordinating devices, like Dravidian
and other 'strict' SOV languages, permits multiple finite verbs in complex synit
tactic structures
First,
and
under the conditions
Rule A.
least surprisingly, finite verbs are permitted to occur
apparently multiple
1989a,b,d.)
finite
in
each
of
(The issue of problem structures with
verbs within a single clause is addressed in Hock
several conjoined sentences;
(29) (a)
of
cf.
e.g. (29).
vedad avidvan
chrnavac cavidvan (RV 5.30.3c)
sg.3
sg.3
&
one not knowing know, and let the one knowing hear.'
me varuna srudhfhavam
adya ca mrlaya
sg.2
& sg.2 (RV 1.25.19)
O Varuna, this my invocation, and be gracious today.'
'Let the
(b)
imarri
'Hear,
Secondly, cited direct discourse, containing its own finite verbs, normally is
not embedded into the 'matrix clause' and is not marked by any putatively
subordinating elements. Moreover, we can observe the same tendency as in
Dravidian, Turkish, and other 'strict' SOV languages, namely to mark direct discourse by a quotative particle which indicates that the discourse is 'outside' the
sentence to which it is logically subordinate. Compare for instance (30) and
(31), with and without quotative marker respectively.
(30)
[fravatr...
bhutam]
du.2
'You, Visnu,
...
stemmed
["You shall be
full
vi
astabhna rodasFvisno ete
(RV 7.99.3)
sg.2
apart these two worlds (with the words):
of sustenance."!
104
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:1 (Spring 1989)
stosama
[tvarh
(31)
... ]
tvagne
I'ti
||
...
'vocan
pi. 3 (RV 10.115.8-9)
rsayo
Quot.
pl.i
'["We shall praise you
...,"]
the rsis said to you, Agni.'
course, Sanskrit has relative-correlative structures, with finite
verbs in each of the component clauses. And as the discussion in ยง1 has
shown, there is good evidence that the RCs of these structures are not
underlyingly embedded into the corresponding CCs. Given the typological
Finally, of
in section ยง2, we may want to argue that the RCs and CCs of these
structures are syntactically conjoined and that it is this conjunction which per-
arguments
mits each clause to contain
its
own
show
finite
verb.
such a 'conjoined' analysis is supported not
only by general typological considerations, but also by the specific evidence of
In
the following
will
I
that
Sanskrit.
4.
The conjoined nature
of Sanskrit relative-correlative structures
Topicalization: Evidence that the component clauses of Sanskrit
relative-correlatives are conjoined main-clause propositions is provided first of
all by the fact that each clause may contain 'sentence-initial' emphasizing particles such as eva or topic markers such as ha; cf. (32). Structures of this type
are attested freely in Sanskrit, in marked contrast to English, where sentences
of the type He obtains that very desire among the cattle which very desire the
cattle attained at that time among men are so unusual or marked as to border
on the ungrammatical. (Compare (13') vs. (14'/15') for similar restrictions on
4.1.
topicalization in
(32)
German dependent
yam u ha
RP
tam u ha
~
ev^
clauses.)
tat
pasavo manusyesu
eva pasusu kamam
rohati
kamam arohams
(SB 2.1.2.7)
CP
'What very desire the cattle at that time obtained among men,
he (now) obtains among cattle.' = 'He now
obtains that very desire among cattle which the cattle obtained
that very desire
at that
time
among
men.'
and correlative pronouns
While in
(and indirectly, the constituents to which they belong), examples like (33)
illustrate that other elements (set off in boldface) may be topicalized in each of
the two clauses and be placed in front of the relative or correlative pronoun.
(32), topicalization affects the relative
(33)
tv^rh tarn deva jihvaya badhasva duskrtam m^rto
'you'
CP
yo no
'mortal'
(RV 6.16.32)
God, tie down with your tongue
RP
ji'ghamsati
'You, O
mortal, tries to slay
that evil-doer
who, a
us.'
4.2.
Question formation: As noted for instance by Hettrich (1988),
only main clauses can be expected to express the illocutionary force of com-
mands, questions,
etc.
But as illustrated by example (16a), repeated below as
Hock: Conjoined
(34),
it
ever,
is
is
we
105
stand
possible to question constituents of Sanskrit RCs.
how-
(This pattern,
quite rare.)
(33)
tasmad idam
akaram
yat
kirn
RP
Interr.
apad(i)
(SB 4.1.5.4)
CP
'Because have done what ?, therefore this has happened.' =
'What have done to have gotten into this?'
I
I
phenomena:
Deletion
4.3.
Sanskrit relative-correlatives
preferentially from
RCs were
left
to right,
is
As observed
no matter whether the
ยง1, head deletion in
phenomenon, applying
RC
or the
subordinate, the hierarchical difference between
be expected
to favor
head deletion
in
in
CC
precedes. If
might
RCs and CCs
the RC.
Conjunction phenomena:
conjoined, the interesting question must
4.4.
tures are
in
essentially a linear
If
relative
arise as to
and
correlative clauses are
how these conjoined
struc-
turn conjoined with other structures.
In conjoined phrases or semantically non-subordinate 'main' clauses
(MCs), the conjunction usually attaches to the first element of the conjoined
structure; and commonly, especially if the conjunction is a clitic, it follows the
first element. Compare (34) for clitic ca 'and', (35) for non-clitic, second-position
hf 'for (causal)', and (35) for the non-clitic quasi-conjunction tasmad 'therefore'.
''^
(34) (a)
yo
me
dadati
sata ca
(RV
virrisatirri
ca gonarh [harfca yukta sudhuraJNP
(NP conjunction)
5.2.7a/b)
'Who gives me 120 cows and
(two) yoked, easily joined
horses.'
(b)
srnvanta
vam avase
johavFmi
[vrdhe ca no bhavatam vajasatau]MC
(MC
conjunction)
(RV1.34.12c/d)
call for support you two (who are) hearing, and (may you)
appear to us for growth in the winning of booty.'
tad indro 'mucyata [devo hi sahJMc
(MC conjunction)
'I
(35)
(SB
(36)
1.2.3.2)
'Then Indra freed himself; for he is a God.'
upeva va enenaitad vevesti [tasmad upaveso namaJMC
(SB 1.2.1.3)
(MC conjunction)
'He attends {upa ...vevesti) on it with it; therefore its name is
upavesa.'
When
a group of conjoined MCs is conjoined with another proposition, the
commonly is attached only to the first clause of the group, as in (37).
A rarer alternative, however, is to attach the conjunction to each clause in the
group; cf. (38).
conjunction
(37)
...
"...
[
[vaca hi dFyateJMG [vaca pradlyate] mc]mc+mc (MS 1.11.5)
by means of speech one gives (and) by means of speech
for
one hands
out.'
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:1 (Spring 1989)
106
tasmad etah ... uttisthanti ... [sattrabhijitam hi ^ asam]Mc
[avaruddham hi ^ asam]Mc ]mc+mc (JB 2.374)
Therefore these set out ...; for there had been victory for them
through sacrifice, for there had been obtainment for them.'
(38)
[
Now, when
we
tions,
comes
cf.
comes
it
to conjoining
RC+CC
structures with other construc-
attaches to whichever clause
conjoined structures of the type (37);
find that generally the conjunction
first
(whether
RC
or CC), just as in
e.g. (39) -(41).
na tvad dhota purvo agne yajFyan
na karyaih paro asti svadhavah
[visas ca yasya atithir bhavasijpc
(39)
|
[
RP
&
[sa yajnena
vanavad deva martan]cc ]rc+cc (RV
5.3.5)
CP
'No hotr worshiped better before you, Agni; no (one) exceeds
you through poetry, O independent one;
and of whose clan you will be guest, he will defeat the mortals
(40) (a)
through sacrifice, O God.'
[na hi tad avakalpatejcc [yad bruyad
[
.
.
.
CP
.
.
.
.]cc
]cc+rc
(SB 1.1.1.6)
for it is not proper that he should say ...'
[yad (d)hi manasa dhyayatijpc [tad vaca vadatijcc ]rc+cc
CP (TS 2.5.1 1.5)
RP
for what one thinks through one's mind, that one speaks with
"...
(b)
.
RP
.
[
*...
one's voice.'
(41)
[tasmad
[yaeva
'therefore'
RP
nrtyati ...]rc
[tasminn evaita nfmislatama ivaJccJRc+cc (SB 3.1.4.6)
CP
'Therefore,
who dances
...,
to
him they are most attached, as
it
were.'
However,
just
as
in
conjoined MCs,
RC+CC
native of placing the conjunction into both clauses;
structures offer the rarer altercf. e.g.
(42)
and
(43).
In (42),
the repeated conjunction uN, which here can be translated (roughly) as 'on the
other hand', contrasts both components of the second RC+CC structure with
both components of the first RC+CC structure. In (43), we find hi distributed
members of the RC+CC construction, but without any special con-
over both
trastive connotations.
(42)
[
[yad asya purvamJRc
[
asya]cc ]rc+cc
[apararfi tad
RP
RP
apararhJRc [tad v asya purvamjcc ]rc+cc
CP (JB 1.258)
beginning that is its end; on the other hand, what
[yad V asya
^
RP
'What
its
is its
end, that (on the other hand)
(Similarly elsewhere;
cf.
e.g.
JB
is its
beginning.'
2.269. 3.183)
is
Hock: Conjoined we stand
(43)
...
[yad
107
asyai kruram abhutjpc
(d)hi'
RP
asya etad ahars[t]cc ]rc+cc (SB
[tad (d)hi
1
.2.5.23)
CP
for
"...
what blood there has been
taken from
(Similarly
of her, (for) that
he has now
her.*
SB
1.1.4.4,
SB
(K) 2.2.4.16)
placement, then, provides further evidence
suggesting that relative-correlatives are syntactically conjoined structures.
The evidence
4.5.
of conjunction
Multiple
RC+CC
combinations:
relative-correlatives are syn-
If
should be possible to combine RCs and CCs recursively
and quite freely, limited only by pragmatics, restrictions on memory, or processing difficulties. At least one linguist (Srivastav 1988) has claimed that in Hindi,
recursive relativization is not possible in preposed RCs, which she considers
have argued to be conjoined
adjoined RCs and whose Sanskrit counterparts
tactically conjoined,
it
I
structures.
(Cf.
note 4 for further details.)
preposed RCs
is
possible.
RC
CC
having more than one
two such RCs surround the
possibility of
In (44),
is
show
therefore useful to
RCs and CCs
indeed, the combination of Sanskrit
ive relativization of
It
is
quite free
Examples
refer to different
(44)
-
heads
and
that,
that recurs-
(45) illustrate the
in
the
same CC.
two such RCs
The increasingly complex ex-
that they refer to; in (45),
both precede their CC; and in (46), both follow.
amples under (47) further illustrate the possibility of recursive preposed
relativization, where each of the RCs refers to the next clause following
Srivastav's claim that preposed recursive RCs are not possible thus does not
seem to hold for Sanskrit. (In fact, does not apply to Hindi either; cf. note 4.)
it.
it
(44)
yathai ha girau jyotir
bhayad
RP
evami tasyarhj janatayarhj bhati
CP
CP
yasyarhj bhavati
...
(JB 1.240)
RP
a light might shine on a mountain,
he shines among that peoplej
among whom, he is.'
yadyi ahainarh prancarh acaislr
'Just asj
soj
(45)
RP
yatha, paraca
asmaya
prsthato
'nnadyam upaharet
RP
tadr'kjtatj
CP
(SB 10.5.5.2)
CP
one were to
as
back to someone sitting (and looking) away,
so, (would) that, (be).' = 'If you piled the fire altar forward, that
would be as one were to bring food from the back to someone
'Ifj
you have
piled
it
(the fire altar) forward, just
bring food from the
if
sitting
(and looking) away."
if,
)
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:1 (Spring 1989)
108
osati
(46)
ha
vai saj
tarrij
CP CP
purvo bubhusati
yoj 'smat
RP
veda (BAU
yai evarh
1
.4.1
RP
'He burns him who wishes to be before him, who knows thus.' =
'He who knows thus burns him who wishes to be before him.'
(47) (a)
yaj
eva
esa purusa
RP
tasyai yej pranas
CP
RP
tanyj uttarany ahani
(JB 3.379)
CP
"Who
(is)
man, of him what breaths (there are), they (are) the
= "The breaths which belong to this man are the
this
later days."
later days.'
(b)
yOj vai sreyasahj
parivesanam avavadati
RP
yayak vai
saj tami artya
RP
CP
enarrij ninayati
tayak
kamayate
(JB 3.303)
CP
of his betterj, with whatk affliction hej
wants (to afflict) him,, with that (afflication) (hej) afflicts him;.'
= 'Who deprecates the food of his better, he is afflicted by him
with whatever affliction he wants to afflict him with.'
[kascidj] eti
tad yatraj vai ksatrenaranyena
'WhOj deprecates the food
(c)
RP
yok vai
tatrai tarhj
RP
CP
yad
dasyur janati
yati [tasyak] syalvarri
va madhu va bhavati
RP
tenai
[sak]
asmij
avir bhavati
(JB 2.423)
CP
'Now, wherei [someonej] goes through the jungle with a
ksatriya, whatk non-Aryan notices himj therei, whateven
and sweetness there is (of himk), with that) hek
= 'Now if someone goes through the
a non-Aryan notices him there, he
jungle with a ksatriya,
shows himself to him with all the friendliness and sweetness at
friendliness
become
visible for himj.'
if
his disposal.'
Multiply 'attached' RCs: While patterns of the type (44) - (47)
would probably be compatible with either the adjoined or the conjoined
analysis of Sanskrit relative-correlatives, structures of the type (48), with an RC
4.6.
simultaneously 'attached' to two different CCs, would cause great
difficulties for
Hock: Conjoined we stand
109
For simultaneous adjunction of a subordinate clause to
in Tree Diagram IV) would be without precedent.
Under a conjoined analysis, however, (48) is not substantially different from (44)
- (47) and thus causes no difficulties whatsoever.'''*
the adjoined analysis.
two
distinct
main clauses (as
sai vai
(48)
daivFvag
CP
yayai yad yadj eva vadati
RP
RP
(BAU
tad tadj bhavati
1
.3.27)
CP
'Divine
speech
means
of whichj, thatj
faculty
such that
comes
about.'
(is) that;
if
(faculty)
comes
whatever) one speaks by
about.' =
'Divine speech is a
you speak something by means of it, that
Tree Diagram
IV
4.7.
Syntactic parallelism of RPs and CPs: Further evidence that
RCs and CCs of Sanskrit relative-correlatives have equal syntactic rank
comes from the parallel word order behavior of the RP and the pronoun tad/
etad, both as CP and in other functions. In the Vedic language, both RP and
the
tad/etad have a strong tendency to be placed into clause-initial position, frequently separated from their heads. In addition to the examples cited earlier,
compare for instance (49) below. (Here and in the following examples, the RP
(in
the (a) examples) and tad/etad
(49) (a)
(b)
(in
the (b) examples) are set
sakhibhya a varam (RV 1.4.4c)
'... who (is) dearer to you than (all) friends.'
t^rh tva vajesu vajinam vajayamah ... (RV
...
y^s
off in
boldface.)
te
'We make
victorious you, the victorious,
in
1
.4.9a/b)
the victories
...'
is fronted, too, that element precedes, and
any) inten/ene between that fronted element and the RP
or tad/etad. (Fronted elements (X), which in this manner take precedence over
RP and tad/etad, include verbs (50a), 'adverbials' (50b, 51b), and nouns (51a).)
If any clitic pronouns (set off in small caps) are placed into the resulting 'initial
If,
however, another element
sentential particles
(if
1
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:1 (Spring 1989)
10
Strings',
the Rig-Veda prefers to place them after the
but occasionally places
language, the
(50) (a)
them before
latter pattern is
(as
in
RP
or tad/etad (as
In
(51)).
in (50)),
the later Vedic-Prose
the norm.
taksady^tTE usanasahasasaho
...
(RV
1.51.1 Oa/b)
X
(b)
'When Usanas made force for you by force ...'
anu tan no jaspatir marhsFsta (|) ratnam devasya savitur iyanah
X
(RV 7.38.6a/b)
'May the Lord
going
(51) (a)
(for
of the Family assign this jewel of
deva NO yatha sadam
...
God
Savitr to us,
it).'
id
vrdhe asann (RV 1.89.1c)
X
so that the Gods may always be for our growth.'
pra VAH sa dhftaye nasat (RV 1 .41 .5c)
"...
(b)
X
that reaches your (favorable) thinking."
'...
Beside such structures
we
'near-initial' position,
position;
cf.
e.g. (52).
find
(For details on this pattern, including
(b)
4.8.
continuation
in
(RV 3.1.12c)
janita
'cows'
'creator'
"...
who as
creator created forth the cows.'
jajana
Verb
vavram anantam ava
X
CCs have
yo
ud usriya
X
sa
'down'
'May she
its
Hock 1989c.)
the classical language, see
(52) (a)
in which the RP or tad/etad appear in initial or
a pattern in which they are placed into preverbal
fall
down
padfst.a
(RV 7.104.17c)
Verb
into limitless depths.'
Summary: There is thus a large amount of evidence that RCs and
the same syntactic rank, that both clauses exhibit features typical of
main-clause propositions, and that syntactically, they are conjoined, rather than
to the other. Sanskrit RCs, then, although semantically
subordinate, syntactically seem to be comparable to the German conjoined
denn-clause type in (14), not to the subordinate ive/'/-clause type of (13).
one being subordinate
5.
Apparent problems
There is, however, some evidence which appears to argue against a
conjoined analysis of Sanskrit relative-correlatives. In the present section try
to address this issue and to argue that, initial appearances notwithstanding, the
evidence does not require an adjoined (or embedded) analysis.
I
Accentuation: An argument against a conjoined analysis, most
employed by Hettrich (1988), is that in terms of Vedic verb accentuRCs systematically differ from CCs. While RC verbs are accented, (non-
5.1.
recently
ation,
fronted)
CC
verbs are not;
cf.
e.g. (1),
reproduced here as
(53), with the
verbs
and others before him have claimed that this accentual difference reflects different syntactic status: Accented verbs occur in
subordinate clauses, unaccented verbs, in main clauses.
set off
in
boldface.
Hettrich
Hock: Conjoined we stand
(53)
yam
111
eva tat pasayo manusyesu kamam arohams
eva pasusu kamam rohati (SB 2.1.2.7)
'What desire the cattle at that time obtained among men, that
desire he (now) obtains among cattle.'
u ha
tarn u
ha
^
^
However, accented (non-fronted) verbs can also be found
that are conjoined by
means
in
of coordinating conjunctions like
main clauses
ca 'and', or
juxtaposed without any overt marker of coordination; cf. (54) and (55). While in
structures like (54), containing doubled ca ... ca, roughly translatable as 'both
... and", accentuation of the verb in the left clause is (nearly) obligatory, in other
structures it is not; cf. e.g. (56) beside (55). As especially Delbrijck (1888:37-43)
and Oldenberg (1906) have pointed out, in structures of the type (55) and (56),
no syntactic or other formal criteria make it possible to predict whether the verb
of the first clause will be accented or not. Presumably, the difference in verb
accentuation is explainable, but only by pragmatic factors, similar to the 'special
connnectness' invoked in ยง1 for examples (8) and (9). (Cf. Woodbury 1987 for
a discussion of how phonological processes may be governed by general
semantic or pragmatic factors without mediation by the syntax. And see Hock
1989a,b,d and In Press for further discussion of the Sanskrit facts.)
(54)
(55)
(56)
punar a ca yanti (RV 1.132.12)
ca yanti
& Verb
&
Verb
'They both go away and they come back.'
a ^ anyah krosati pra ^ anyah sarhsati (TS 7.5.9.3)
"
Verb
Verb
'One scolds, (and, but) the other one praises.'
somarh anya upa ^ asadat ... karambham anya ichati
"
Verb
Verb
para
(RV 6.57.2)
'One has sat down
to the
soma
....
(and. but) the other
wants
porridge.'
A more serious argument against a conjoined
Dasgupta (1984) for Bangia (cf. ยง1 above), is based on the
existence of structures in which RCs appear to be embedded into 'matrix
clauses'; cf. e.g. (57) - (60). (The RCs of these examples are set off in boldface.)
5.7.
'Embedded' RCs:
analysis, raised by
(57)
asmabhyarh tad dhattana yad va fmahe ridho visvayu
CP
saubhagam (RV
RP
'favor*
5.53.13)
we request, life-long favor, luck.'
vayam y^d vavana tad vivisma I'ndraya
'for him' 'we'
RP
CP pl.1
'for Indra'
'For him, for Indra, we get that which he deserves.'
a gha gamad y^di sr^vat sahsrinlbhir utibhih ... (RV
RP
'Give to us that which
(58)
(59)
asmai
'Let
him come,
if
he hears, with thousandfold support
1.30.8)
...'
1
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:1 (Spring 1989)
12
ye CA ^ im6 brahmanah
RP &
&
susruvamso 'nucanas (SB 1.3.3.8)
'Around
here sit both the Gods and who (are) these learned
well-taught brahmins.' = '... and those here who are learned ...'
tam etad devยงs ca paryasate
(60)
^
it
Now, as
and
precedes or the one that follows
Gonda 1959] of the remainder of the
Hettrich notes (1988:608), in constructions of the type (57)
(58), either the part of the 'matrix clause' that
the
RC
is
an amplification [in the sense of
Thus, in (57), radho visvayu saubhagam
matrix clause.
an appositive amplification
'life-long favor, luck' is
tad 'that' occurring in the structure preceding
the RC; and the passage preceding this amplification is a syntactically and
Similarly, in (58), tad vivisma
pragmatically complete CC+RC proposition.
indraya 'that we get for Indra' is essential for the understanding of the whole
structure, while what precedes the RC contains redundant information: vayam
'we' is expressed on the verb, and asmai 'for him' is duplicated by indraya 'for
Indra'. The apparent embedding in structures like (57) and (58) may therefore
be considered to result from stylistic movement processes such as extraposition
(57) or
left
of the
extraction (58).
processes appear to be able to move
However, note that the movement
takes place vis-a-vis conjoined structures, not across clauses of different
syntactic rank. Moreover, the view that structures of the type (58) result from
As (61) shows, the
extraction is supported by good empirical evidence.
elements of the 'matrix clause' that precede apparently embedded RCs may
contain 'initial strings' with sentence-initial particles like /7a and sma, and these
What may be unusual
is
that these
constituents accross intervening clauses.
same
strings
may
recur
in
the part of the 'matrix clause' that follows the RC.
(Hock 1987b),
'same clause' are possible
only in structures with extraction. Since in the present case, a 'reduced-clause'
analysis is not possible, the only explanation for the double occurrence of ha
across the RC
from
sma is that what precedes the RC has been extracted
Now, with the possible exception
such multiple occurrences
of
of 'reduced-clause' structures
initial
strings within the
โ
the
CC
โ
that follows.
(61)
(a)thoHASMA
^
etenaiva
samna cyavano bhargavo
particles
yad yad asanarh cakame
RP
tad tad (d)HA
CP
sma
sarasvatyal saisavad udacati (JB 3.128)
particles
'Now, by means of that very saman, Cyavana Bhargava,
whatever food he desired, that he used to draw up from the
(fountain of) youth of SarasvatF.'
Examples
of the type (59) are not
amenable
to
explanations of this type,
seems
to be essential for
a proper interpretation of the purport of a gha gamad '\q\ him come'. However, it
is reasonable to assume that structures of this type are part of a more general
since satisrinibhir utibfiih 'with thousandfold support'
Hock: Conjoined we stand
phenomenon, namely the
parentheticals
may
insertion of parentheticals.
113
And as
(62) illustrates,
consist of any syntactic structures, including unambiguously
independent, main-clause propositions. Presumably the intonational features
generally associated with parentheticals mark these structures as inserted,
rather than as syntactically embedded.
vayam
(62)
te
'we'
'We
The only
vaya indra viddhi $0 nah pra bharamahe ...
pl.1
(RV 2.20.1)
'strength'
sg.2
'us'
bring forth for you,
O
Indra
!
.'
.
.
structures that cause genuine difficulties are patterns of the type
(60), containing 'replacive' or 'headless'
head
โ know us well โ strength
RCs which have no corresponding
the 'matrix clause' and which appear to function as constituents of that
clause. Note that the relative clause ye ca ^ ime brahmanih susruvamso
'nucanยงs 'and who (are) these learned well-taught brahmins' is conjoined, by
in
means
of the particle
devas ca
ca
'and', with the subject constituent of
And
'(both) the Gods'.
syntactic status
recall that
is
of the
same
โ sentences with sentences, or constituents with constituents,
but not clauses with constituents.
syntactically
the 'matrix' clause,
ca conjoins elements
a constituent
It
appears therefore that the RC of (60)
and thus embedded into that
of the 'matrix clause'
clause.
But note that as Hettrich (1988:601, 608, 788, etc.) points out, replacive
RCs
usually appear at the margin of the clause to which they appear to belong.
may suggest that they are not fully embedded into the 'matrix' clause.
Moreover, as (63) illustrates, the internal syntax of replacive RCs is independent
of the syntax of the 'matrix' clause: Here, the RC appears to function as one of
several conjoint subjects of the 'matrix' clause and should therefore, like vidyut
Instead, yam
'lightening' and tanyatuh 'thunder', be in the nominative case.
miham 'what rain' is in the accusative case, as required by the internal syntax of
the RC.
This
(63)
na
na
โ
asmai vidyun na tanyatuh sisedha
yam mi'ham akirad ... (RV1.32.13)
RP
'Lightning did not help him, nor thunder, nor
poured
what
rain
he
out...'
Most important, however, Hettrich (1988:694) suggests
that these struc-
tures have undergone ellipsis, the 'missing' head of the 'matrix clause' being
easily supplied from the context. That this analysis is on the right track is suggested by the parallelism of (64) and (65). Here the Kanvfya (K) recension of
the text (64) appears to offer a headless, replacive RC, while the Madhyandina
(M) recension in (65) furnishes the 'missing head', in the form of the CP tarn.
(Similar examples occur elsewhere; cf. e.g. SB (M) 2.6.4.1
SB (K) 1.6.4.1.)
Interestingly, however, (65) does not have the head within the 'matrix clause'.
Rather, the head appears to be extraposed after the RC. Alternatively, the configuration RC + head may be considered elliptical for the more complete
structure in (65'). Either analysis would account for the fact that 'replacive' RCs
:
1
14
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:1 (Spring 1989)
occur
typically
at the
margin of the 'matrix clause". Moreover, under the second
ca within the RC of (60) can be
explained along the lines of ยง 4.4 above, as an instance of ca linking the entire
elliptical RC+CC combination to the preceding clause; cf. (60') below.^^
analysis, the occurrence of the conjunction
eteno eva vyajayata
ya
iyam asya vi'jitis
(SB (K) 1.3.4.9)
'Through this he won what victory (there is) of him now.'
= 'Through this he won the victory that now is his.'
eteno eva vyajayata
iyarh vfjitis tarn
ya ^ asya
(64)
^
RP
(65)
~
RP
(SB (M) 2.4.4.15)
'Through this he won what
victory (there
CP
is)
of
him now, that
one.'
(eteno eva vyajayata)
(65')
[
[ya
^
asya ^
[tarn
iyarri vfjitisjRc
eva vyajayatajcc ]rc+cg
CP
RP
'(Through this he won;) what victory (there
one he won.'
(tam etad devas
(60')
[
[ye
CA
is)
of
him now, that
ca paryasate)
ime brahmanah susruvimso 'nucanas]Rc
RP
[t6
paryasatejoG ]rc+cc
CP
'(Around
it
here
sit
the Gods,) and those here
well-taught brahmins, they
5.2.
Conclusion: As
who
are learned,
around.'
hope to have shown in this section, two possible
the conjoined analysis of Sanskrit relative-correlatives
the
verb accentuation between RCs and CCs and the apparent
difficulties for
difference
sit
in
I
โ
โ
existence of embedded RCs
are amenable to alternative explanations and
thus do not invalidate the proposed analysis.
6.
COMP
In this
Sanskrit
defined
or
TOPIC?
section
I
consider the question as to whether the 'landing
โ
site' for
RPs should be considered TOPIC or COMP
however these may be
in a formal grammar of Sanskrit.
The former ('TOPIC') analysis has
been suggested by Hock 1989c, Schaufele In Press (cf. also Hock 1982, Klein
In Press); the latter ('COMP') account has been proposed by M. Hale 1987. The
difference between these two accounts is of considerable interest for the
analysis of Sanskrit RCs, since COMP is generally assumed to be the landing
RPs (whether in 'logical form' or in the syntax), not only
RCs, but also in relative-correlatives of languages like Sanskrit; cf.
1975 (1985), Dasgupta 1980.
site for
The TOPIC
in
embedded
e.g.
Andrews
analysis: According to the TOPIC analysis, 'stressed
RPs, tad/etad (both as CP and in other functions), and interrogative pronouns, behave alike and tend to be placed into 'initial strings' of the
6.1.
pronominals',
i.e.
Hock: Conjoined we stand
type (66).
NPs
The
initial
NPs
position of these strings ('position
115
1')
attracts 'topicalized'
elements which are emphasized, under focus, etc.), or
if nothing else has been fronted, stressed pronominals.
Note that the initial
position can accommodate at most one constituent or part of a constituent.
or parts of
(66) Vedic
(i.e.,
initial
strings
'NEXUS'
(Hock 1989c):
116
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:1 (Spring 1989)
English w/7-words), while the former is the landing site for other fronted
elements, presumably including tad/etad. Clitic pronouns follow COMP, while
particles attach to the first element of the clause, whether that be TOPIC or
COMP. Compare the summary in (67), where (a) and (b) illustrate what hap-
pens
TOPIC. Hale's analysis, then, disand predicts non-parallel behavior for RPs and
to particles in structures with or without
COMP
tinguishes
TOPIC from
tad/etad.
Moreover, of the different 'stressed pronominal' positions
predicts only positions
(67) Vedic
initial
TOPIC
1
and
3.
strings (M. Hale 1987):
in
(66),
it
Hock: Conjoined we stand
As noted
ยง4.7,
in
in
and
namely the preverbal one
string positions 1, 3,
addition to
5,
initial
and
1
near-initial
placement,
Sanskrit offers another position for
17
i.e. initial-
RPs and CPs,
above.
of (52)
has been noted as a focus position for a number
of (mainly SOV) languages, including Turkish (Kornfilt 1987), as well as
Hungarian (cf. most recently Farkas & Sadock 1989). For modern South Asian
languages have argued for a preverbal focus position for interrogative pronouns since Hock 1987a; cf. also Hock 1989a. Further arguments for preverbal
FOCUS in modern South Asian languages, not limited to pronominals, have
been advanced in Jayaseelan 1989 and Nagarajan 1989. (What has not been
settled up to this point is the question of how preverbal FOCUS is to be
characterized in a formal grammar; cf. the different accounts in Farkas & Sadock
1989 and the literature cited there, Jayaseelan 1989, and Nagarajan 1989, as
well as work in progress at the University of Illinois by Steven Schaufele (on
Sanskrit) and Rakesh Bhatt (on Kashmiri). But this is a question of analysis, not
Now, preverbal
position
I
of evidence.)
have shown that a special preverbal position must be
In Hock 1989c
recognized also for Sanskrit. Note that this position is not limited to stressed
pronominals, but also accommodates 'content words', such as the bold-face
elements in the double-focus construction of (68). Here, one of the contrasted
elements, the head of the subject NP {vSg, pranah) is 'postposed' into preverbal
position in each of the contrasted passages. And as often happens in topicalization, in the process, the head is separated from its modifier (asya piirusasya mrtasya 'of this dead person'). (See also Schaufele 1989.)
I
yatrasya purusasya mrtasyagnim vag apyeti vatam prana(h)
(68)
'fire'
'voice'
'air*
(SB 14.6.3.13 = BAU 3.2.13)
'When of this dead person the voice enters the
'breath'
...
(enters) the air
Now, examples
position
is
like (68)
a (secondary)
fire,
the breath
...'
leave no doubt that for 'content words', preverbal
position and thus, in its discourse functions,
FOCUS
most closely related to the TOPIC position. Whatever its specific form, a semmust therefore be able to attach similar discourse functions
to 'content words' placed either in FOCUS or in TOPIC.
antic interpretation
initial
This conclusion can serve as the basis for a circumstantial argument that
or near-initial RPs, CPs, etc. have been moved into TOPIC, not COfvlP:
In the absence of contrary evidence, it is reasonable to assume that
preverbal stressed pronominals are placed into the same preverbal FOCUS
position as the 'content words' of structures like (68). To do otherwise would
seem to be a violation of Occam's Razor.
Once we do
so,
assign to preverbal
however,
RPs and
FOCUS
to permit the
semantic interpretation
to
same scope and coreference
approaches assign to them in COtVlP. That is, premust be able to perform functions traditionally assigned to
relationships that 'orthodox'
verbal
we have
interrogatives the
8
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:1 (Spring
1 1
1
989)
COMP.
(An alternative would be to have RPs and interrogatives move into
the syntax, and then into COMP in 'logical form". However, unless
supported by independent evidence, the double movement required under this
analysis must be considered special pleading and therefore highly suspect.)
FOCUS
in
we
are faced with a situation where the semantic
scope and coreference relationships to
RPs and interrogatives in preverbal FOCUS, (ii) to attach discourse functions to
'content words' placed in FOCUS, and (iii) to attach similar discourse functions
to 'content words' placed in TOPIC. Under the circumstances, the most efficient
Given
this analysis,
interpretation
way
for
must be able
(i)
to assign
semantic interpretation to operate would be to assign discourse func-
and scope and coreference
relationships in both positions, i.e. both in
and TOPIC, rather than assigning discourse functions in FOCUS and
TOPIC, but scope and coreference relations in FOCUS and COMP.^^ This,
then, suggests that the formal mechanism for assigning scope and coreference
relationships must look more like the one in Bach & Cooper 1978 than the ones
proposed in Andrews 1975 (1985) and Dasgupta 1980.
tions
FOCUS
7.
Summary and conclusions
In this
paper
I
have provided evidence, both typological and language-
specific, that Sanskrit relative-correlatives syntactically are
Moreover,
I
have attempted
relative-correlatives
correct, these
is
not
to
show
COMP,
arguments have
conjoined structures.
that the 'landing site' for
but either
TOPIC
RPs
or preverbal
in
Sanskrit
FOCUS.
If
significant implications for syntactic theory.
Thus, a Bach & Cooper-style account would be more appropriate for the
semantic interpretation of Sanskrit relative-correlatives than the more 'traditional' analysis in terms of COMP.
What needs to be further investigated is
whether some or all of the arguments of this paper can be extended to relativecorrelatives in other SOV languages. (The typological arguments seem to hold
for early Indo-European in general; cf. Hock 1989d. At this point, however, it is
not clear whether the language-specific arguments are similarly applicable.)
NOTES
*An earlier version has been presented as a Linguistics Seminar talk,
Illinois, 5 October 1989.
Parts of the paper have been presented
elsewhere in very different form; cf. Hock 1989 a,b,c,d.
gratefully acknowledge
helpful and challenging comments at the meetings at which these earlier
papers were delivered, especially from George Cardona, Mark Hale, Stanley
Insler, Yamuna Kachru, Paul Kiparsky, and Jared Klein.
also thank Rajeshwari
Pandharipande and my wife, Zarina M. Hock, for help with Hindi data, and
Sarah Tsiang for help with Turkish. Some of the ideas presented in this paper
converge with arguments in Kiparsky 1989. However, in its general argumentation, the present paper steers an independent course.
As usual, the
responsibility for any errors rests with me.
University of
I
I
โ
Hock: Conjoined we stand
1
19
^For a formal account of discontinuous constituency resulting from the
of RPs and other individual words, see Schaufele 1988, 1989, and In
movement
Press.
keeping with the pretheoretical tenor of this paper, am not taking a
in structures of the type (2) - (4) the head is simply
unspecified or actually deleted. For brevity's sake will use the terms 'delete'
and 'deletion' or 'ellipsis' throughout the paper.
2|n
I
position on whether
I
3|n addition to the publications referred to in the discussion below, the
relative-correlative nature of relative-clause formation in Sanskrit, other early
Indo-European languages, and non-Indo-European SOV languages has been
noted e.g. by Downing 1978, Held 1957, Hock 1985, 1988a, Lakshmi Bai 1985,
Masica 1972, Ramasamy 1981, Watkins 1976. These accounts, however, do
not meaningfully address the question of whether such RCs should be
considered underlyingly embedded, adjoined, or conjoined.
^Srivastav (1988) proposes to account for preposed Hindi RCs as
adjoined subordinate clauses, but for surface-embedded or postposed RCs (=
'postposed RCs') as underlyingly embedded. She supports her analysis by a
number of arguments and finds further support in child language acquisition.
Her analysis and arguments require closer examination than is possible in the
(Dasgupta 1980 has raised similar arguments for Bangia
present paper.
'postposed' RCs, but without working out the details.)
however,
is possible to point to weaknesses in some
unlike postarguments: In her view, preposed RCs
cannot stack up, and this asymmetry is left unexplained if we
posed ones
assign the same underlying structure to preposed and postposed RCs. Srivastav formally motivates this distinction by claiming that a postposed RC
modifies its head and therefore is its sister, while a preposed RC 'picks out a set
in the ___domain of discourse and the main clause asserts something about this
set. As such, it functions like a quantifier, having scope over the main clause.'
(149) Postposed recursive relativization therefore 'should be easy, since NP -ยป
Even
at this point,
it
โ
of Srivastav's formal
โ
N' S' allows for
it
...
The
recursive quantification
is
left-adjoined structure represents quantification
not
known
to
be a standard feature
of
and
natural
languages.' (151)
In fact,
though
(like
however, stacking is grammatical in Hindi, as in (a) below, even
stacked postposed RCs), such structures may be difficult to
process.
(a)
jo ranFj
hathfpar baith ke
ja rahFthF
RP
uSi
ka ratn
CP
vahfj aj
jis
cor ne, curaya
RP
yaham ghCim
raha hai
CP
'Which queen was riding on an elephant, by which thief her jewel
was stolen, he is walking around here today.' = 'The thief who stole
120
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:1 (Spring 1989)
who was
the jewel of the queen
riding
on an elephant
is
walking
around here today."
A second argument Srivastav adduces is what she believes to be an
asymmetry between preposed and postposed RCs as far as quantification is
concerned: In structures with postposed RCs, quantification of the shared head
does not require any special adjustment in the main clause; cf. (b) and (c). (In
these and the following examples, RCs are set off in square brackets.) After
preposed RCs, however, the main clause cannot be introduced by a simple
correlative (d), but requires a partitive construction (e). Note however that the
constraint appears to be sensitive not to the nature of the clauses involved
(whether RC or CC, preposed or postposed), but to whether the quantification
(the
numeral do
same
in (f)
'two')
situation in
vs. (g/h).
If
occurs
sequences
in
of
the first clause or in the second. Witness the
independent, non-subordinate propositions, as
anything, the parallelism between (b/c) vs. (d/e)
could be taken as an argument for considering both
structures to be sequences of conjoined clauses.
(b)
do larkiyam khan
'Two
do
(c)
*|jo
girls
(e)
(f)
(g)
(h)
[jo
who
larkiyarh
"Which
hairh
[jo
lambF
are standing there
larkiyarh [jo
'Two
(d)
girls
girls
larkiyarh
lambf
are
khan
hairh]
tall
khan
are
tall.'
are standing there.'
hairri]
ve do lambf
hairh
hairh]
un
tall."
mem
se do lambfhaim
of those, two are tall."
tall."
'(Several) girls are standing there; of those, two are
this motivation is implicit at best.
to
vs. (g/h)
hairh
"Which girls are standing there,
do larkiyam khan haim; ve lambF hairh
'Two girls are standing there; they are tall.'
*larkiyam khan hairh; ve do lambf hairh
'(Several) girls are standing there; those two are
larkiyam khan haim; un mem se do lambF haim
5|n many accounts,
major motivation seems
(f)
hairh]
who
are standing there, those two are
khan
and
RC+CC and CC+RC
be that base-generating
In
relative
tall.'
early analyses, the
clauses under
NP
possible to relate them transformationally to clearly embedded, prenominal participial structures. Even if such 'powerful' transformational accounts
were still acceptable, the arguments presented in this paper show that basegenerating RCs under NP does not properly account for the RC syntax of
makes
it
languages like Sanskrit. As for Srivastav's (1988) argument that Hindi has both
adjoined and embedded base-generated RCs, see note 4 above. Note that
Wali (1984) finds it impossible to decide between the embedded and 'adjoined'
analyses for Marathi.
^Andrews and Dasgupta's accounts are formulated for an 'adjoined'
RC+CC structures. Bach & Cooper's proposal seems to be intended
a 'conjoined' analysis. See also ยง6.4 below, where will argue that Bach &
analysis of
for
Cooper's analysis
I
is
preferable for Sanskht.
Hock: Conjoined we stand
121
^See note 4 above.
8A conjoined analysis has been proposed much earlier by Berman (1972)
and Donaldson (1971). But these proposals come from a time when even
English RCs could be considered underlyingly conjoined; cf. e.g. Thompson
1971 (1979)). A conjoined analysis has repeatedly been adumbrated in IndoEuropanist circles, through claims that RC+CC structures take an intermediate
position between subordination and coordination; cf. e.g. Haudry 1973 and
Jeffers 1987. And Holland (1984) seems to vacillate between an adjoined and
a conjoined analysis. However, these accounts do not go much beyond suggestive or programmatic statements.
^Hettrich
one
of
supplements
semantic/pragmatic arguments with the formal
On this matter, see ยง5.1 below.
his
Vedic verb accentuation.
10A minor exception is the usual correlative evam 'thus, so' of yatha 'how,
what manner', as in (16c). (Though not derivable from the CP stem tad/etad,
evam functions as a suppletive variant of the rarer CP tatha 'thus, so', which
in
contains the normal
CP
The
stem.)
only significant exception
is
the conditional
which Klein (1985) derives through reinterpretation of coordinate structures with ca 'and'. Although historically and morphologically different, this marker has been integrated into the system of relative-correlatives,
by acquiring (optional) correlative markers as in the following example.
marker ca/ced
'if
ced
ittharri
vai
na
bhavisyavo
vai tarhi
'If
we two
will
be
saksyavah praja bhartum
CP
'
โขif
in this condition,
then
we
will
not
(JB 1.294)
to maintain
be able
the creatures.'
For the general arguments in this section and the Dravidian data see
also Hock 1988b. Turkish data have been adapted from Kornfilt 1987 and
especially Lewis 1967.
11
i2What
all the Turkish restriction of relative-corSecondly, note that the finite verb of Turkish
generalizing relatives is in the conditional mood. This brings to mind the existence in Dravidian of generalizing relative-correlatives with conditional verbs; cf.
Hock 1988b with references. Moreover, Sanskrit generalizing relative-correlatives frequently mark the verb of the relative clause in the optative, as in the
is
interesting
is
first
of
relatives to generalizing functions.
examples below.
Finally, note that pragmatically, generalizing relative struc-
tures are closely affiliated with conditionals,
(Compare also the data
in
(7)
alizing relative-correlatives are
(a)
suryam yo brahmi
RP
'What
(b)
priest/if
(8)
sa
sg.3opt.
CP
id
vadhuyam
arhati
(RV1 0.85.34)
sg.3ind.
a priest should know the surya, he deserves the bride's
sa
hanyate
RP
CP
sg.3ind.
'Who/if
the alternative glosses below.
above.)
vidyat
garment.'
yo na hanyat
sg.3opt.
cf.
These peculiarities of generphenomena which deserve fuller investigation.
and
someone should
(Pane. 1.271)
not (decide) to
kill,
he
is killed.'
122
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:1 (Spring 1989)
i3For rarer alternative orderings, see e.g. Klein 1985:53-55.
same construction is grammatical in Hindi;
might therefore be appropriate to examine to what degree a conjoined analysis might be justified also for Hindi relative-correlatives.
I'^lnterestingly, essentially the
cf.
the example below.
It
bhasa vah sakyatai
hai
CP
ke dvara
jiSj
vahfj
jOj
bhfkahte
hairfi
RP
RP
ban jaega
CP
'Language
(is) thatj
comes
whichj, thatj
whateverj one speaks by means of
= 'Language is a faculty such that if
(faculty)
about.'
you speak something by means
of
that
it,
comes
about.'
i5The same ordering patterns seem to obtain for interrogative pronouns;
on the other hand, locational deictics such as idam 'this (here)', adah 'that (over
there)' behave quite differently. For further details, discussion, and references,
see Hock 1989c.
^^The present account supersedes the one in Hock 1989d, where specRCs may result from a process of 'intraposition'
or 'incorporation' that may be considered independently required to mediate
between Bambara RC+CC and headless RC structures of the type (a) and (b)
below. (Note that the related f^andingo only has the relative-correlative type; cf.
I
ulated that 'replacive' Sanskrit
Bokamba & Drame 1978.)
Ne ye tye min ye,
o ye fini fere
(a)
CP
RP
'What man saw, he sold the cloth.' =
I
(Relative-correlative)
'I
saw
the
man who
sold the
cloth.'
(b)
Ne ye
[tye
ye
fini
min
fere]
(Replacive)
ye
RP
'I
saw what man
sold the cloth.' =
'I
saw
the
man who
sold the cloth.'
arguments may be applicable to other languages. For instance,
according to Kornfilt (1987:639), Turkish interrogatives are placed either in
preverbal focus position or into sentence-initial (presumably TOPIC) position.
i^Similar
ABBREVIATIONS OF TEXTUAL REFERENCES
BAU = Brhad-Aranyaka-Upanisad, Bh.G. = Bhagavad-GRa, Hit. = Hitopadesa,
JB = JaiminFya-Brahmana, MS = MaitrayanF-Samhita, Pane. = Pahcatantra, RV
= Rig-Veda, SB = Satapatha-Brahmana (Madhyandina-recension), SB (K) =
Satapatha-Brahmana, KanvFya-recension, TS =
TaittirFya-Sarhhita.
Hock: Conjoined we stand
123
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pseudo-problems. Papers from the Parasession on Diachronic Syntax,
305-26. Chicago: Linguistic Society.
C. 1987. Meaningful phonological processes. Language
63.685-740.
WOODBURY, Anthony
the Linguistic Sciences
Studies
in
Volume
19,
Number
1,
Spring 1989
WORLD ENGLISHES AND APPLIED
Braj B.
LINGUISTICS
Kachru
This paper addresses the issue of the relationship between
world Englishes (WE) and applied linguistics. The diffusion of English
is seen in terms of three concentric circles: the Inner Circle (11 varieties, e.g., the USA, UK), the Outer Circle (ESL varieties), and the
Expanding Circle (EFL varieties). The discussion is essentially resOuter Circle in which the institutionalized non-native
varieties of English are used in multilingual and multicultural contexts.
tricted to the
The discussion is about four major
al, and ideological, and focuses
issues: theoretical, applied, societ-
specifically on (a) altitudes concerning the ontological status of the varieties of English; (b) generalizations about the creative strategies used for learning English in
multilingual/multicultural contexts; (c) descriptions of the pragmatic
and interactional contexts of WEs and their implications; (d) assumptions concerning multi-cultural identities of WEs; (e) assumptions
about the role of English in initiating ideological and social change;
and (f) assumptions about communicative competence in English,
The paper does not view applied linguistics as divorced from social
concerns: the concerns of relevance to the society in which we live.
This view, then, entails social responsibility and accountability for
research in applied linguistics.
1.
introduction^
The choice
of world Englishes
as the starting point of this paper calls for
One, that of terminology: why 'world Englishes', and
not just world 'English'? Second, that of justification of relationship: why choose
world Englishes to address the issues related to applied linguistics? There is
no simple or short answer to the first question. An answer to this question, as
we know, entails more than pure linguistic issues: the issues of attitude, and
additionally several extralinguistic factors. During the last two decades a reasonable body of research has been done to provide answers to this question.
two types
of explanations.
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:1 (Spring 1989)
128
(For bibliographic references see Kachru 1985 and 1986a.)
to
attempt
in this
paper, therefore,
is
What
I
would like
second
to provide a perspective for the
question, that of the justification of the relationship between world Englishes
and applied linguistics. A perspective which is essentially that of the user of
who belongs
Outer Circle of English out of the three concentric
Note that South Afnca (pop. 29,628,000) and Jamaica
(pop. 2,407,000) are not listed. The reason is the sociolinguistic complexity of
English
to the
circles outlined below.
โ The
,.''
"Expanding
B. Kachru: World Englishes and applied linguistics
129
these two countries in terms of their English-using populations and the functions
of English. (See Kachru 1985: 12-14.)
It
seems to me that this perspective not only defines my approach to our
understanding of the global spread of English, but to some extent it also defines
the goals which set for the field of applied linguistics.
I
The
relationship between world Englishes and applied linguistics as a
research and inquiry is motivated by several types of issues: theoretical
and applied, as well as societal and ideological.
field of
will start with what
consider the theoretical issues. Since the 1950s
there has been intense activity in the linguistic sciences for analysis and
description of two main varieties of the English language, American and British.
I
I
Extensive data banks have been established on English at the centers of
research at the universities of Birmingham, Brown, London, and Lund, to name
And such data banks are also being developed in Asia and Africa
just four.
(see e.g. Greenbaum 1989 and Shastri 1985). The largest number of applied
linguists in various parts of the world are working in ESLVEFL related contexts.
And, at some places, the term 'applied linguistics' is often wrongly equated with
the teaching of ESLVEFL.
The research on second language
and
first language acquisition,
has primarily focused on English.
acquisition,
different aspects of sociolinguistics
and
have also concentrated on English.
Additionally the interdisciplinary fields of stylistics,
lingual lexicography
gained
in
and monoThe major insights
bilingual
the theory of translation are derived from the translation of texts of
English into other languages of the world, and of those languages into English.
Generalizations about natural languages, their structural characteristics, and
the possible categories of language universals usually begin with analyses of
and examples from English. In short, what we see, linguistically and socio-
and its applications are
our time, English. And almost the total
spectrum of applied linguistic research, its strengths and limitations, can be
demonstrated with reference to this language. One might, then, say that the last
linguistically
speaking,
closely linked to
four
is
that the field of linguistics
one major language
decades have been the decades
of
of English.
Moreover, English has acquired unprecedented sociological and ideodimensions. It is now well-recognized that in linguistic history no language has touched the lives of so many people, in so many cultures and continents, in so many functional roles, and with so much prestige, as has the
English language since the 1930s. And, equally important, across cultures,
English has been successful in creating a class of people who have greater
intellectual power in multiple spheres of language use not surpassed by any
single language before; not by Sanskrit during its heyday, not by Latin duhng its
grip on Europe, and not by French during the peak of the colonial period.
logical
130
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:1 (Spring 1989)
The reasons for the diffusion and penetration of English are complex, and
these have been extensively discussed in earlier literature. ^ However, one
dimension of the diffusion of English is especially important to us, particularly
those of us who represent the developing world, who are directly influenced by
the research in applied linguistics, and who are considered the main beneficiaries of the insights gained by such research.
Again, it is the developing
world in which the English language has become one of the most vital tools of
ideological and social change, and at the same time an object of intense
controversy.
It
this
is
developing world which forms an important component
of the
three Concentric Circles of English: the Inner Circle, the Outer Circle, and the
Expanding
Circle.
These three
circles,
as has repeatedly been mentioned
the literature, bring to the English language (and, of course, to
a unique
cultural pluralism,
and a
variety of
its literature,
in
too)
speech fellowships. These three
and let us not underestimate
circles certainly bring to English linguistic diversity;
โ as some scholars tend
ed
as does
to say,
Tom
to
do
โ the resultant
f^yicArthur (1987), that
cultural diversity.
One
is
tempt-
the three Circles of English have
in several English 'languages'.
True, the purist pundits find this posiunacceptable, but that actually is now the linguistic reality of the English
language.
resulted
tion
The world Englishes are the
result of
these diverse sociocultural contexts
and diverse uses of the language in culturally distinct international contexts. As
a result, numerous questions and concerns come to the forefront. Applied linguists, primarily of the Inner Circle, have articulated their positions about these
concerns; they have interpreted various contexts of the uses of English; and
they have provided research paradigms and methodologies.
The range
of
paradigms
is
aspects of applied linguistics such scholars have covered in
stylistics, language teaching, the
acquisition of English as an additional language, and so on. The impact of such
research has been significant; it has raised daunting questions which have
never been raised before, particularly concerning the standards, models, and
diversification in English, concerning the functions of English in the Outer Circle,
concerning the functional power of English, and concerning the social issues
and
if
may add
the responsibility of applied linguists (see e.g. Quirk &
Widdowson (eds.) 1985, Kachru & Smith 1986, and Lowenberg (ed.) 1988).
their
โ
โ
I
And
wide, e.g., sociolinguistics,
need stressing: the terms 'applied linguistics' and
The dichotomy between 'theoretical' and 'applied' linguistics is
here, two things
'social concern'.
one of difference in focus rather than of distinct identities. Charles
Ferguson and Michael Halliday have repeatedly warned us that the separation
However, applied linof the two (pure vs. applied) is not very meaningful.
guistics, in whatever manifestation, is essentially an area which reveals certain
essentially
B.Kachru: World Englishes and applied
concerns and certain responsibilities. And the term
another dimension, though an extralinguistic one.
I
131
linguistics
'social
concern' brings
in
believe that 'social concern' refers to the responsibility of a discipline
toward relevant social issues, and application of an appropriate body of
knowledge to seek answers to such issues. The term 'social issues' naturally
opens a Pandora's box: What is a social issue? And, how can a profession be
evaluated on its response to such issues? These are, of course, controversial
questions, and as Bolinger (1973:539) rightly says, the answers to these questions have to be rediscovered by each generation. However, now and then, a
profession must address these questions as an exercise in evaluation of the
field and its direction. It is true that in the USA during the 1940s and 1950s we
passed through a long phase 'across the semantic desert'. There was a feeling
that 'life had lost all meaning, except perhaps differential meaning' (Bolinger
1973:540). We had stopped asking questions concerning 'meaning' and responsibility. But, thankfully, even in the USA, that phase is over now. During the
last two decades, serious questions have been asked: questions about the
evaluation of the field, about the applied linguist's responsibilities, and about
the goals and areas of applied linguistics (see e.g. Labov, particularly 1982
cited in Trudgill 1984; Lakoff 1975).
However, a caveat is in order here: Whenever such questions are asked
they are naturally concerned with issues related to the USA or the UK. Very
rarely have questions of concern, of responsibility, and of linguistic pragmatism
been raised with reference to world Englishes. In other words, to quote Bolinger (1973: 540) again, 'the linguist up to very recently has been a more or less
useful sideliner, but not a social critic'. And, so far as world Englishes in the
Outer Circle are concerned, that role of the linguist still persists.
2.0 Major issues of concern
Now, do not propose to take up the role of a social critic here. What
propose to do is to select some of the issues related to world Englishes and
applied research, and share with you my concerns about such research.
will,
of course, not go into all the issues and their ramifications.
will merely present
a commentary on the following issues which
consider vital for our underI
I
I
I
I
standing of English
in its
world context:
status of the varieties of English;
(a) attitudes
(b)
concerning the ontological
generalizations about the creative
strategies used for learning English as an additional language
and
multicultural contexts;
(c)
in
multilingual
descriptions of the pragmatic and interactional
contexts of world Englishes, and their relevance to pragmatic success and
failure;
(d) assumptions about the cultural content of the varieties of English
and the role of such varieties as the vehicles of the Judeo-Christian (or, broadly,
western) traditions; (e) assumptions about the role of English in initiating ideological and social changes; and (f) assumptions about communicative com-
132
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:1 (Spring 1989)
petence
in
English and the relevant interlocutors
in
such communicative
contexts.
discuss these points one by one in the following sections. But
do that, must briefly discuss the current dominant and less dominant
approaches to world Englishes to provide a theoretical perspective for the
discussion. In recent years the following approaches have been used to study
I
before
shall
I
I
world Englishes:
(1)
the deficit approach;
contextualizational approach;
tional
(4)
(2)
the deviational approach;
the variational approach;
and
(5)
(3)
the
the interac-
approach.
However, out
of these five
approaches
it
is
the
deviational approaches) that have dominated the
first
field.
two (the deficit and the
And, it is these two
approaches which, believe, are the least insightful. The following comments
are thus a critique primarily of these two approaches, and the attitudes that such
approaches reflect.
I
2.1
Ontological issues:
The
Conflict between idealization
and
reality
question takes us to the core of the problem, the issues of
The attitudes toward a variety of English are only
partially determined by linguistic considerations. The other considerations are
of assigning a place and a status to the user of the other variety, or marking the
distance of a person in the social network. We see two major positions
concerning the varieties of English in the Outer Circle: one, the nativist
monomodel position; and second, the functional polymodel position.
attitudes
initial
and
identity.
The first position, perhaps in an extreme form, is well-articulated in two
paradigm papers, one by Clifford Prator (1968) and the other by Randolph Quirk
(1988). These two studies were presented almost a generation apart. The
Prator study was originally presented in 1966. Quirk presented his views first at
the 1987 Georgetown University Round Table devoted to language spread (see
also Quirk 1988 and 1989).
The functional polymodel position entails the use of theoretical and
methodological frameworks which relate the formal and functional characteristics of English in the Outer Circle to appropriate sociolinguistic and
interactional contexts.
have presented this position since the 1960s, and over
a period of time, many studies have been written following this approach, at
various centers. (For bibliographical references see Kachru 1986a.)
I
The Quirk papers, representing the first position, deserve special attention
reasons: These papers are written by one of the most venerable and
intellectually influential scholars of the English language during our time, and
for several
his
papers take us back
to
some
of the
fundamental questions which concern
all
B. Kachru: World Englishes and applied linguistics
133
who
are working in the areas of applied linguistics. Furthermore, the papers
reopen some questions which some of us believed had been put to rest during
the past rather productive years of research on world Englishes.
The main points of what
have called 'the Quirk concerns' may be
summarized as follows. Quirk sees language spread primarily with reference to
three models: the demographic, the econo-cultural, and the imperial. The
demographic model implies language spread with accompanying population
spread. The econo-cultural model suggests language spread without a serious
population spread, essentially for scientific, technological, and cultural information. The imperial model applies to language spread as the result of political
I
(colonial) domination.
The demographic model has resulted in several varieties of English in the
(e.g., Amehcan, Australian, Canadian, New Zealand). The econocultural and imperial models have, over a period of time, resulted in the
endocentric varieties of English in Africa, Asia, and the Philippines (see e.g.
Bailey & Gorlach 1982, Kachru 1982 and 1986a, Piatt et al. 1984, and Pride
Inner Circle
1982).
However, Quirk's concerns are about the endocentric models in the Outer
and their implications for pedagogy, the international currency of English,
Circle
language. These conquestions relevant to serious practitioners of applied
for example, the following: (a) Do the Outer Circle varieties of English, primarily second language varieties, have an ontological status
that is, sociolinguistically speaking? (b) What are the needs-analyses for the
uses of English in the Outer Circle: econo-cultural or intranational? (c) What is
the relevance of various types of ontological labels used for the varieties of
English in the Outer Circle? (d) What is the relationship between the socio-
and
generally, the
good
cerns raise a number
linguistics. Consider,
linguistic health of the English
of
โ
linguistic identity of
a variety
of English,
relevance of distinctions
and the available descriptions of the
is the formal and functional
And (e). What
such as ESL and EFL?
variety at various linguistic levels?
Quirk, in his usual elegant way, has not only raised these questions for the
profession to ponder, but he has also brought into the open a concern which is
shared by several scholars.
In brief, his
position on the
above
five
as follows. Quirk rejects
in the Outer Circle and
the false extrapolation of Eng-
questions
is
the sociolinguistic identity of the varieties of English
considers the recognition
lish "varieties"
by
some
of
such
linguists'
identity
as
(1988:232).
"...
He sees
the international needs
as econo-cultural. ('The econo-cultural model of language spread applied in our times more to English than to any other language',
1988:231.) He rejects the use of identificational terms such as 'Nigerian English', 'West African English', 'South Asian English', 'Singapore English", and
of English essentially
134
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:1 (Spring 1989)
characterizes them as '... misleading, if not entirely false ...' (1988: 234); he
does not believe that the varieties of English are adequately described at various linguistic levels and, therefore, these cannot be used as pedagogically
acceptable (or ontologically recognizable) models. And finally, he rejects the
generally recognized dichotomy between ESL and EFL. ('I ignore it partly because doubt its validity and frequently fail to understand its meaning', 1988:
I
236.)
In other words, for Quirk, among the English users of the world there is
another kind of dichotomy: one between us (the Inner Circle) and them (the
Outer Circle and the Expanding Circle). This dichotomy has serious sociolinguistic and attitudinal implications, one being that the power to define the
other group is with us and not with them. This is an interesting way of making
a distinction between 'inclusive' and 'exclusive' members of English-using
far
speech fellowships.
am not saying that that is what Quirk has in mind
from that. However, we should not forget that labels have a value, they provide
a definition. And, Bolinger (1973:541) is right when he says that 'a loaded word
is like a loaded gun, sometimes fired deliberately, but almost as often by ac-
โ
I
cident.'
will not digress here to discuss why Quirk's major points cannot be
accepted in terms of the sociolinguistic reality of world Englishes, and how they
cannot be supported by the linguistic history of the spread of other major
languages of the world. This has already been done in a number of studies (for
references see Kachru 1986a and Smith, ed. 1987). However, do not want to
give the impression that Quirk's concerns are not shared by other scholars.
Indeed, there are several scholars of that persuasion in the U.K., in the U.S.A.
will save the discussion of these concerns, 'the
as well as in Asia and Africa.
Quirk concerns', for another occasion (see Kachru 1989).
I
I
I
2.2 Acquisition and creativity:
The
'leal(ing'
paradigms
The second question relates to acquisition and creativity. The dominant
paradigms of second language acquisition are 'leaking' for more than one
reason. The question of 'bridging the paradigm gap' between the theory and
functions of the institutionalized varieties of English has been discussed in
am
several recent studies (see specifically Lowenberg & Sridhar (eds.) 1986).
addressing here another aspect of the 'leaking' paradigms: the misinterI
pretation or neglect of the creative aspects of uses of English in the Outer Circle.
This misinterpretation is essentially the result of undue emphasis on
concepts such as 'interlanguage' and 'fossilization'. However, it is gratifying to
note that, after dominating the scene for over a decade, the error in
institutionalizing 'error analysis' as an insightful paradigm has finally been
B. Kachru: World Englishes and applied linguistics
realized (see relevant studies
go back
to the
in
Robinett
& Schachter
concepts 'interlanguage' and
135
(eds.) 1983).
But
let
me
'fossilization'.
'Interlanguage' is 'the type of language produced by second-and foreignlanguage learners who are in the process of learning a language.' (Richards et
al. 1985:145) and 'fossilization' refers to '... linguistic items, rules, and subsystems which speakers of a particular NL [native language] will tend to keep in
their IL [interlanguage] relative to a particular TL [target language], no matter
what the age of the learner or amount of explanation and instruction he receives
in the TL' (Selinker 1972 in Robinett & Schachter 1983:177).
is a developmental process, and fossilization is a
developmental in the sense that it is mode! (or target)
oriented, and suggests directionality in terms of attaining stages toward a goal.
Interlanguage, then,
static condition.
The other
is
One
static
There are
is
and indicates
at least three
'freezing' with respect to creativity.
problems with these two concepts with particular
reference to world Englishes. These are:
a.
Acceptance
of a
unimodel approach to
creativity:
The creative
language is seen with reference to the model provided by the
target language, and the goal of acquisition if determined by the
acquisition of an exo-normative model;
use
b.
c.
of
Rejection of the contact features as undesirable interference:
This has even resulted in a failure to recognize subtle creative processes
due to the influence of the contexts of contact. The effects of contact have
only been viewed in a negative sense; and
Emphasis on a 'unidimensional' view
of functions: The 'unidimensional view' provides a misleading picture about the functions of
English, and about the innovations in English. This view is misleading in
results in a serious corpus constraint.
more than one sense. First,
Variety-specific generalizations are made on one type of data (e.g.,
scripts provided by students), ignoring the implications of the dine of
bilingualism. Second, the 'interference' is not related to function: The
result is that external discoursal and interactional norms are imposed on
a variety. The 'interference' in, for example, Singaporean English or
Pakistani English, is not always the result of acquisitional deficiency;
there is sometimes a clear motivation for it. Often, in newspaper registers, for example, the aim is to establish, contextually speaking, an identity with readers (see e.g. Kachru 1982 for references).
it
The
dimensions of creativity in English, such as non-native
and intranational registers ('mixed' or 'unmixed'), seem to
have escaped the attention of second language acquisition researchers in
insightful
literatures in English
136
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:1 (Spring 1989)
have said elsewhere (Kachru 1987), David Crystal Is not
who believe that "... it is quite unclear what to make of
cases like Nabokov and others' (see Paikeday 1985:67). It so happens that in
bilingual societies, most literary creativity is done in a language or a variety
which is not one's first language variety. The constraints of 'interlanguage' and
'fossilization' on such creativity are simply not applicable. If a text is not viewed
in this broader context, the result is misleading generalizations of the type which
we find in Bell 1976 and Selinker 1972. Bell considers 'Indianized English' or
'Anglicized Hindi' 'xized' varieties, because '... the motivation for or possibility of
further learning is removed from a group of learners' (155). How misleading!
English.
It
make
In fact,
among
alone
is
as
I
linguists
essential to consider the multiple dimensions of creativity,
generalizations.
appropriate to different
By multiple dimension mean creativity
contexts, genres, and so on. Consider,
I
and then
of various types,
for
example, the
following:
2.3 Pragmatic contexts:
Success
vs. failure
The third question concerns the user and uses. Research on the pragmatics of English
that is, on the variables of pragmatic success and failure in
world Englishes
is basically determined in terms of (a) the formal charac-
โ
โ
teristics of the
code or
its
varieties; (b) the participants in
the 'effective results' of verbal communication.
Outer Circle are primarily viewed with reference
an interaction; and
(c)
Linguistic encounters in the
to variables of the Inner Circle.
because the underiying sociopresuppositions are mistaken. One basically wrong assumption is that
non-native varieties of English are primarily used for international purposes.
That actually is not true. In the Outer Circle, the interaction with native speakers
of English is minimal. In India, Nigeria, Singapore, and the Philippines, to give
just four examples, the localized (domesticated) roles are more extensive, and
more important, than are the international roles.
This, of course, raises several questions,
linguistic
B. Kachru:
World Englishes and applied
137
linguistics
Another mistaken assumption is that when English is used internationally,
a native speaker is usually involved. This emphasis on the native speaker of
English in ail interactional contexts is of doubtful sociolinguistic validity. The
real-world situation is that, in the Outer Circle, the predominant functions of
English involve interlocutors who use English as an additional language
Indians with Indians, Singaporeans with Singaporeans, Indians with Singaporeans, Filipinos with Chinese or Japanese, Nigerians with Kenyans, and so
โ
This point has been clearly brought out
from several parts of the world.
on.
In
in
Smith 1987, with empirical data
such intranational and Outer Circle encounters, the users
of institu-
tionalized varieties of English are certainly not using just one type of English;
they expect an Indian to sound like an Indian and to use the discoursal
strategies of an Indian,
and they expect a Nigerian
to
come up
to their notion
a Nigerian user of English. The interlocutors in such
interactions expect a functional range of varieties, and they certainly adopt the
strategies of 'mixing' and 'switching' depending on the participants. It is thus
the contexts of encounters which determine the international strategies used in
(however stereotypical)
a
of
linguistic interaction.
am
we
should not expect linguistically (and
what have been claimed to be the
'survival' registers. My claim is that, for determining the pragmatic success of
the largest range of functional domains for English, the local (domesticated)
pragmatic contexts are important, because it is these contexts that matter the
most to the largest number of English users in the Outer Circle. The interaction
with native speakers is only marginal. In an earlier paper (Kachru 1986b),
e.g. legal or
have suggested that this claim applies to several subregisters
in India and Nigeria, to give just two examples.
medical
I
certainly not advocating that
contextually) maximal pragmatic success
in
โ
โ
In
the Outer Circle, the
members
of English-using
I
speech fellowships
a verbal repertoire consisting of several codes, and the use of each
code has a 'social meaning'. We seem to have underestimated the linguistic
manipulation of the multilingual contexts in which English is used. We see this
manipulation when we watch a Singaporean doctor talk to a Singaporean
patient, or an Indian or a Pakistani doctor interact with a patient from his or her
region. The manipulation takes place in lectal switch, code mixing, and so on.
interact with
And, while discussing the pragmatics of a code, let me bring in an aspect
Englishes generally ignored by applied linguists: the use of subvarieties of English in, for example, literary creativity. This aspect has been
ignored particularly by those linguists who work in the areas of applied or
contrastive stylistics. What immediately comes to mind is the nativized styles
and discourse in the Englishes used in the Outer Circle (see e.g. Smith 1987).
Consideration of this aspect of English is important, since the writer of English in
the Outer Circle is faced with a rather difficult situation: He/she is a bilingual or
of world
138
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:1 (Spring 1989)
And he/she Is using English
a context which gives the language a new linguistic and cultural identity (see
e.g. Dissanayake & Nichter 1987, Gonzalez 1987, Kachru 1983 and 1986c,
multilingual, but not necessarily bi-or-multicultural.
in
Thumboo
1988).
Now, the pragmatic success
of such codes is not determined by the
speaker toward the code, but by the effectiveness of such
codes within the contexts of use, such as stylistic effectiveness, emotional effectiveness, and effectiveness in terms of identity. Let us consider for example,
the creative writing of three contemporary Singaporean writers of English:
Kripal Singh, Arthur Yap, and Catherine Lim.
attitude of the native
Singh's Voices and Yap's 2 mothers in a hbd playground, both poetic
compositions, and Lim's stories A taxi driver and A mother-in-law's curse exploit
distinctly different stylistic devices to achieve what
believe is maximum pragmatic success in textual terms. Voices essentially uses mixed codes. Yap contextually, as it were, 'legitimizes' the use of an attitudinally low variety and
I
shows the effectiveness of various types of mixing. For instance, the poem
contains jamban ('toilet bowl' in Malay), toa-soh ('drive in a car' in Hokkien), ah
pah ('father' in Hokkien), and constructions such as What boy is he in the
exam?,
I
scold
like
mad
but what
for?. Sit like don't
And Lim provides convincing examples
want to get up, and so on.
code alteration true to
of appropriate
the sociolinguistic contexts of Singapore.
such linguistic devices of diglossic switch and mixing (as in
It is through
Yap's poem) that various local stylistic resources for creativity are exploited.
True, there is a linguistic dilemma in this: If such creativity is evaluated within
reference points provided by the Inner Circle, or taking the native speaker as
the primary reader of such texts, one might say that there are 'inappropriate'
uses of varieties of English. However, if the creativity is viewed from the perspective of the code repertoire of a Singaporean creative writer and a Singaporean reader, the codes are appropriate in terms of use. And, for those who
are familiar with the Singaporean sociolinguistic contexts, the language has
been used with maximum pragmatic success.
Another example
Asia
Week (May
playwrights
attempt to
is
from the state bordering on Singapore.
24, 1987:64) tells us that 'English-medium
In
Malaysia,
drama by
local
a recent trend.' In the play Caught in the middle, there is an
'go completely Malaysian.' The strategies used are the following:
is
The bulk of the dialogue is in English, but there is switching and mixing between Bahasa Malaysia, Cantonese, and Tamil. We are told that '... "Malaysian
English" spoken, especially marks a progression toward more realistic language in more realistic settings
the home, the pub.' Consider the following
โ
excerpt:
139
B. Kachru: World Englishes and applied linguistics
Mrs. Chandran: Aiee-yah, mow fatt chee ka la (can't do anything
about it). Clean it up, Ah Lan. The rubbish-man will be coming soon,
and you know he doesn't take rubbish that isn't nicely packed and
tied up.
Ah Lan
what.
And
(the
amah):
Rubbish
is
rubbish-lah.
Supposed
to
be
dirty,
Real fussy mbbish-man, must have neat rubbish to take away.
Llyod Fernando's observation
is
that Malaysian English provides
realism to the play,
exploits that with good humor. Malaysian English is now a dialect,
recognized as such. In some situations, if you don't speak like that,
you are regarded as a foreigner. By using it [Malaysian English] the
playwright draws us into the magic circle (ibid.).
it
The point here is that the parameters for determining pragmatic success
cannot always be, and should not always be, determined by the Inner Circle.
Achebe (1976:1 1), therefore, has a point when he says that
should like to see the word universal banned altogether from discussions of African literature until such a time as people cease to use
it as a synonym for the narrow, self-serving parochialism of Europe.
I
Let me give another example here, from the register of advertising in
Japan. Of course, Japan is not a part of the Outer Circle, and from my point of
view that fact makes this example even more significant. The example throws a
believe supports
different light on our use of the term 'pragmatic success', and
what have suggested above.
I
I
The pragmatic success of English in advertising in Japan, as illustrated by
the following example, must be seen with reference to the attitude of the
Japanese toward English, and their 'consuming passion for English vocabulary'
(Asia Week, October
5.
1984:49).
2.
Kanebo cosmetics: for
Tokyo Utility Company:
3.
Shinjuku Station Concourse:
1.
fair;
planning
Asia Week
these examples;
and
makes an
to the English
or annoying.
beautiful
human
life
my life, my gas
guy making;
communicate
nice
creative; let's
multiple
days autumn
apt observation about contextual justification of
speaker they [vocabulary items] may be silly, childish,
Sometimes a double meaning makes them unin-
140
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:1 (Spring 1989)
But the ubiquitous English of Japanese ads con-
tentionally funny.
veys a feeling
The use
of
to
Japanese
these phrases
โ have a deep psychological
โ deviant from the native speakers' perspective
effect
a commercial perspective, that
This point
is
clearly
(ibid.).
from the Japanese point of view; and, from
what an advertisement should achieve.
is
just
in
the following extended excerpt:
emphasized
To produce one such phrase requires the expensive services of an ad
agency as sophisticated as anywhere. A creative director gathers the
team and concepts are tossed about, a first-rate copywriter works on
the theme, a lengthy rationalization is prepared for the client, a
decision eventually made to launch. Cost: maybe millions of yen.
Everyone understands that it is substandard English. Explains a copywriter at Dentsu: 'Yes, of course we know it
sounds corny to an American, even objectionable to some.
But what the foreigner thinks of it is immaterial. The ad is
purely domestic, a lot of market research has gone into it. It
evokes the right images. It sells.' For product names, English
words that seem dismayingly inappropriate to the foreign listener are
sometimes chosen. The most frequently quoted example is a very
popular soft-drink called Sweat. The idea of using a body secretion
as an enticing name for a fluid to drink out of a can is just as unpleasant to a Japanese as to an Englishman, but sweat conjures a
different image: hot and thirsty after vigorous activity on the sporting
field. The drink's Pocari in Hongkong.
Some English words enjoy a
fad season. Currently very much in are life, my, be, and city, the lastnamed
suffering from the phonetic necessity to render the s before
My
/
a multi-storeyed shopping complex in Shinjuku
where you can shop for my-sports things to take to your my-tiouse in
your my-car. New remains popular. If no suitable English word exas sh.
ists,
nothing
City
is
is lost,
catchy: magineer.
coin one.
Others
Some, indeed, are accidentally rather
only sighs. Creap is a big selling
elicit
for coffee.
Facom was perhaps not such a felicitous
choice considering the open back vowel for Japanese. Currently in
season are words ending in -topia, presumable from Utopia. There
was a Portopia, a Computopia, and a Sportopia. The brand-new Hilton Hotel boasts a splendid shopping annex called the Hiltopia.
(Emphasis added; Asiaweek, Octotยปer 5, 1984).
cream-powder
2.4 Cultural content of English
of
The fourth question is rather controversial:
English? There are two views on this point.
essentially an
What is the culture-specificity
One view holds that English is
exponent of the Western Judeo-Chhstian
tradition.
It
is
believed
B. Kachru: World Englishes and applied linguistics
141
more than
Asia and Africa. Therefore,
the second, non-culture-specific view takes the position that '... the English
language is different from other languages in that it "extends" the meaning of
particular words beyond the culture-specific connotations because of the interthat
it
is
this association
one sense
national
demands made on
The
is
lutes that
cultural load of English that interferes in
it'
(Lyons, quoted
in
Street 1984:78).
in
seems to be used in more than one sense.
and the USA feel that the culture-specificity of
its essential characteristic, and that the non-culture-specific view diposition of the language.
In the Outer Circle, those who oppose
first
A number
English
and
with the native socio-cultural traditions
view, culture-specific,
of scholars in Britain
English, use the culture-specificity of English as a basis for arguing that the use
Thus, according to this
is an intrusion into their native cultures.
group, English is an 'alien' language not only in the sense that it does not
belong to the linguistic stock of the region, but also in that it represents a culture
alien to the local socio-cultural traditions.
of English
It seems to me that the strength of English is not its culture-specificity with
reference to Britain or America, or non-culture-specificity in the sense Lyons
presents it, and which Street rightly rejects (for details see Street 1984:66-94).
The strength of English lies in its multi-cultural specificity, which the language
reveals in its formal and functional characteristics, as in, for example. West
Africa, South Asia, and the Philippines. These characteristics have given the
English language distinct cultural identities in these regions, and recognition of
this fact is essential for any insightful research on the world varieties of English.
A good parallel example is that of Christianity and Islam in Asia: These two
religions have become so much a part of the local cultural traditions that
very insightful to consider these now as 'foreign'.
The
fifth
is
not
change
2.5 Ideological
question
culture-specificity
it
and
is
closely related to the preceding discussion since
believe
change seem to go hand in hand.
ideological
I
change, undue emphasis has been laid on
the positive or negative aspects of Westernone type of ideological change
ization.
The reality seems to lie in between the two extreme positions (see
Kachru 1986d). A process of rethinking and reevaluation is needed to see what
English has contributed in the past and continues to contribute in the present in
toward self-identification
the Outer Circle
as indeed do other languages
that in discussions of ideological
โ
โ
โ
and self-knowledge.
A good example is again provided by Japan. Consider
JAAL Bulletin (December 986:7).
obsen/ation from the
1
"ยป
the following
142
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:1 (Spring 1989)
Prof.
Takao Suzuku
of Keio university lectured
English and Native English
โ
on 'International
English really an International
language?' Dividing English into International English and Native
English, he criticized Japanese teachers of English for teaching
Native English, dealing only with the literature, history, and lifestyles
He urged us to recognize the fact that
of England and America.
English is no longer the sole property of native English speaker.
Is
Japan's relations with Europe and America have changed from
advanced technology and culture) to
'horizontal' (economical and cultural exchange on equal terms). Accordingly, he argued, English teaching in Japan should also change
from emphasizing the conventional 'receiver' type to emphasizing the
'sender' type in order to express ourselves and our culture. While
using English as the 'form', he suggested, we should use as the
'content' Japan and other non-English cultural phenomena such as
Korean history, Arabic religion, or German literature.
'vertical' (unidirectional inflow of
question is about communicative competence and it has many
preceding discussion of pragmatic success, culture-specificity, and
ideological change naturally leads us to the area which is vaguely represented
In
in 'communicative competence' (for further discussion see Savignon 1987).
recent years, communicative competence has become one major area to which
applied linguists have paid serious attention. A partial bibliography on communicative language teaching includes over 1180 items (see Ramaiah &
Prabhu 1985, also Berns 1985). Again, considerable research on this topic has
been done with specific reference to the teaching of English in the Outer and
Expanding Circles of English, and this research comes in various vintages. The
most popular and, at the same time, rewarding for the publishing industry is
research on ESP (English for Specific Purposes).
The
faces.
last
My
Research on ESP, manuals for its use, lexical lists, and other aids are
guided by the assumption of the culture-specificity of English, in which
'appropriateness' is determined by the interlocutors from the Inner Circle.
have shown in an earlier paper on this topic that this assumption is only partially
correct (see Kachru 1 986b).
I
However as an aside, would like to mention a recent paper by Frances
Singh (1987) which insightfully discusses the role of power and politics in the
examples chosen to illustrate various grammatical points in three grammar
books used in the Indian subcontinent: Nesfield 1895, Tipping 1933, and Wren
& Martin 1954. She, then, contrasts the examples used by these three grammarians with that of Sidhu (1976), an Indian teacher of English. The conclusions Singh arrives at are very illuminating. These four grammar books
provide paradigm examples of power and politics as these reflect in the genre
I
of school textbooks.
B. Kachru: World Englishes and applied linguistics
What we need now
is
a study of the
same
that the results concerning the underlying
say the
type for
assumptions
ESP
of
143
texts.
My guess
such texts
will
is
be, to
least, provocative.
3.0 Where does applied linguistics
fail
the Outer Circle of English?
to me is the heart of the problem. And it naturally
applied linguistics fail the Outer Circle of English?
It is true that the last three decades have been the decades of significant strides
for the development of applied linguistics. True, we must recognize the fact that
And now
is
come to what
Where does
I
controversial.
applied theory has been used
And
in areas which were almost unresearched before.
the result of this extension and application of the linguistic sciences has
been
insightful.
336)
tells us, that
now
realized, though belatedly in the USA, as Lakoff (1975:
the theoretical linguist must deal with problems of the
intellect and morality, with reality and sanity ..." And, turning to applied linguists,
Lakoff continues "... the applied linguist must concern himself with decisions
among
It
is
"...
possible theories, universals of grammar, relations
But, then, that is only one side of the coin. There
systems.'
side to this coin
โ a side which has
traditionally
side which touches millions of users of English
It
is
this side of applied linguistics
planners, parents, children and, above
all,
in
been
left
among grammatical
is,
naturally,
another
without comment.
A
the Outer Circle.
which concerns educators, policy
a multitude of developing nations
across the proverbial Seven Seas.
The implications of applied linguistic
research raise questions, and result in various types of concerns. As said at
the outset, these are questions of theory, empirical validity, social responsibility,
and of ideology. Let me briefly present some of these here.
I
First, the question of ethnocentricism in conceptualization of the field of
world Englishes. The world Englishes in the Outer Circle are perceived from
the vantage point of the Inner Circle. The perception of the users and uses of
English
in
that circle
English, but
is
is
not only in conflict with the real sociolinguistic profiles of
also conditioned by an attitude which has divided the English-
using world into two large groups. One group, defined in most unrealistic terms,
comprises those who seem to be expected to learn English for communication
with another particular group.
And, the other group comprises those who
continue to look at the diffusion of English essentially in pedagogical terms.
This ethnocentric perception has created a situation which is obviously incorrect
on many counts.
The second question relates to what has been termed in the literature 'the
Observer's Paradox'. The 'Observer's Paradox" applies in several ways to observations on English in the Outer Circle.
First, there is an idealization of
contexts of use; second, the focus is on static categories of the lectal range as
s
144
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:1 (Spring 1989)
dynamic interactional nature of the functions; third, the observer
use of English from the total repertoire of the user; and fourth, the
researcher does not recognize the confusion between the performance and the
model.
Opposed
to the
isolates the
The
question Involves the 'paradigm
third
trap'.
The paradigm
trap
seems
to constrain not only description of the varieties, but also discussion of creativity
in
the use of the language, models for teaching, and teaching methodology.
notices this constraint in several ways: in the theoretical and method-
One
ological approaches used to describe the sociolinguistic contexts, and in the
data selected for analysis; in the description of the acquisitional strategies and
the resultant description of such language, and the generalizations made from
such data (e.g., interlanguage, fossilization); and in the evangelical zeal with
which the pedagogical methods are propagated and presented to the developing Third World, often with weak theoretical foundations, and with doubtful
relevance to the sociological, educational, and economic contexts of the Outer
Circle.
The
fourth question relates to the frustrating signs of excessive
com-
and professional organizations. In professional circles, in ESL/EFL programs, there still is the syndrome that the English
language is part of the baggage of transfer of technology to the Outer Circle.
This one way transfer-of-technology-mentality is fortunately being abandoned
social scientists working on the proband forward looking
by pragmatic
lems related to the developing world. But, unfortunately, in the ESL7EFL circles
the old paradigm still continues.
mercialization of professional minds
โ
โ
The above concerns do
tensions which one notices
my view
in
not exhaust the
list;
fundamental, concerns for
broader significance.
would like to discuss these
I
they are only indicative of the
However, there are some other, in
applied linguistic research, which have
the literature.
briefly.
These issues concern conceptualizations about the users
of English
frameworks adopted for the
description of the English-using speech fellowships in the Outer Circle, and the
question of the 'renewal of connection' between the theoretical frameworks and
the uses and users of English.
internationally, conceptualizations of the theoretical
me
discuss the conceptualization concerning the users of English
the post-1 950s, the dominant paradigms of linguistic research have taken monolingualism as the norm for linguistic behavior in
linguistic interactions. This is particularly true of the USA. This position, unFirst, let
internationally.
In
a rather distorted view of bilingual societies, and
As a consequence, the manifestations of language
contact have been viewed from the wrong perspective. Muhlhausler (1985) is
fortunately,
bilingualism
has resulted
in
general.
in
^
B. Kachru:
right in
World Englishes and applied
145
linguistics
drawing our attention to the fact that language contact has been
and less attention in linguistic literature.
receiving less
The concept that seems to have survived in applied linguistics is
And here Joshua Fishman's observation (1968:29) has, unfortunately, come to haunt us. He says that linguists tend to see language in two
ways '... the first being that of two "pure" languages, and the second that of
"interference" between them.' That observation may not apply to all linguists,
'interference'.
but it is certainly true of most dominant research paradigms used for the study of
world Englishes. The term 'interference' has acquired a negative connotation,
attitudinally very loaded.
What such statements convey,
unfortunately, is that multilingualism is an
and monolingualism is the norm. However, the reality is that monolingualism is the exception, and the largest number of users of English are bi- or
multilinguals; such bi- or multilingual users of English bring to the English
language a multicultural dimension, not only in the Outer Circle, but even in
Scotland, Wales, Ireland, and so on (see e.g. Walker 1984).
aberration,
It
is
and the sociocultural context is
example by Quirk (1986:19), when he says,
not that the relationship of language
not recognized.
Indeed
it
is,
as
for
... even the simplest, shortest, least technical, least momentous texts
have a structure involving profound interactions between language
and the world, between individual and culture in which they operate:
involving extensive assumptions about shared knowledge and
shared attitudes, reasoned inferences about the degree to which
participants in even such simple communications are willing to
operate. [Emphasis added]
it
comes to recognizing the implications of the use of
example, the Asian or African contexts, the results of such uses
on the form and functions of English, and the reflections of such uses in the
However, when
English
in,
for
literatures written in English, there is serious resistance to the interrelation
between language and the world, as we
portant process of cross-over
own papers
is
missing.
find in Quirk's observation:
That
is
The
im-
unfortunately true of Quirk's
(see e.g. Quirk 1988 and 1989).
this is the conceptualization of theoretical frameworks used
and analysis of English in the Outer Circle. It is unfortunate that
the types of models used for such descriptions by applied linguists have been
rather uninsightful. What is needed is to view the uses and the users of English
within the theoretical frameworks which may be considered 'socially realistic'.
What have in mind are, for example, the framework presented by J. R. Firth, M.
A. K. Halliday, Dell Hymes, and William Labov. Halliday (1978:2) tells us:
And, related to
for description
I
146
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:1 (Spring 1989)
A
social reality (or
semiotic construct.
otic
a
an edifice
'culture') is itself
In this
perspective, language
systems that constitutes a
one
culture;
also serves as an encoding system for
others ...
that
is
โ
meanings
a
one of the semi-
of
is
distinctive in that
many (though
not
all)
it
of the
And he adds:
The contexts
in which meanings are exchanged are not devoid of
a context of speech is itself a semiotic construct, having
a form (deriving from the culture) that enables the participants to
predict features of the prevailing register ... and hence to understand
one another as they go along.
social value;
The advantage
such frameworks as that of Halliday is that they provide
language to use, and, yet, they bring out
the formal distinctiveness. They assign a 'meaning' to what has merely been
termed 'interference' or 'fossilization'. They provide a dimension to the description which many structural and post-structural paradigms have failed to
of
a content
for description, they relate
provide.
A
socioculturally satisfactory description
analysis must
seek the 'renewal
and
theoretically insightful
connection with experience', as
would say (1957:xii). And here, the cmcial word is 'experience'.
still
of
Firth
It is not too much to ask that claims about the form and functions of English
the Outer Circle be justified in terms of the renewal of connection. This
implies that the observations about English in the Outer Circle should be valid
in
in
terms
contexts,
of the following: (a) the sociolinguistic contexts,
(c)
What
that
all
I
the pragmatic contexts, and
have said above
is
(d)
(b)
broad generalization:
It
gives the impression
current approaches to world Englishes have ignored the
That actually
is
above contexts.
not correct.
The above discussion may be summarized
which show
the functional
the attitudinal contexts.
in
terms
of
a bundle of fallacies
the dominant approaches to world Englishes. The fallacies are
of the following types: theoretical, methodological, formal, functional, and
attitudinal.
in
For further
details,
see the chart on the next page.
But all the bees are not out of my bonnet yet. The issues raised in this
paper, though restricted to applied linguistics and world Englishes, apply to
other areas of applied linguistics too. Here, must go back to the position which
presented at the beginning.
do not see applied linguistics divorced from the
I
I
I
concerns of our times, nor from the concerns of relevance to the societies
which we live. This view, of course, entails a responsibility. The question
social
in
of responsibility brings several other issues to the forefront: the issues of social
identity, of attitudes, of cultural values,
and
of culturally-determined interactional
B. Kachru:
World Englishes and applied
patterns and their acceptance, and, above
paradigms
of research.
all,
of
linguistics
choosing the most
147
insightful
148
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:1 (Spring 1989)
reaching ways. A large segment of the human population is involved in using
English across cultures, and across languages. In our task, we have to satisfy
many gods, and most of all, we have to remind ourselves more often than we
actually do, that the situation of English around the world is unprecedented in
many
have to be unprecedented too, formally,
and approaches to
and attitudinally. It seems to me that our present paradigms
are simply not up to the challenge which our discipline is facing.
respects,
it
sociolinguistically,
and
attitudes
And the profession
at large
does not show
that
we
are aware of the issues
which confront the largest segment of users of English in the Outer Circle. We
must be courageous and ask ourselves, like a Brahmin priest asked of Gautama
Buddha some 2500 years ago, 'What are you then? Are you a god, a demigod,
some spirit, or an ordinary man?' 'None of these', answered the Buddha, 'I am
awake.'
is that applied linguists have not been asked the question.
have no accountability; therefore, we do not know whether we are
'awake' about the challenges, and the social implications of our research.
Perhaps the time has come to ask ourselves some serious questions: questions
In other words, questions conof social concern and of social responsibility.
The problem
We seem
to
cerning accountability.
NOTES
โขThis is a slightly revised version of the plenary paper presented at the 8th
World Congress of Applied Linguistics (AILA) in Sidney, Australia, August 1621, 1987.
2David Crystal provides an optimistic estimated figure of 2 billion users of
He says, '... if you are highly conscious of international standards, or
wish to keep the figures for World English down, you will opt for a total of around
700 million, in the mid 1980s. If you go to the opposite extreme, and allow in
any systematic awareness whether in speaking, listening, reading, or writing,
you could easily persuade yourself of the reasonableness of 2 billion.'
However, he hastens to add,
am happy to settle for a billion... (see Crystal
English.
'
*l
1985:9).
The population
figures for the countries listed
in
the three circles are
from Encyclopedia Britannica 1989, Book of the Year, Chicago: Encyclopedia
Britannica, Inc.
3For further discussion and references see Kachru 1985 and Kachru &
Smith eds. 1986.
^Japan Association
of Applied Linguistics.
149
B. Kachru: World Englishes and applied linguistics
5See
e.g.
Kachru 1981, especially
p. 77.
6As Mijhlhausler correctly suggests (1985:52), aspects related to language contact are treated somewhat peripherally in introductory text-books on
linguistics.
A random sun/ey of such textbooks clearly proves Muhlhausler's
point. He says, "... We can observe a marked decrease in the number of pages
devoted to language contact phenomena ...' (52). For a detailed discussion on
language contact and for references see Hock 1986.
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Studies
in
Volume
19,
the Linguistic Sciences
Number
1,
Spring 1989
CORPUS PLANNING FOR MODERNIZATION:
SANSKRITIZATION AND ENGLISHIZATION OF HINDI
Yamuna Kachru
This paper discusses the impact of the two processes of
and modernization on the structure of Hindi.
show
that the spontaneous corpus planning by the users of the language is
giving a direction to the modernization of the language which was not
anticipated by the official language planners. Natural selection and
use of lexical and grammatical devices are resulting in Sanskritization
of the lexicon but Englishization of the syntax of Hindi. The data are
drawn from official documents, the media, and recently compiled
Sanskritization
dictionaries of technical
I
terminology.
Introduction
According to the Indian Constitution, Hindi in Devanagari script is the
language of the Indian Union. Article 351 of the constitution directs the
government to develop the language by making sure that it is enriched 'by
assimilating without interfering with its genius, the forms, style and expressions
used in Hindustani and in the other languages of India specified in the Eighth
Schedule, and by drawing, wherever necessary or desirable, for its vocabulary
primarily on Sanskrit and secondarily on other languages' (Nayar 1969:100). In
other words, Sanskritization is to be the primary means of modernizing Hindi for
use in administration, law, higher education, etc.; it is to be the center of all
corpus planning activities.
official
mean by modernnot be out of place here to briefly discuss what
and corpus planning. The notion of language modernization discussed
in studies such as Ferguson 1968, B. Kachru 1979, Gonzales 1984, D'souza
1986, 1987, among others, is of crucial relevance to the concept of corpus
planning (Kloss 1969). The term modernization has been used in various
senses by various researchers; will adopt the sense suggested in D'souza
1987: 'Modernization entails the processes by which a language is made
It
may
I
ization
I
154
Studiesin the Linguistic Sciences 19:1 (Spring 1989)
functionally suitable for
use
in
new
or extended domains' (64).
made
Corpus plan-
equip a language with elaborated
codes for use in domains such as modern administration, science, and technolwould like to discuss in this study both the results of corpus planning and
ogy.
the processes whereby the planned development of elaborated codes in Hindi
is being made partially irrelevant by spontaneous selection and use by a
majority of the users of the language.
ning refers to the deliberate attempts
to
I
new
the context of Hindi,
let
me make one
or extended
domains
of language use
Although it is not essential that societal modernization precede language modernization, in the
case of India, language modernization is motivated by sociocultural changes
that are taking place in response to the contact with the West. These sociocultural changes are most visible in the domains of sociopolitical ideologies and
scientific and technical education (see e.g. Singer 1972 on the modernization of
Before explaining the relevant
in
brief digression.
Indian society).
To come back
to the
extended domains
of
use
of Hindi.
No language
of
the Indian subcontinent, literary or non-literary, including Hindi, has had a tradi-
use in modern administrative, legislative, and judicial systems, or science
and technology. In the pre-British period, the language of the royal court(s) in a
large part of India was Persian, and following the consolidation of the British
rule in India soon after 1857, English became the language of administrative
and legal systems. In addition,
became the language of science and technolwas the medium of higher education (Report of the Official Language
ogy as
Commission, Government of India, 1956). All efforts since 1947 that have been
directed toward making Hindi functionally useful in domains such as administration, law courts, scientific, and technical education, are thus relevant for my
purposes here.
tion of
it
it
briefly the official policies and efforts to plan
will then focus on
and implement the results.
the spontaneous developments that have been going on since the 1950s and
their effect on the lexical, syntactic, and discoursal components of the language.
In this
paper,
I
will
describe
the enrichment of the language
Official
planning and implementation
Following the adoption of Hindi as the
India, there
(Halliday
I
official
language
of the
Republic of
was a
& Hasan
great deal of emphasis on developing various registers
1976) in the language. The official policy was to coin tech-
utilizing indigeneous sources; international sources were to
be utilized if and where indigeneous sources failed to provide the necessary
and appropriate resources. Indigeneous sources include terminology available
in Sanskrit and regional languages, and also the Persian terms adopted or
adapted in Hindi as well as various regional languages. In addition, the official
policy recognizes the fact that people 'in the field', though not very well educ-
nical
terminology
Y. Kachru: Corpus planning for modernization
ated
in
English or Sanskrit,
ces, including 'adaptations
may
and
155
already have developed appropriate resour-
vulgarizations' of English terms for talking about
technical topics; these should be adopted for modernizing the Indian languages
(Report of the
Official
Language Commission, Government
of India, 1956).
A number
of official bodies were instituted to develop and extend the use
between 1951-1967, the following among them: (1) The Board of Scientific and Technical Terminology, set up in 1951 to evolve technical terms and
words for use in mathematics, physics, chemistry, medicine, zoology, social
sciences, administrative subjects, and defence services; (2) The Central Hindi
Directorate, set up in 1960 to execute jobs relating to the propagation of Hindi;
The Central Hindi Institute, established in Agra in 1960 to provide up-to(3)
date expert knowledge and professional guidance for teaching Hindi to nonHindi-speaking peoples and foreigners, and to attend to allied pedagogical
problems; (4) The Indian Union of Hindi Organizations, established in 1964 to
advise the central and state governments in matters relating to the development
of Hindi; and (5) A Central Hindi Committee and several Hindi Advisory Committees, set up in 1967 to review from time to time the progress made by various
government ministries in the use of Hindi in their domains. In addition, the
Central Translation Bureau was set up in 1971 to translate all types of nonstatuatory literature and to monitor the translations done by various departments
and ministries.
of Hindi
Selection of an official language always has a tremendous effect on the
educational system. A language designated an official language immediately
carves out a prominent place in the educational system regardless of a deliberate policy in favor or opposition to such a move. In the case of Hindi, various
activities initiated by the state governments in the Hindi area as well as those by
the Union government have had an impact on the use of Hindi in administration
and education. First, the Conference of Education l\/Iinisters, Vice-Chancellors,
and other representatives from Hindi-speaking states met in July 1979 and
resolved that universities in Hindi-speaking states were to switch to Hindi as the
medium of instruction in Commerce, Arts, and Science subjects immediately. In
the case of Engineering and Medicine, the switch to Hindi medium was to be
effective beginning 1980.
Secondly, from 1979, the questions for the General
Knowledge and Essay components in the All India and Higher Central Services
Examinations were to be set in both English and Hindi, and candidates were to
answer the questions in any language listed in the Eighth Schedule of the
Thirdly, in order to
i.e., in any of the 14 national languages.
promote the knowledge of Hindi among public servants, the Union government
instituted three levels of proficiency examinations, and Hindi shorthand and
typing examinations.
By 1975, 57.3 percent of government employees had
passed one or the other level of the proficiency examinations, and 59.6 and
50.7 percent respectively had passed the typing and shorthand examinations.''
Fourthly, the Hindi-speaking states began pursuing vigorously the use of Hindi
in legal and administrative domains.
Constitution,
156
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:1 (Spring 1989)
Actual corpus planning and implementation
Although the
official policy
has always been
to gradually replace English
government have not been
unambiguous. First, in the ___domain of higher education, a string of proposals
and deliberations by numerous education commissions and other bodies
with Hindi, in actual practice, the intentions of the
debating the question of medium of instruction at the high school, undergraduate, and graduate levels finally has boiled down to this: Hindi is to serve as
link language for the masses, whereas English is to be link language of the
university-educated elite (Nayar 1969:173). In the ___domain of administrative
languages, the percentage of Union government employees who have become
does not exceed 50 percent; the number who use Hindi is
even smaller, if one were to judge by the quantum of correspondence carried
out in Hindi between the Union and the state governments (Gandhi 1984:212,
proficient in Hindi
Table).
Moving over to the issue of spontaneous corpus planning, in spite of the
emphasis on Sanskrit and other indigeneous sources, in practice, Hindi
seems to be utilizing all the sources available to it in order to modernize itself:
the traditional source of Sanskrit lexicon and grammar, the indigeneous source
of folk terms, the pan-Indian source of terms from other regional languages, and
the international source(s) of scientific and technical terms. The strategy varies
from strict utilization of only one of these options to an eclectic approach of
finding the most appropriate and least exclusive alternative. Almost all Indian
languages adopt such strategies for modernization (see D'souza 1986 for
examples from Bengali, Hindi, Kannada, Marathi, Tamil, and Telugu). Note that
in most Indian languages, modernization is crucially dependent upon Sanskritization; Sanskrit has been the traditional source that has enriched all languages
for intellectual speculations and technical terminologies.
official
In the remainder of this paper,
will discuss the interaction of two strategies
equip Hindi for use in administrative, legal, business, commercial, scientific,
technical, and other such domains: drawing from Sanskrit, and mixing with
I
to
English
.
In spite of the efforts of the purists and nationalists, the language as used
day-to-day administration, business, courts, and scientific and technical
education, etc. is heavily mixed with English. This mixing results from the
following lexicalization processes: borrowing ('loanwords' in D'souza 1987);
hybridization; simultaneous use of indigeneous and English items ('doublets' in
D'souza 1987); loanshifting, including semantic extension ('loan extensions' in
D'souza 1987) and loan translation, and use of neologisms (new words formed
from indigenous material but with meanings/concepts adopted from a foreign
in
source,
i.e.,
English).^
157
Y. Kachru: Corpus planning for modernization
Examples
(1)
of
these processes are as follows:
Borrowing
Administration and Law:
kes
'case',
'secretary',
afear
'officer*, yay 'judge',
aaffs
'office',
sekreTarii
ejeNDaa 'agenda'
Business and Industry:
ba/nk 'bank', arye/vr
'urgent',
manii aarDar 'money order',
rejisTreshan 'registration', d/paay'/T 'deposit'
Science and technology:
tharmal paawar sTeshan 'thermal power station', kren 'crane',
espirin 'aspirin', alTraa saauND 'ultra sound"
(2)
Hybridization
Administration and Law:
faail-paddhati
kendra
'i\\\r\g
system', pulis caukii 'poWce station', reDio
'radio station',
pres sensari 'press censorship', raashan
adhikaarii 'rationing officer'
Business and Industry;
kendriiya baink 'central bank', vaahak caik 'bearer cheque',
mashiiniikaraN 'mechanization'
Science and Technology
takniikii shikshaa 'technical education', mashiin mistrii
'machinist', esiTic
(3)
amia
'acetic acid'
'Doublets'
Administration and Law:
panjiiyak, panjiikaar
aashulekhak
saamaan, maal
sangarodh
Businessand Industry:
utpaadan
shilghraliplk,
rajisTraar
'registrar'
sTeno
sTaak
kwaarenTaain
'stenographer'
'stock',
'quarantine'
proDakT
'product'
samveSTan
paikejing
'packaging'
vijnaapan
aiDvarTaayzIng
prays
braiND
cainals av
DisTribyuushan
'advertising'
DimaaND
'demand'.
nyuuraan
insomniyaa
'neuron'
aarsenik
'arsenic'
muulya
cihna
vitaraN ke
maadhyam
maag
'price'
'brand'
'channels of
distribution'
(Singh 1983:63)
Science and Technology:
snaayu koshikaa
anidraa rog
sankhiaa
'insomnia'
158
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:1 (Spring 1989)
(4)
Loanshifts:
a.
Semantic Extensions
Administration and Law:
sac/Va 'secretary', man/r/V
'minister',
anus/jaasan
'discipline',
rakSaa 'defence'
Businessand Technology:
hunDii'bWy, vyaapaar 'commerce' vyaw-saay 'profession',
abhikartaa 'agent' (from abhikr'lo do in behalf of or with
,
reference
to')
Science and Technology:
aavesh
urvaraa
b.
'charge', uurjaa 'energy',
urvarak
'fertilizer'
(from
'fertile soil')
Loan Translations
Administration and Law:
(5)
jana gaNanaa 'census', raaSTriiyakaraN 'nationalization',
bandii pratyakSiikaraN 'habeas corpus'
Business and Industry:
jiivan biimaa 'life insurance', shram kalyaaN 'labor welfare',
shramlk sangha 'labor union', amsh patra 'share', vitta 'finance'
Neologisms
Administration and Law:
aakaashvaaNii'AW India Radio' (original meaning: 'voice from
the air or heaven'), nagar nigam 'municipal corporation', bikrii
/car 'sales tax', shamsaa-patra 'testimonial'
Business and Industry:
biijak 'invoice', rokaRiyaa 'cashier', bandhak 'mortgage',
vaarSik vrtti 'annuity'
Science and Technology:
sangaNak 'computer', shodh 'research', prayogshaalaa
'laboratory', pratiip
The processes
stabilized as yet.
India (Kansal
illustrated
In fact,
one
gaman
'regression'
above make
it
clear that the terminology has not
of the official publications of the
& Sharma 1978) contains examples such as
Government of
The
the following:
proposes the translation equivalent uuSma for the concept of 'heat' jn
physics in the paragraph on suggesting equivalents for international scientific
terminology, but uses the term taap while discussing the Sanskrit terms current
all over India for the same concept in the next paragraph (p. 30)1
In the ___domain
text
it
has been found necessary to compile dictionterms used for the same English ones in the same
state or in various states. One such dictionary, Tiwari, Bhatia & Singh 1982,
provides lists of the type illustrated in (6) [next page]. (See also Paliwal 1986.)
of administrative terminology,
aries that
list
parallel Hindi
In the absence of the English terms, the equivalent Hindi terms, essentialy
borrowed from Sanskrit, may not be understood, or may even be misunderstood
across states or between states and the Center!
Y. Kachru: Corpus planning for modernization
(6)
a.
159
Face value
English term:
Hindi term:
Central government:
Rajasthan:
pratyakSa muulya
muulya
mukhya muulya
ankit/ pratyakSa muulya,
ankit arhaa
ankit muulya
ankit/
Uttar Pradesh:
ankit
Bihar:
Madhya Pradesh:
Hariyana:
b.
muulya
ankit
English term:
Intelligence
Bureau
Hindi term:
Central government:
guptavaartaa vibhaag
guptavaartaa vibhaag
xufiyaa byuuro/
adhisuucnaa kendra
Rajasthan:
Uttar Pradesh:
aasucnaa abhiSThaan/
Bihar:
byuuro, aasuucnaa/xufiyaa
byuuro
guptavaartaa vibhaag/
guptacaryaa kaaryaalaya
guptavaartaa vibhaag
Madhya Pradesh:
Hariyana:
Interesting as the processes described above are, more interesting are the
changes introduced into the syntax of Hindi and other languages due to the
processes of code elaboration and use of the elaborated codes in new domains. Consider the following examples from Hindi:
(7)
Excerpt from the Lok Sabha (Indian Parliament: Lower House)
II
(General Information relating to parliamentary and
Bulletin [Part
other matters),
Monday March
ke
kaary
sarkaarii
government business
'Allocation of time for
liye
for
24,
1908 (Saka),
p.1)]:
samay kaa
niyatan
time
allocation
of
government business.'
sabhaa aaj
shhi gulaam nabii aazaad dvaaraa pesh kiye gaye
moved
Lok Sabha today Mr. Ghulam Nabi Azad
by
lok
ek prastaav par sahmat
a motion on agreed
huii
ki
{antarraajyik
that Inter-state
jal
vivaad
Water Dispute
(sanshodhan) vidheyak, 1986, raa jya sabhaa dvaaraa yathaapaarit
Rajya Sabha by
(amendment) Bill
as passed
par} vicaar
athaa paarit karne hetu3 ghaNTe kaa samay
for
of
time
on consideration and passing
3 hours
niyat
kiyaa jaae.
allocation be
done
.
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:1 (Spring 1989)
160
'On a motion moved by Mr. Ghulam Nabi Azad, the Lok Sabha today
agreed to the allocation of 3 hours for the consideration and passing
of the Inter-state Water Disputes (Amendment) Bill, 1986, as passed
by the Rajya Sabha.'
The separation of the postposition par 'on* from its object NP by the
underlined phrase in (7) provides an instance of the effect of English syntax as
a result of a literal translation. 3 The order of the phrases in the sentence and
the coordination of items in italics point to the same factor. According to the
rules of Hindi usage, the sentence should have had the following word order:
lok sabhaa aaj shrii gulaam nabii aazaad dvaaraa pesh kiye gaye
ek prastaav par sahmat huii ki (raajya sabhaa dvaaraa yathaa paarit
antarraajyik jal vivaad (sanshodhan) vidheyak, 1986, par} vicaar
karne tathaa use paarit karne hetu 3 ghaNTe kaa samay niyat kiyaa
(7")
jaae.
What
fact that
is
noticeable about the language of the parliamentary bulletins is the
all content words are from Sanskrit, but the syntax is highly
almost
The same phenomenon is attested in the journalistic register, as is
in (8).
The tortuous syntax and the use of the passive
dekhaa jaa rahaa thaa 'was being seen' in this passage are influenced by
English. A more idiomatic Hindi sentence would read as in (8').'*
Englishized.
clear from the excerpt
(8)
cailenjar
Challenger
amriikii
antarikSa kaarykram ko
ke visphoT se
program
to
explosion from American space
of
suffered
ubaarne
dhakke se
shock from emerging
taur par
kal
way on
yesterday Delta
lege
kii
kSamtaa ke pariikSaN
of capacity
DelTaa raakeT
rocket
kii
uRaan ko
of flight
ke
of
of test
DO
dekhaa jaa rahaa
seen
being
thaa.
was
'The
flight of
the Delta rocket yesterday
was being seen as a
test of
the American space program's capability to extricate itself from the
setback suffered as a result of the explosion of Challenger.
(Jansattaa,
(8')
kal
May
kii
Yesterday
of
5,
DelTaa raakeT
kii
uRaan ek
Delta
of
flight
antarikS kaarykarm
space
1986:2)
program
rocket
kii
of
dhakke se ubaarne
shock from emerging
a
tarah se
amriikii
way from American
cailenjar
ke visphoT
se
Challenger of explosion from
kii
kSamtaa ke pariikSaN ke
of capability of
test
of
lage
suffered
taur parthii.
way on was
Y. Kachru: Corpus planning for modernization
Mixing with English
and technical
161
not confined to administrative, legal, business,
is
The language of duurdarshan, 'Indian telepresents several examples of English idioms translated into Hindi,
which may be unintelligible to viewers not familiar with English. The examples
sceintific,
registers.
vision',
in (9) illustrate
(9)
this claim:
yah faarm par rahnaa tumhaare ko Thiik nahTT baiThtaa.
farm on living
right not
sits
you
to
'This living on the farm does not sit well with you.'
a.
this
phon lagaaiye.
phone connect hon.
'Please connect the phone to my wife.'
merii vaaif ko
b.
my
DO
wife
(Episode 51: Khaandaan, March 19, 1986)
The Hindi idioms in (9a) and (9b) should have been ... tumhe raas nahii
aataa 'does not suit you' and phon milaaiye 'connect the phone'. Note also the
use of the indianized English word vaa/Twife' in (9b) instead of the Hindi word
patnii.
The rapid expansion of register range of Hindi and other Indian languages
and the increased use of the English-mixed style in several domains has
resulted in an overall mixed educated variety of these languages. A sample of
this mixed variety of Hindi is presented below:
plaazaa
lauTte hue kuch der
se
while plaza
from returning a
(10) kaalej
college
aaj
xush
kaafii
tabiiyat
today mind
ammaa
uTh kar ghar cale aaye.
raising
home came away
eating
ek tej
a sharp
patra likhaa thaa,
posT
kar diyaa.
post
do gave
is
this
ghaNTe
had
mai ne
hai
and
sat for a while
this day,
home.
I
(I)
felt
in
us
likhe.
letters
wrote
but
post
it
hai.
10
yah aadmii
man
nahii,
vah vyakti
he person not
apnii
siimaae
hai.
own
limits
are
way back from
When
Mother.
Gyan
duusraa
that this
of
light-hearted.
for
ki
kii
the plaza on our
brought the medicine
thaa
thought had
not
Taaip
kar
gyaan ko
not doing other
kabhii nahii socaa
that type
happy and
se
from
there
dii.
patra
posT na
ag. ever
โ aur
is
iaa
par use
kadar 'miiDiaakar' ho saktaa
be can
mediocre
way
ek Taaip
type
a
'(I)
after
I
ko davaaii
two hours
meal
written
was
light
mother 10 medicine bring gave
khaanaa khaane ke baad do
letter
baiThe rahe.
seated remained
in
man halkaathaa. vahaa
aur
thii
happy was and heart
very
me
(I)
I
left
the college.
there,
wrote
(I)
On
came
letters for
two
162
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:1 (Spring 1989)
hours after eating. (I) wrote a sharp lettter to Gyan, but did not mail it;
(I) mailed another one instead.
had never thought that he could be
so mediocre ... He is not an individual, he is a type, and that type has
I
its
own
limitations."
(Rakesh1985:46)
The excerpt
Hindi
spoken
all
in (10) represents the ordinary idiom of colloquial standard
over the Hindi area by educated speakers of the language.
Conclusion
obvious from the discussion above that mixing with English has resultterms for many objects and concepts, semantic extensions or
redefinitions of words from indigeneous sources, especially Sanskrit, and
neologisms that are opaque for most speakers of Hindi and that need the
equivalent English terms for appropriate interpretation. In other words, even the
Sanskritization of the lexicon is being mediated through English. In addition to
these effects on the lexicon, English has influenced the syntax of the language
by introducing uncharacteristic word order, and extension of conventions of use
of constructions such as the passive. These changes have not occurred because of deliberate planning; they have resulted from the process of rapid
translation of texts from English (in the context of journalism, parliamentary debates, court room proceedings, etc.). Another contributing factor has been the
nature of the speakers and writers responsible for the use of the language in
new domains. Most speakers and writers who use Hindi in, e.g., administrative,
legal, or scientific discourse have been educated through the medium of
English. It is natural for them to continue to use English terms and idioms to
express the meanings they have in Hindi. This naturally leads to the EnglishWhatever the official policy, English
ization of Hindi (see B. Kachru 1986).
continues to play a major role in the unplanned 'corpus planning' of almost all
Indian languages. The resulting enrichment is not confined to the new and
extended domains; it has spilled over to the old and restricted domains as well
and introduced changes in the structure of the language.
It
ed
is
in parallel
NOTES
^For statistics on implementation of policies with regard to Hindi as
of instruction and in central services examinations, and the number of
government employees with proficiency in Hindi, see Gandhi 1984, Tables on
pp. 204-207, 200-201, and 106, respectively.
medium
2AII
these categories are proposed
in
D'souza 1987.
Y. Kachni: Corpus planning for modernization
^The entire postpositional phrase is enclosed
examples have also been used in Y. Kachru 1987.
^The
and
'ag.',
direct,
in
{
}.
163
This and the next few
'DO', '10' in the glosses are abbreviations for the agentive.
marking postpositions, respectively. The
ending on the verb.
indirect object
to the honorific
'hon.' refers
REFERENCES
1986.
Language modernization in a sociolingulstic area.
Anthropological Linguistics 28:4.455-71
1987. English in India's language modernization. World Englishes 6:1.
63-70.
D'SOUZA, Jean.
A. 1968. Language development. Language problems of
developing nations, ed by J.A.Fishman, C.A. Ferguson, and J. Das Gupta,
Ferguson, Charles
27-35. New York: John Wiley.
Gandhi, K.L. 1984. The problem of
official
language
in India.
Delhi:
Arya Book
Depot.
Gonzales, Andrew.
1984.
Language dilemma
in
Philippine
academia: nation-
alism of modernization. Language for the third world universities, ed. by
Pride, 23-38. New Delhi: Bahri Publications.
J.
Braj B.
1979. The Englishization of Hindi: Language rivalry and
language change. Linguistic method: Papers in honor of H. Penzl., ed. by
Rauch and G.F. Carr, 199-211. The Hague: Mouton.
1986. The alchemy of English: The spread, functions, and models of non-
Kachru,
I.
Oxford: Pergamon Press.
1987. Impact of expanding domains of use on a standard
Contemporary Hindi in India. Studies in the Linguistic Scien-
native Englishes.
Kachru, Yamuna.
language:
ces 17:1.73-90.
Kansal, Hah B., and R. K. Sharma (eds.). 1978. All India Official Language
Conference Souvenir. New Delhi: Department of Official Language, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India.
Kloss, Heinz. 1969. Research possibilities on group-bilingualism. Quebec:
International Center for Research on Bilingualism.
Nayar, Batdev R. 1969. National communication and language policy in India.
Ney York: Praeger.
Paliwal, Naryandatta. 1986. Prashaasnik angrezii-hindii koS [English-Hindi
dictionary of Administrative Terminology].
New
Delhi:
Takshashila Praka-
shan.
Rakesh, Mohan. 1988. Mohan raakesh
kii
Dayrii.
Delhi:
Rajpal & Sons.
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:1 (Spring 1989)
164
REPORT OF THE OFFICIAL LANGUAGE COMMISSSION, GOVERNMENT OF
New
Delhi:
Government
INDIA.
1
956.
of India Press.
Singer, Milton. 1972. When a great tradition modernizes: An anthropological
approach to Indian civilization. New York: Praeger.
Singh, Dilip. 1983. Vyaavsaayik hindii [Business Hindi]. Madras: Dakshina
Bharat Hindi Prachar Sabha.
TiWARi, Bholanath, K.G. Bhatia, and J. Singh. 1982. Akhil bhaaratiiya prashaasnik koS [All India Administrative Terminology]. Delhi: Prabhat
Prakashan.
the Linguistic Sciences
Studies
in
Volume
19,
Number
1,
Spring 1989
SQUIB
Good mixes and odd mixes:
Implications for the bilingual's grammar
Rakesh Mohan Bhatt
โ
Code-mixing (CM)
the intrasentential mixing of various linguistic units
is perhaps the most pervasive phenfrom two distinct grammatical systems
omenon that characterizes multilingual speech communities. Contrary to earlier
claims that CM is random, there have been some successful attempts in the
recent past to structure code mixing, both in its form and and in its function (e.g.
Kachru 1978, 1982, Bokamba 1988, Pandharipande 1986, Poplack 1982,
Sridhar & Sridhar 1980, Timm 1975). These studies have attempted to discover
syntactic constraints on CM in order to characterize the bilingual's linguistic
competence and
its
โ
implication for linguistic theory.
indeed there are structural constraints on CM, or at least languagewe may have to try to develop a theoretical apparatus that
will account for the phenomenon of CM and reveal principles of its organization
and functioning. Put differently, we have to engage ourselves, as Ferguson
(1978) has already pointed out, in writing a bilingual's grammar. The purpose
of this squib is to respond, very briefly, to Ferguson's concern and to see if
If
specific constraints,
structural constraints
in
CM
fall
out from general linguistic principles.
multilingual societies, where CM is generally the norm, accode-mixed varieties necessitates important modification of linguisIf code-mixers do indeed have intuitions about 'good
tic theory as we know it.
mixes' as opposed to 'odd mixes', we are obliged to assume a code-mixed
competence: the ability of speakers to give judgements about the acceptability
or unacceptability of a certain code-mixed utterance. In fact, theoretical studies
have focussed on the structural characteristics of CM in order to describe the
properties of such internalized systems (Pfaff 1979, Poplack 1980, Shdhar &
Sridhar 1980, among others). These studies, however, suffer from one very serious defect. Their cross-linguistic generalizations are based on a very small
corpus of data and are thus falsified in subsequent studies. For example, Poplack's Free Morpheme Constraint has exceptions in 'Korean-English (/ man-a
chip 'This man's house'), Swahili-English {Tunakwende ku-enjoy mjini"We
are going to town to enjoy'; Kishe 1989), and Chikongo-French {Samba,
chauffa bidia
'Samba, chauffe bidia 'Warm up the food'; Dimbamio 1989).
In traditional
quisition of
โ
166
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:1 (Spring 1989)
Sridhar & Sridhar's Dual Structure Principle has had its share of problems
Their analysis of the insertion of elements of
too (see Pandharipande 1986).
the guest language
'Into appropriate slots in the syntactic frame of the host language' has exceptions in cases where the phrase structure order of the guest
language is different from the host language. Consider e.g. the following CM
passages involving Hindi or Kashmiri with English.
Ct^ Hindi-English
(1)
(a)
gaaRii
sTeshan
par
aayii
train
station
on/at
came
'The train arrived
(b)
CM
*gaaRii
[in
in
the station.'
the station]
aayii
Kashmiri-English
(2)
(a)
gaaR'
aayii
sTeshanas
p'aTh
train
came
station
on
'The train arrived
(3)
(b)
*gaaR'
(a)
ba
I
'I
(b)
(c)
in
aayii
osus
had
had gone
[in
the station]
dostas
siith'
friend
with
with
*ba osus
ba osus
the station.'
a
gomut
gone
friend.'
[with friend]
friend siith'
gomut
gomut
(DSP) will probably hold if we modify
to
a guest language can be introduced into
the host language that are licensed by the phrase structure rules of the host
language. This constraint will therefore predict sentences like (lb), (2b) and
(3b) to be (severe) cases of 'odd' mixing. The modified DSP also holds true
in Farsi-English (Gadhari 1989), German-Swahili (Vavrus 1989), etc.
The Dual Structure
mean
Principle
it
that only those linguistic units of
There
is
yet another constraint that
seems
to
have cross-linguistic appeal.
it
Lexical Category
Constraint. This constraint will not allow any 'lexical category' (= "stuff" that
does not have any referential meaning, such as determiners, inflectional suffixes, postpositions, complementizers, etc.) to be mixed into the host language.
Examples of such a constraint in Hindi-English CM are given as examples (c)
and (d) in Kachru 1983:203. Other evidence is cited in (4) and (5) below. Similar examples can be found in Korean-English CM, Chikongo-French CM,
Swahili-English CM, and Hindi-English CM, to mention only a few cases.
In
the absence of any preexisting terminology,
I
shall call
Spanish-English
(4)
(a)
di
un
libro
gave a book
gave a book
'I
(b)
*di
(c)
di
un
un
a
I
to the
estudiante
student
to the student.'
libro
to
libro
a
I
estudiante
student
Bhatt: Squib
on 'Good mixes and odd mixes'
167
Creole-English
(5)
The
to
pan di kata
on the turban
on di kata
pan di turban
book
(a)
Di
(b)
The book
*Di book
(c)
Di
book
constraints on functional categories, on the other hand, are subject
parametric variation. For instance, in Korean-English, the head of the funccategory is the one which cannot be mixed, cf. (6).
tional
Korean-English
(a)
(6)
meu
serpuda
very
sad
(b)
*meu
(c)
very
sad
serpuda
On the other hand, in Spanish-English, Hindi-English, Farsi-English, and
Creole-English it is the head that can be borrowed from the guest language, not
its
complement;
cf. (7)
-
(9).
Spanish-English
(a)
(7
(b)
muy
sad
very
sad
*very
triste
bahut
sad
very
sad
dukhii
Hindi-English
(a)
(8)
(b)
*very
Creole-English
(a)
(9)
John thinks Mary
(b)
*John thinks Mary
(c)
John thinks Mary
chupit
too
'John thinks (that) Mary
(is)
very stupid'
very chupit
stupid
too
CM is still very small. And the task at hand is stupenddevelop a system of rules that interact to determine the form and
meaning of a potentially infinite number of CM sentences. But the interest in
empirical study of CM continues with the same rigor as it has since the early
1970's, it may lead to the formulation of highly restrictive and quite plausible
hypotheses that contribute to the attempt to develop a theory of acquisition of
knowledge that gives due place to multilingualism. The goal of such an enterprise will be to spell out, in some detail, the elaborate and abstract computThe data base on
ous:
to
if
ations, the formal principles, that
age use
in
makes
possible the creative aspect of langu-
multilingual societies, viz., code-mixing.
168
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:1 (Spring 1989)
REFERENCES
BOKAMBA,
E. 1988. Code-mixing, language variation, and linguistic theory:
Evidence from Bantu languages. Lingua 76:1.21-62.
DIMBAMIO, B. 1989. Is code-mixing rule governed ? Department of Linguistics, University of Illinois,
FERGUSON,
Linguistics
97-105.
GADHARI,
MS.
1978. Multilingualism as object of linguistic description.
the seventies: Directions and prospects, ed. by B. B. Kachru,
C. A.
in
Sciences 8:2.)
Notes on Farsi-English code-mixing.
(= Studies in the Linguistic
Department of LinMS.
KACHRU, Braj B. 1978. Code-mixing as a communicative strategy in India.
International dimensions of bilingual education, ed. by J. Alatis, 107-124.
Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press.
1982. The bilingual's linguistic repertoire. Issues in international bilingual
education: The role of vernacular, ed. by B. Hartford & A. Valdman, 25-52.
New York: Plenum Press.
1983. The Indianization of English: The English language in India. Delhi:
J.
1989.
guistics, University of Illinois,
Oxford University Press.
A. 1989. Constraints on Swahili-English code-mixing.
KISHE,
Department
of
MS.
PANDHARIPANDE, R. 1986. Formal and functional constraints on code-mixing. 11th International Congress of Sociology, New Delhi, India.
PFAFF, C. W. 1979. Constraints on language mixing. Language 55.291-318.
POPLACK, S. 1980. Sometimes start a sentence in English y termino en
Linguistics, University of Illinois,
I
โ
Espanol: toward a typology of code-switching. Linguistics 18.581-618.
1982. Bilingualism and the vernacular. Issues in international bilingual
education: The role of vernacular, ed. by B. Hartford & A. Valdman, 1-23.
New York: Plenum Press.
SRIDHAR, S. N., and K. K. Sridhar. 1980. The syntax and psycholinguistics of
bilingual code-mixing. Canadian Journal of Psychology 34.407-416.
TIMM, L A. 1975. Spanish-English code-switching: El porque y how-not-to.
Romance Philology 28.473-482.
VAVRUS, F. 1989. Reflections on code-switching and code-mixing. Depart.
ment
of Linguistics, University of Illinois,
MS.
the Linguistic Sciences
Number 1, Spring 1989
Studies
in
Volume
19,
REVIEW
New
Sil<hs in England.
Crisis of identity:
Agnihotri:
Rs. 140/--, US
Bahri Publications, 1987; pp. xv, 162, map.
Rama Kant
Delhi:
$28.00.
Jean Aitcinison
(London School of Economics)
In the twentieth century, immigration has taken place around the world on
a large scale. Yet remarkably little is known about the detailed sociolinguistic
patterns which are associated with the inevitable conflicts of adaptation, as the
newcomers encounter a different language and a strange culture. Our ignorance is due primarily to three factors: First, the immigrant group is usually
struggling to establish itself financially, and its members are often forced into
unskilled or semi-skilled jobs. They are therefore not in a position to conduct
Second, few of the hosts have enough
their own sociolinguistic surveys.
knowledge of the language and customs of the newcomers to be able to ask
useful questions. Third, the immigrant group is often suspicious of inquisitive
strangers. The result is that the host country often ignores the situation, hoping
that the new arrivals will simply melt away by fast assimilation into the local
language and culture. If they do not, then educational and social problems are
dealt with piecemeal,
and not always successfully.
is typical of the treatment of immigrants in Great Britain,
which has become a multicultural nation in less than half a century. The widespread ignorance about them and their needs can only be amended if we have
many more studies of the type found in this book. Agnihotri's study of the
conflicts faced by Sikh children in England is a model of its kind, lucid, informative, and thorough. As a native speaker of Punjabi, a fluent speaker of English,
and a trained sociolinguist, he was an ideal person to deal with the topic. The
bulk of the work was carried out in the early 1970s as part of his Ph.D.
dissertation, which was written while he was a postgraduate at the University of
The above
York.
pattern
He was thus
England, and
it
is
a
able to investigate the first generation of Sikh children
study has taken so long to get into print.
in
pity the
According to the preface, the book is the first and more general of two
volumes. (The second, containing detailed linguistic analyses, has not yet been
published.) It contains 10 chapters, which move gradually from general matters
at the
beginning, to linguistic analysis
at
the end.
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:1 (Spring 1989)
170
The
early chapters deal with background information on Sikh culture
and the circumstances of Sikh arrival in Britain: A first wave from
rural India in the early 1960s was supplemented by an influx of urbanized Sikhs
from Kenya and Uganda in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Chapter 3 contains
a demographic survey of the Sikh community in Leeds, with information about
age, sex, occupation, residential area, and family structure, culled partly from
official sources, and partly from a survey conducted by the author.
(chapter
1),
Chapter 4 outlines the sociolinguistic situation faced by the Sikh children.
lived with predominantly Punjabi-speaking parents and relatives, who
insisted on the maintenance of traditional Sikh culture; they went to schools
where they were exposed to the Leeds English spoken by the English children;
school and on radio and television they intermittently came across the
at
English accent known as RP (Received Pronunciation, the educated standard of
Britain); and they conversed with their siblings in a 'mixed code', part English,
They
part Punjabi.
Chapter 5 looks in more detail at a small sample of children, 36 Sikh and 6
English, with the Sikh children divided into three groups, depending on their
length of stay in Leeds (Group A, 2-5 years; B, 6-9 years; C, 10+ years). The
chapter provides a 'sociopsychological profile' of the children, in that it outlines
their beliefs and hopes. For example, over half of the Sikh children claimed that
English was their 'best language', irrespective of their length of stay, indicating
perhaps their realization that it was likely to prove the most socially useful.
To a
linguist,
esting, since they
the last two chapters (6 and 7) are perhaps the most interthe sociolinguistic patterns of adaptation adopted by the
show
Sikh children.
Chapter 6 shows that predictably, perhaps, and encouragingly, the longer
in Leeds, the more they approximate to the Leeds English
variants, suggesting a gradual integration into the local norms. However, the
Leeds features are not all acquired at the same time: Frequently used features
are acquired faster, and stigmatized ones are picked up more slowly. The
author also argues that features which fit in with Punjabi speech behaviour are
the children are
acquired faster.
worrying finding was the discovery that whereas the
Leeds children diverged in their casual speaking and formal reading
styles, with the more prestigious RP used in the more careful styles, the Sikh
children tended to model their reading style on their casual style. This suggests
that the Sikh children were likely to be discriminated against in finding employment, since an RP accent (at least in the 1970s) was a distinct advantage in
getting a good job. As in other sociolinguistic studies, the girls in this sample
showed a greater use of prestige, non-stigmatized features.
A somewhat more
'native'
This chapter contains some minor phonetic defects, perhaps because the
author has attempted to oversimplify matters for a nonspecialist audience. For
example, there is a somewhat odd statement that in Leeds English bus is 'pronounced exactly as it is written.' (93): An RP speaker would make exactly the
same claim, while pronouncing the vowel quite differently! Representation of
the Leeds pronunciation of [t] as [ts] without further discussion is somewhat
misleading. And (perhaps a fault of the printer) the glottal stop is almost uni-
Aitchison:
Review of Agnihotri
171
formly transcribed as a question mark. But these are minor matters, and do not
detract seriously from an interesting chapter.
Chapter 7 on the mixed code discusses the intermingled Punjabi-English
which is spoken by the children, usually with their siblings. Since this work was
carried out in the early 1970s, it is ahead of its time in realizing that simple
'code-switching' is too simple a concept for the complex code-mix which the
Quite often it is impossible to tell whether the underlying
children use:
language is English or Punjabi, and it is also impossible to predict when
switches or mixing will occur. Some of the constructions which are frequently
mixed are described, and one can only hope that this fascinating topic will be
dealt with
more
fully in
the second volume (as promised).
a well-documented, informative, and in many
one done as long ago as the
early 1970s. Had it been done in the 1980s, one might have liked a deeper
discussion of morphology and syntax, though perhaps this will materialize in the
second volume. Certain statements also seem a little dated. For example, the
author regrets that the Sikh children may be doubly-disadvantaged, partly because they are foreign, and partly because they do not seem to be acquiring the
RP accent necessary to get a good job. In fact, in the last decade, regional
accents have become considerably more acceptable, and in some instances
they are considered to be desirable, as they stamp the speaker as being more
'genuine'. The tub-thumping final paragraph also seems somewhat dated, in
which the author states that 'the British government needs to reconsider its
educational, linguistic, and cultural policies' (p. 132) in order to take account of
the needs of a multicultural society. In the late 1980s, Britain is fully aware of
the need to cater to a wide variety of languages and cultures. The basic problem now is one of providing the right kind of information to those in positions of
power so that they can make decisions based on useful knowledge, rather than
ignorance and speculation. Perhaps the final paragraph should more fittingly
have requested those in power to read this informative book!
As already noted,
ways model
study.
It
is
this is
particularly impressive for
One final quibble: The book is entitled 'Crisis of identity.' Yet to an outsider reading this book, the children seemed to be coping remarkably well with
their mixed identities, in spite of the conflicting pressures to which they were
subjected. The crisis seemed to be mainly in the minds of the parents, who
seemed desparately worried that their children were getting infected by the
and (to them) often deplorable British ways. The children themselves
showed a praiseworthy, pragmatic acceptance of the fact that they had to speak
Punjabi to their parents and at the temple, and that they needed to use English
alien
at school; and they felt
They seemed to accept
One
it
useful to
fall
back on a mixed code with
their siblings.
was necessary to have a foot in each culture:
sensible way in which most of them seemed to be
that
it
could only admire the
coping with conflicts which were undoubtedly more severe than most
to face when growing up.
In
of
us have
is an excellent book which deserves to be widely read,
by sociolinguists and educators. Hopefully, the second volume will
the relatively near future. Ideally also this first volume will become
conclusion, this
particularly
appear
in
easily available outside of India, preferably after correction of the
typographical errors which mar the pages.
numerous
the Linguistic Sciences
Studies
in
Volume
19,
Number
1,
Spring 1989
REVIEW
Tej K. Bhatia:
A
history of the Hindi grammatical tradition.
Leiden:
E. J. Brill, 1987, pp. 229.
Rajeshwari Pandharipande
monograph presents a much needed survey of the 300 years of
1698 to the present. It carefully
traces the origin and development of the tradition through a meticulous analysis
of the form, content, function, and tacit or avowed motivations behind grammars
Bhatia's
history of Hindi grammatical tradition from
at different points during the history of the Hindi
The study and
analysis of
language.
more than 400 grammars makes the survey very
broad-based and extremely insightful. Bhatia focuses primarily on grammatical
works of the 17th through the 19th centuries, for the simple reason that no
previous work has tried to systematically reconstruct the Hindi grammatical
tradition of that period. Though the survey of this tradition has been a minor part
of many grammars, dissertations, and research articles on Hindi, the book
under review surpasses them all and establishes a new genre of scholarship.
The text includes analysis and critical evaluation of native as well as non-native
grammars
written by
Germany, Russia,
The
grammar
grammarians from
different parts of the world (England,
etc.).
'discovery of the
(1698))' reported
in
first
the
grammar
text, is
one
of
of
Hindi
its
(i.e.,
Ketelaar's original
most commendable features.
made an immense contribution to the history of Hindi grammatical
by proving beyond doubt the existence and legitimacy of Ketelaar's
grammar, which he personally examined in the Netherlands. In so doing,
Bhatia satisfactorily resolves the controversy about the first grammar of Hindi.
Similarly, the study presents, for the first time, a detailed, authentic treatment of
some rare, unpublished, and even 'lost' grammars. Ketelaar's (1698), Schultz's
(1744), Re. Adams's (1827), and Raja Shivprasad Sitare Hind's (1875). Some
of the forgotten grammars written in European languages other than English
(e.g. Garcin de Tassy's Rudiments de la langue hindoustani (1829), in French)
are also discussed in this study. This inclusion of rare texts has not only brought
Bhatia has
tradition
174
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19: 1 (Spring 1989)
unknown facts about the structure and contents of early grammars, but also their sociolinguistic makeup.
to light hitherto
The book has a very cohesive organization which allows easy comhistorical facts, their interconnection, and explanation. The
prehension of the
book
is
divided into seven chapters, followed by two appendices, and three very
Each chapter covers a segment of time, and the titles of the
chapters highlight the most influential landmark of that era: a grammar (e.g.
Kellogg's grammar of 1876), an issue (e.g., the Hindi-Urdu style controversy
triggered by the British government's decision in 1837 to shift from Persian to
Urdu as oficial language for tax and revenue offices), or an event (e.g. the
world-wide rise of vernaculars in the late 18th and early 19th century). The
chapters are further divided into sections which include description, and evaluation of particular grammatical texts, i.e., problems, significance, and accomplishments of the texts in the context of the development of the tradition, as well
as general features of the tradition during that particular period. The major advantage of this organization is that it allows a clear identification of the characuseful indices.
each of the periods, their influence on the following period, and their
impact on and conthbution to the tradition as a whole.
teristics of
The book incorporates analysis and evaluation
of three
types of grammars
grammars, (b) comparative and historical grammars, and (c) modern linguistic grammars. Thus it
examines the tradition through diverse frameworks and approaches which have
led to the emergence of different perspectives on and insights into the analysis
of the Hindi language. Also, the text presents a comprehensive evaluation of
grammars at various linguistic levels, such as phonetics, phonology, syntax,
semantics, and pragmatics.
on Khan
bolf,
\he standard variety of Hindi:
(a) traditional
The scope of the study extends far beyond a simple chronological documentation of the facts through the history of the Hindi grammatical tradition. It
explains the nature and direction of the growth of the tradition in the context of
the sociolinguistic factors (e.g. sociopolitical contexts, attitudes of the grammarians, etc.) which have been influential in shaping the form and determining
the direction of the growth of the tradition. Hence the text is extremely useful for
understanding the causes behind particular developments in the tradition at
various points in time. The methodological framework adopted, blending historical and thematic approaches, is well suited for a survey of this depth and
magnitude. The major advantage of this method is that it presents description,
analysis, and interpretation of grammatical trends through different periods of
time without neglecting the contributions of individual
marians or without glossing over their shortcomings.
grammars and gram-
Bhatia rightly describes the beginning of the Hindi grammatical tradition as
a tradition which ran parallel to the establishment of European/British colonial trade centers in India as well as to the influx of Christian
an
'alien tradition'
โ
Pandharipande: Review of Bhatia
The earliest period (1698-1770) of this tradivacuum in the country, created by the lack of
Mughal rulers. This situation was largely res-
missionaries
tion
was a
175
in the 17th century.
time of general political
and strength of the last
ponsible for the fact that traditional indigenous scholarship had reached a moribund state. Not surprisingly thus, the grammars written in this period were all
will
second-language grammars (written mostly by administrators and Christian
missionaries) based on a religious-colonial model of language and designed to
give their European readers a taste of the exotic languages (similar to the exotic
spices) of India. The outcome of the attempts of this period to write a grammar
of 'Hindustani' was crude and unsophisticated in terms of thematic content and
linguistic analysis.
Grammars understandably focussed on learning isolated
words, sentences, and expressions so that the users would be able to survive in
India without too
grammarians
much
difficuty.
Also, the motivation of early Christian mission-
Benjamin Schultz for writing his Grammatica Hindostanica
(1744) was that 'learning of the language and scripts of "uneducated or
illiterate" people was essential for instructing them in their native way to impart
knowledge' (50). This was definitely the predominant attitude of the grammarians of that period. These works 'exihibit notable deficiencies in the area of
phonetics, phonology (except Beliagatti's), and syntax (except Schultz's),
morphology receives only a minimal amount of attention ...' (60), and suffer
from 'errors in the recording and analysis of data, especially the wrong analysis
stemming from the wrong segmentation of linguistic units' (63-64). There might
therefore be some truth to the judgement of the native traditional grammarians
that 'It is a shame to call them grammars and an insult to call their creators
grammarians' (64). But do agree with Bhatia that in spite of all their shortcomings, these early authors must be credited for having 'initiated a tradition'
ary
like
I
when
there
was none
indigenously available.
A grammar of
HIndoostani language by John B. Gilchrist (1796) marks the
Gilchrist was the first successful grammarian who succeeded in describing the basic form and function of the three
vexatious and often-mentioned grammatical constructions
the causative, the
compound verb, and the passive. Bhatia correctly comments that 'Gilchrist did
not set out to find the linguistic mirror image of Latin or English in the (Hindi)
language' (87). John Shakespeare's A grammar of Hindustani marks the end
of the middle period.
early middle period of the tradition.
โ
The grammars
of this period, in general,
were notable
for
having system-
incorporated a description of the hitherto ignored Devanagari script in
the phonetic component, and the inclusion of 'indeclinables' as one of the parts
of speech in the syntactic component of the language. During this period and
later on as well, morphology too became 'an imperative topic for a grammar
text' (93). As Bhatia points out (94-95), the inadequacies of the grammars in
this period were the result of the reliance of the grammarians on English which
atically
they used as a model for their description of Hindi. Moreover, their colonial
prejudices colored their analysis of the data. Consider for instance '... the fol-
176
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:1 (Spring 1989)
lowing remarks by Gilchrist on the frequent use of cahiye (want or need): "the
learners by this time will be able to account for the frequent introduction of
cahiye
the expression alluded to above, will also perceive how useful such
must prove to the pompous and lazy Indians" (95). 'Further for
in
word as
this
'
used such labels as "beautiful" and "magnificient" and
such terms as "defects", "deficiencies", and "wild".' (95)
regularities they
irregularities
for the
Bhatia presents a balanced view of the analysis of the grammarians by
providing both positive as well as negative features of their treatment of the
language.
On
the positive side, for example, Bhatia comments, 'they dismissed
the popular misconception of their time that vernaculars do not have
grammar
and may even lack parts of speech such as verbs' (97). Bhatia sums up the
achievement of this period by saying, 'Hindi grammar was able to attain descriptive and observational adequacy ...' (96).
What Bhatia
calls 'The eve of the Kellogg era' (1821-1875), can be labeled
middle period of the tradition. This period saw the emergence of
three distinct styles of Hindi, each modeled after the writing of particularly
prominent Hindi literateurs
the Perso-Arabic style used by Raja Shivprasad,
the highly Sanskhtized one used by Raja Lakshman Singh, and the fheth
as the
late
โ
(colloquial)
titled
used by Devakmandan
Khatri.
Another
historical
landmark
of this
the first grammar (1827) written in Hindi by a non-native speaker enHindi bhasa ka vyakarana. Pandit Shrilal's Bhasacandrodaya (1855)
period
is
'the begining of the participation of Indian scholars and introduced the
indigenous (Sanskrit) paradigm into the study of Hindi grammar' (109). However, Raja Shivprasad's HindT vyakarana (1875) should be considered the most
noteworthy attempt in that it tried to eliminate a widespread prejudice (in favor of
writing separate grammars of Urdu and Hindi) by showing that 'it was possible
to write a common grammar of both forms (i.e., Urdu and Hindi) ...' (120).
Understandably enough, the first-language grammars during this period were
marked
whereas second-language grammars were more
The major contribution of first-language grammars was
speakers' intuitions, which made them recognize the
largely theoretically oriented,
pedogogically oriented.
that they utilized native
non-discreteness of linguistic categories and the differences in the judgements
speakers regarding the acceptability and grammaticality of particular
of native
structures.
In
addition to English, a competing model of Sanskrit grammar was
'This led to new analytical, classificatory, and terminological innov-
introduced.
'Grammarians such as Ethrington argued that Hindi does not
innovations either on Arabic-Persian or on English
has a rich lexical stock of its own and a prosperous inheritance from
ations' (149).
have to
because
rely for lexical
it
Sanskrit' (150).
The period from 1876-1920, which Bhatia appropriately labels as 'The silThe Kellogg era', can be viewed as the pre-modern era since the
ver age:
.
Pandharipande: Review of Bhatia
177
trends of the modern era (from 1920), began to be introduced during this period.
The need for standardization of the language and the impact of the then
dominant historical-comparative method placed several new demands on the
grammars and the grammarians. They had to account for the 'actual colloquial
and literary language of the Hindus of North India', 'as well as the nature and
extent of dialect variation' (156). Although the Devanagari script regained its
preferential status during this period, other scripts such as Kaithfwere accepted
by the grammarians. It was in this period that all grammarians, both native and
non-native, chose the term 'Hindi' to refer to the language under investigation.
This era saw some new and significant insights in language analysis. The
major insight was to recognize the interrelatedness of linguistic levels, i.e. the
interaction of phonology and grammar (175). Similarly, a clear understanding
In
of the notion of complement {puraka), was developed during this era.
general, the grammarians of this era treated language as a dynamic, not a static
phenomenon. Therefore, the relevance of sociolinguistic factors, situational
response, functional aspects, interaction among various levels of grammar,
discourse-oriented facts, and dialectal differences for the grammar of the language was fully recognized (164-176). Several questions (which were to
receive more attention in the modern period) were first raised in this era, such
as the notion of primary and secondary subject, the accent system of Hindi, etc.
The question of the necessity for assuming two levels of the language structure
(i.e. surface and deep structures) was also hinted at in discussions related to
the case markers 0, ne, and se
The modern era (1920-), which Bhatia divides into two parts, traditional
grammars, and linguistically oriented grammars, includes first- and secondlanguage grammars and shows a multifaceted development of the Hindi grammatical tradition. Among the first-language (traditional) grammars, the most
prominent are Kamta Prasad Guru's HindFvyakarana (1920), Pandit Jangbahadur Mishra's Vakya vislesana (1930), Acarya Ram Chandra Varma's Acchf
H/nc/r (1944), KishorFdas VajpeyPs Hindfsabdanusasana (1958), and Dimshitz's HindFvyakarana kfruparekha (1966). These grammars, mainly oriented
towards describing and explaining the grammatical features of Hindi, focussed
more on the analysis of the data than on worrying about their relevance for
general linguistic theory. As a result, they provided a detailed account of the
grammatical categories and constructions. Language-specific issues related to
accent, relativization, sentence analysis, sentence transformation, postpositions, tense and aspect likewise received a great deal of attention in these
grammars. Bhatia additionally provides an overview of second-language
grammars in English (Scholberg 1940. Sharma 1958, McGregor 1972, etc.) and
other languages.
Modern linguistically oriented grammars in the last four decades have
been most influential in shaping the Hindi grammatical tradition. These grammars, Bhatia notes, are primarily influenced by the structural and trans-
178
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:1 (Spring 1989)
formational-generative models.
dependence on
linguistic theory, for
concepts
The major feature of these grammars is their
and there Is a predominant concern for
Introspective data;
how language
and
actully works,
โ competence and performance,
for
problematic linguistic
linguistic universals, simplicity
grammars
and
Naturally enough,
evaluation, psychological reality, linguistic variation (119).
have followed the lead provided by different theoretical
Some of the prominent grammars of this period are
by S. K. Verma (1961), who adopted the systemic model proposed by Halllday,
Balachandran (1973) and Shapiro (1974), who modeled their studies on
Fillmore's case grammar, and Srivastava (1969) and Sahai (1970) who used
the structural model.
Kachru's (1965 and 1966) work on Hindi grammar
followed Chomsky's transformational-generative approach. Diverse models of
analysis brought to light new insights: 'With modern linguistic studies the scope
of Hindi grammar has been radically extended.
In view of developments In
every component of the language (phonetic, phonological, morphological,
syntactic, and semantic), the tradition has experienced several turning points
during the relatively short span of three decades. Because of the use of diverse
models of analysis, Hindi grammar has become more sophisticated thoretically,
more advanced methodologically, and deeper analytically* (203). However,
Bhatia appropriately emphasizes 'that theoretical, methodological, and analytical developments in the West continue to dominate Hindi grammar studies'
According to Bhatia, in spite of their commendable achievements,
(203).
modern linguistic studies on Hindi are largely 'in a highly scattered state' (208)
of this period
frameworks
in linguistics.
and need consolidation. He further points out
'duplication and imitation are on the increase.
that in the present studies
The psycholinguistic and
semantic aspect of Hindi grammar is still neglected. ... the yearning for a
Panini-type grammar continues to shatter the self-confidence of Hindi grammarians and linguists' (203).
The
text also traces the
development
Hindi through different periods of time,
of
a standardized writing system of
and establishes a
nature of the writing system and the purpose for which
link
between the
was used.
For
as an 'Inventory of alphabets employed in
five scripts identified as "devanagaram" (45). Mill's view of the script was that
"... scripts such as "devanagaram" are employed by Brahmins as a secret code
to gain social influence and intellectual supremacy over the masses. This correlation between written code and social power was so significant in Mill's view
that he employed it further as a classificatory criterion to group Indian scripts
example.
Mill's
grammar
treated
it
it
'
into the religious
approach
of using
and secular alphabets'
Roman
(46).
transcription for Hindi
In
contrast to
this, Gilchrist's
was guided by
his conviction
teach the language it was not necessary ... to teach its writing system.'
Raja Shivprasad SItare Hind's use of Devanagari script for Hindi students and
of Perso-Arabic script for Urdu students went a long way 'in alleviating the
widespread misconception of the existence of separate grammars of Hindi and
Urdu and in eliminating discrepancies between the language of the then current
grammar texts and the actual language of the learners' (120). Kellogg's
that
'to
Pandharipande: Review of Bhatia
179
exclusive use of Devanagari script was prompted by his goal 'to present a
complete account of the actual colloquial and literary language of the Hindus of
North India' (156).
The above brief summary of the contents of the text provides a glimpse of
scope, nature, and treatment. The text is an impressively rich source of
information on the contents of grammars in different periods and a critical
analysis of the Hindi grammatical tradition during the last 300 years.
its
The major strength of the book is that it provides a much-needed model for
presenting a survey of a grammatical tradition, tracing the major developments
in the tradition without neglecting specific grammars and their contributions.
Therefore, the book is extremely useful for scholars who intend to study the
history of Hindi
interested
in
grammars
in
general.
the extent to which the treatment of issues
the theoretical framework of the grammar.
Another valuable feature
grammars
grammars and for those
The book demonstrates clearly
a grammar crucially depends on
or to analyze particular
the history of linguistics
of the
in
book
within their sociolinguistic context
approach not ony provides an explanation
is
that
and
it
examines and evaluates
their specific orientation.
for certain formal
and
This
functional
features of the grammars of a particular period, but also facilitates understanding of the overall changes and developments in the history of the
grammatical tradtion. This makes the book extremely valuable for the study of
the interaction/connection between linguistic form and its function in the society.
in
Finally, the book is useful for scholars of Hindi by making available to them
usable form the insights of earlier research.
Linguists at large, and scholars and students working on Hindi language
and grammar in particular, are sure to find the book enormously informative and
and delightfully easy to read.
the Linguistic Sciences
Studies
in
Volume
19,
Number
1,
Spring 1989
REVIEW
ESP in the
Dick Chamberlain and Robert Baumgardner (eds.)Practice and evaluation.
ELT Documents: 128. Lonclassroom:
Modern English Publications, in association with the British
don:
Council, 1988;
pp. 1-165.
Numa Markee
(Division of English as
an International Language)
The book under review is a collection of selected papers originally
presented at the International Conference on English for Specific Purposes
(ESP) held in Colombo, Sri Lanka, April 1-5, 1985. It consists of fifteen articles
arranged in five themes:
Arthur C. Clarke, 'The role of English in the twenty-first
'ESP and non-native varieties of English: Towards a shift
paradigm'; and AT. Dharmapriya, 'ESP in Sri Lanka: A perspective.'
Viewpoints:
century"; Braj Kachru,
in
Teacher and Learner: Peter Strevens, 'The learner and teacher of ESP';
Esther Ramani, 'Developing a course in research writing for advanced ESP
learners'; and Dick Chamberlain, 'The teacher-centred learner.'
Methodology: Thomas Huckin, 'Achieving professional communicative
relevance in a "generalised" ESP classroom'; Tom Hutchinson, 'Making
materials work in the ESP classroom'; and Alan Mountford, 'Factors influencing
ESP
materials production and use.'
Evaluation and Administration: Charles Alderson, 'Testing and its adin ESP'; Ian Pearson, 'Tests as levers for change'; and Christine
Tan, 'The organisation and administration of an ESP unit.'
ministration
Domestic aides in
L. Cumaranatunge, 'An EOP case study:
and Robert Baumgardner and Ray Tongue, 'The problems and the
potential of exploiting the English language press as an aid to language
Materials:
West
Asia';
teaching
in
South
Asia."
182
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:1 (Spring 1989)
The volume
is
the sixth to be devoted to ESP-related concerns, which
Some of the
previous volumes have established themselves as landmark publications in the
field.
One of my personal favorites is Smythe 1980. The back cover of the
present book hopefully proclaims that 'this will be an essential source book for
the practice of ESP teaching.' Unfortunately, it is unlikely that this volume will
follow in the footsteps of some of its predecessors, for at least three reasons.
attests to the vitality of this sub-discipline of applied linguistics.
First,
the
title is
ambiguous
if
not actually misleading.
When
I
first
read
it,
I
expected the collection to examine classroom practice and evaluation in ESP.
But the Viewpoints and Evaluation and Administration themes include articles
that discuss a variety of issues from perspectives that have little, and sometimes
nothing, to do with classroom practice (see in particular the paper by Kachru).
Second, the overall organization of the themes is haphazard. For example,
what do evaluation and administration have to do with each other thematically?
And third, some of the articles in the Methodology section (specifically, those by
Hutchinson and Mountford) could fit equally happily in the Materials section,
which would seem to imply that 'methodology' and 'materials' are in some way
interchangeable terms. Clearly, this
is
not the case.
This situation is unfortunate, because individually speaking, many of the
here are genuinely interesting contributions to the field. For
example, the Viewpoints theme contains a polemical piece by Kachru, the
leading proponent of the post-imperial viability of English as an instrument of
articles printed
and intranational communication (see also Kachru 1983a, 1983b,
1985, and this volume). Writing essentially from the perspective of an ESP
'outsider', Kachru claims that '... the conceptual ... and applied research on ESP
seems to have avoided addressing issues vital for understanding the uses of
English across cultures' (10). Specifically, he points out two unwarranted presuppositions in Western-initiated ESP: First, that the producers of texts are
inevitably Native Speakers (NS) and that the consumers are just as inevitably
international
Non-Native Speakers (NNS)
typology of
ESP
contexts.
of English,
which results
And second, he argues
in
a highly restricted
assumption indic-
that this
NS attitudes toward institutionalized non-native varieties that are not only
unacceptable to educated NNS of the language but which also signally fail to
take into account the sociolinguistic realities that obtain as a result of the
phenomenal spread and use of English world-wide. Kachru then argues for a
change in paradigm which amounts to a call for greater NS cultural sensitivity in
ates
this regard.
In the Teacher and Learner section, the paper by Ramani is a noteworthy
example of the pedagogical application of the notion of a 'thick description' of
language use (Geertz 1983). This work, which demonstrates the growing influence of genre analysis on specialist second language curriculum design and
Implementation, is further developed in Ramani et al. 1989. The Methodology
Markee: Review of Chamberlain
&
Baumgardner
(eds.)
183
section also contains valuable contributions:
Huckin's paper provides an ina 'wide-angle' approach to ESP and the
concurrent use of team-teaching techniques. This paper therefore complements and develops the positions of writers such as Hutchinson and Waters
(1980) and Dudley-Evans (1984) on these questions quite well. Moreover, the
contribution by Mountford on the crucial role of constraints on syllabus design
addresses an issue that has generated much controversy in the field (see
Munby 1978, 1984; Swales 1980, 1989; Holliday & Cooke 1982; Crocker 1984;
Hawkey 1984; Maley 1984; Markee 1986a, 1986b, 1989a, 1989b; and Kennedy
1988). Moving on to the Evaluation and Administration theme, the paper by
Alderson is interesting not least because it contains the arresting claim that
'testing is far too important to be left to testers: it is the legitimate concern of all
involved in language teaching' (87). The arguments offered in support of this
claim are refreshing; but most important, they are credible because they are
expressed by one of the leading lights in performance testing. Consequently,
this paper can potentially do much to demystify an area of ESP and Communicative Language Teaching in general which all too often has been avoided
by many practitioners because of its perceived arcane and difficult nature. And
finally, the paper by Tan discusses in a straightforward fashion the rarelydiscussed subject of the importance of establishing a clearly defined professional identity for ESP units within the larger administrative ecology of
academic institutions. In this regard, it is not generally recognized that the longterm maintenance of ESP programs (particularly aid-funded projects) often
depends less on the technical qualities of teacher development or materials
design programs than on the ESP unit having an administrative 'home'. Tan's
teresting synthesis of
contribution
is
arguments
for
therefore both appropriate and timely.
To summarize, despite the undeniably high
quality of individual papers,
a lack of thematic focus. Judging from
the introductory remarks, it seems that this problem afflicted the original conference also. We may guess that the organizers and sponsors of the event
wished to attract as broad a spectrum of local practitioners as possible.
However laudable the aim of ensuring access to a national conference by such
participants might be, the end results indicate that the days of the blockbuster
ESP conference that seeks to be all things to all people are numbered. After all,
the field is now sufficiently established and diversified that conference organizers can afford to call for papers on relatively specialized sub-topics of ESP
without running the risk of not receiving enough quality contributions. Moreover, more specialized conferences have the inherent advantage that it is
comparatively easy to ensure strong thematic unity; and the desirability of selecting a strong, narrowly-focused theme becomes all the more important when
selected papers from conference proceedings are to be published by a journal
with an international readership such as ELT Documents.
the main problem with this collection
is
184
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:1 (Spring 1989)
REFERENCES
Crocker, Anthony. 1984. Method as
input and product of LSP course design.
English for Specific Purposes in the Arab world, ed. by John Swales &
Hassan Mustapha, 129-150. Birmingham: Language Studies Unit, Uni-
Aston
Birmingham.
1984. The team teaching of writing skills. Common
ground: Shared interests in ESP and communication studies. ELT Documents 117, ed. by Ray Williams, John Swales, & John Kirkman, 127-134.
versity of
in
Dudley-Evans, Tony.
Oxford: Pergamon.
Geertz,
New York:
1983. Local knowledge.
Clifford.
Basic Books.
Hawkey, Roger. 1984. From needs to materials via constraints: Some general
considerations and Zimbabwean experience. Read 1984:79-87.
HOLLIDAY, Adrian, and Terence Cooke. 1982. An ecological approach to ESP.
Issues in ESP, Lancaster Practical Papers in English Language Education, ed. by Alan Waters, 124-143
Oxford: Pergamon.
Hutchinson, Tom, and Alan Waters. 1980. Communication in the
classroom: You just shove this little chappie in here like that.
.
technical
Smythe
1980:1-12.
Kachru,
Braj.
1983(a). Models of new Englishes. Progress in language planJuan Cobarrubias & Joshua A. Fishman, 145-170. Berlin:
ning, ed. by
Mouton.
Indianization of English: The English language in India.
Oxford University Press.
1985. Standards, codification, and sociolinguistic realism: The English
language in the outer circle. English in the world, ed. by Randolph Quirk &
Henry Widdowson, 11-30. Cambridge: University Press.
Kennedy, Chris. 1988. Evaluation of the management of change in ELT
projects. Applied Linguistics 9:4.329-342.
Maley, Alan. 1984. Constraints-based syllabuses. Read 1984:90-111.
Markee, Numa. 1986 (a). The importance of sociopolitical factors to communicative course design. The ESP Journal 5:1.3-16.
1986 (b). Toward an appropriate technology model of communicative
course design. English for Specific Purposes 5:2.161-172.
1989 (a). ESP within a new descriptive framework. World Englishes 8:2
1983
New
(b).
The
Delhi:
.
(in
press).
1989 (b). Aspects of the diffusion of communicative innovations: Toward
an integrated perspective. 24th Annual Mid-America Linguistics Conference, October 7, 1989, University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls.
MUNBY, John. 1978. Communicative syllabus design. Cambridge: University
Press.
1984. Communicative syllabus design:
1984:55-67.
Principles
and problems.
Read
Markee: Review of Chamberlain
& Baumgardner (eds.)
185
Ramani, Esther, T. Chacko, S.J. Singh, and Eric Glendinning. 1989. An ethnographic approach to syllabus design: A case study of the Indian Institute of
Science, Bangalore. The ESP Journal 7:2.81-90.
1984. Trends in language syllabus design.
Singapore: SEAMEO-RELC.
Read, John.
Smythe,
Elisabeth.
1980.
ELT Documents
Special:
Anthology series
Projects
London: The British Council.
Swales, John. 1980. The educational environment and
in
13.
materials de-
sign.
its
relevance to
ESP
programme design.
1989.
Smythe 1980:61-70.
Service English in program design and opportunity
second language curriculum, ed. by Keith Johnson, 79-90.
University Press.
cost.
The
Cambridge:
the Linguistic Sciences
Studies
in
Volume
19,
Number
1,
Spring 1989
REVIEW
A^tadhyayf of Paoini. (Texas
University of Texas Press, 1987; pp.
Sumitra M. Katre.
Austin:
ries.)
Linguistic Se1330.
(xlvi),
Ladislav Zgusta
was the first European scholar to provide an edition of
Grammar: His 'Astakam Paninfyam' was published in two volumes in
Bonn,
1839;
1840; the second volume has the title 'Panini's acht Bucher
grammatischer Regeln.' The first volume contains the text of Panini's sutras,
with an indigenous Indian commentary in Sanskrit.
The second volume
contains Bohtlingk's own German commentary to the single sutras, an index of
Otto Bbhtlingk
Panini's
II
I
the grammatical terms, an alphabetical index of the sutras, and the Ganapatha,
is, an index of words treated by the sutras.
Apart from this, the second
volume also contains Bohtlingk's Preface that is still of value, because surveys
the problems connected with Panini's biography, with his predecessors, with
what is called the 'Nebenuberlieferung' in German (= 'secondary tradition'), and
many other topics. This edition was reprinted in 1983 in Osnabnjck (Germany).
that
it
Bbhtlingk edited the
1887.
seems
(This
finished the
first
to
Grammar once more,
have been
first
as 'Panini's Grammatik', Leipzig
operandi; Thus, having
modus
version of his dictionary, he started at the
and produced another dictionary
of the
his general
Grammar has a
in
several volumes.)
different preface
(more restricted
in
edition, but largely dealing with different subjects).
new
letter
a once more
This one-volume edition
scope than that of the
The most innovative
in the fact that for each sutra Bbhtlingk offers
and his commentary, a different one from that of the first
edition. Given the compact character of Panini's text, the translations necessarily are of an interpretive character. The commentary mostly offers examples
of forms derived by the respective sutra and cross-references to other sutras.
The indigenous Indian commentary is left out, but there is an alphabetic index of
the sutras, the Dhatupatha (that is, the list of roots treated in the sutras). the
Ganapatha (an explanatory index of the grammatical terms), and other indexes
of all words occurring in Panini's text and in the Ganapatha. As in the first
edition, not only the text, but also all the Sanskrit forms quoted in the comment-
feature of the
his
German
edition consists
translation
188
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:1 (Spring 1989)
and elsewhere are printed in the NagarF script. This
1964 in Hildesheim (Germany).
ary
edition
was
reprinted
in
The next edition, the 'Ashtadhyayi of Panini' was prepared by an Indian
Chandra Vasu.
was published in 1891 and reprinted in 1962 in
Delhi. The important feature of this edition consists in the fact that Panini's text
is offered in its continuous form governed by the rules of sandhi, and in the
Padapatha, that is, as a sequence of the sutra's single words given in their prepausal forms and with the compounds dissolved. Thus, sutra 1.1.3 reads in the
scholar,
It
continuous text: iko gunavrddhr, in the Padapatha: ikah guna-vrddhf (vrddhih,
gunah). There follows an indigenous Indian commentary (a different one from
that offered in the first edition by Bohtlingk), the author's English translation, and
The translation is again interpretative and in some points
his commentary.
seems to be inspired by that of Bohtlingk, which is only natural. However,
sometimes Vasu achieves a much higher clarity than Bohtlingk, because he
puts in more interpretation. Let us compare sutra 1 .1 .3: iko gunavrddhr.
Wenn Guna und Vrddhi vorgeschrieben werden, so ist implidamit gesagt, dass sie an die Stelle von
u, r oder/und deren
Bohtlingk:
cite
/',
Langen
treten.
[=
'When guna and vrddhi are prescribed,
that they are inserted instead of
/,
u,
it
is
implied
ror /and their long counterparts.']
In the absence of any special rule, whenever guna or vrddhi is
enjoined about any expression by using the term guna or vrddhi, it is to
be understood to come in the room of the ik vowels only (/, u, r, and / long
and short), of that expression.
Vasu:
On
the other hand, Vasu's commentary is written in English, but in the
indigenous scholarship and using the traditional terms. For
tradition of the
commentary to sutra 1.1.3 says: 'This is a paribhasha sutra ...',
using a traditional term of Sanskrit linguistics for explanatory elements. Of
course, all Sanskrit forms are written in the Nagarl script. There follow alphabetical indexes of the sutras, of the roots, and indexes of cross-references to
other Sanskrit grammatical works, such as the SiddhantakaumudF.
instance, the
The then doyen of French Sanskritists, Louis Renou, published his transas 'La grammaire de Panini' in three fascicles, Paris 1948, 1951, 1954.
There is only a translation (no original text), and Renou's commentary. The
translation excels in indicating in parentheses the exegetical additions and
lation
cross-references to other sutras. Thus, sutra
1 .1
.3 is translated:
Le guna (2) et la vrddhi (1) (lorsqu'ils sont enseignes nommement, mais
sans qu'il soit specifie de quoi lis sont les substituts, doivent etre compris
comme substituts) des phonemes '/ ... k (= u, r, / brefs et longs). [= 'The
guna (2) and the vrddhi (1) (when they are explicitly prescribed, but
without specification of what they are substitutes for, should be
understood as substitutes) of the phonemes '/ ... k {=
u, r, / short and
'
/,
'
long).']
i,
Zgusta:
Review of Katre
No doubt this was in its time the clearest
who are not Sanskritists: Everything is
guists
189
translation, written also for
given
in
Roman
lin-
transliteration,
Paninian technicalities are interpreted (e.g., ik= i ... k=
u, r, /), etc. However,
is no Dhatupatha nor any other index. A new edition of Renou's work was
published in two volumes in Paris, 1966, in which the text of the sutras was
i,
there
inserted,
It
in transliteration.''
is,
then, a major event
in
Paninian scholarship that a new edition of the
M. Katre, Astadhyayrof Panini (Texas Lin-
Grammar has appeared: Sumitra
Texas Press, 1987
(xlvi + 1330 pages). The
given in Roman transliteration only (there is
no Nagarf in the whole book). This is a decision that must be welcomed, because it will allow linguists who are not Sanskritists to get some immediate
experience with the original text. Also, the transliteration is in a one-to-one
correlation to the NagarF, so there is no ambiguity about the original form. Only
guistic Series), Austin, University of
edition contains,
first,
the
text.
It
is
so to speak, 'semi-continuous' form of the text is given; there is no Padacall the form in which the text is given 'semi-continuous', because the
greatest difficulties of the truly continuous text are removed: Where possible,
space between words is added; the single members of compounds are divided
by hyphens; and sandhi that makes understanding difficult is dissolved by
double hyphens. For instance, sutra 1.1.3 reads: iKo guna-vrd-dht. (Compare
the citations above of the uninterpreted continuous form and of the Padapatha.)
Sutra 1.1.39 reads in the uninterpreted continuous text krnmejantah, the
Padapatha reads krt, ma-ej-antah (whose compound could be resolved into ma,
ec, antah). Katre's edition reads kri=m=eC=antah, in Katre's translation '[(The
t[echnical] t[erm]) avyaya denotes 37] expressions derived with krt [3.1.93],
affixes (ending in 1.1.72)
-m or ^-eC (= e, o, ai, au).' This example further
shows that Katre introduces yet another interpretative element into his text of the
sutras: He prints the so-called 'sigia', i.e., the abstract, formulaic elements of
a,
patha.
I
**
in capitals: eC is to be
and what stands in the Pratyaharasutras (that precede, in the
Grammar, the main body of the rules) between e and C, that is, e, o, ai. au'.
Similarly, iK\s what stands between /and K, that is,
There is no doubt
u, r,
that
is this use of capitals for the sigIa that gives Katre's text its clarity and
'analyzability' even for a non-Sanskhtist.
Panini's metalanguage (or language of description),
understood as
'e
/,
/.
it
โ
each sutra follows Katre's translation
as we have seen, a laudably
one
and his commentary, undoubtedly the best in existence,
with its rich examples, cross-references, and derivations completed. For instance, 1.1.45 reads in the continuous text igyanah samprasaranam, in the
Padapatha ik, yanah, samprasaranam; Katre's edition gives the text, translation
and commentary as follows:
After
interpretative
โ
1.1.45 iK=yaNah
samprasaranam
(The t[echnical] t[erm]) samprasarana 'vocalization' denotes the vowel
(replacing the semithe siglum) iK (= i, u, r.
vowels comprised by the siglum) yaN (= y, v, r, I) (respectively 1.3.10).
phonemes (comprised by
190
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:1 (Spring 1989)
1.
yaj+Kta = iaj+Kta (6.1.15) = ij+Kta (6.1.108) = is+Kta = is-ta- 'spok[sic]. Similarly vac + Kta = uk-ta 'spoken, uttered'.
en, uttered'
There follows a highly useful enumeration
technical term samprasarana occurs.
of the other sutras in
which the
The preceding example shows yet another, highly efficient, interpretative
convention introduced by Katre: the underlining of irrelevant, inapplicable
vowels. Panini's siglum yan (there are no capitals in Nagari), refers to a sequence of phonemes starting with y and extending to n. The fact that instead of
yn the form of the siglum is yan is caused by the syllabic character of Nagarf
and by the attempt to make the form pronounceable. (The sutras traditionally
were to be memorized and recited, or quoted, by heart.) When Katre, then,
writes y^N, he successfully conveys to the reader that y is an element of the
language under description, N an artificial but meaningful element of the language of description, whereas a is a merely formal element of the language of
description.
Another important feature
of the edition consists in the fact that the text
indicates the accents according to Panini's rules of accentuation.
cents are omitted
the Grammar.)
in all earlier editions,
as well as
in
(These ac-
the traditional recitation of
an enormous amount
of work and of scholarship went into the
As is natural in a human work, there are some minor
blemishes. Firstly, the number of misprints is somewhat higher than one would
expect in such a 'work for centuries to come', fvlost of them may be easy to
perceive and correct. For instance, in 1.1.36, for upasamvyaayoh of the text,
read "vyanayoh, and for upasamyana in the translation, read upasamvyana.
Clearly,
preparation of this edition.
On
the other hand, the non-Sanskritist
commentary
may
not necessarily perceive that the
above) should be 'worshipped, consecrated', or the like; the gloss 'spoken, uttered' is obviously a
typist's slip, a transfer from the gloss of the following ukta.
translation of ista in the
Another source
uncertainty
in
of
to 1.1.45 (see
uneasiness consists
the dissolving of compounds:
without hyphens, but
it
appears
in
In
in
1 .1
the fact that there
.45
samprasiranam
3.3.72 as sam-pra-siranam.
I
is
is
some
printed
prefer the
first
The dissolving of compounds has only the purpose of making Panini's
should stop at the boundaries of accepted terms.
text more intelligible, so
Katre's thought on this issue seems to have evolved, because his Preface is
even more radical, in this respect: Morphemic cuts are indicated not only in
form:
it
Sanskrit contexts (e.g., tri-muni vy-a-kar-ana-m 'grammar according to the three
in English sentences (e.g., 'full implication of each su-tra', p.
sages'), but also
However, there is no particular harm in this. In any case, if we consider,
example, sutra 1 .1 .3 (cf. above): iKo guna-vrd-dhC it is obvious that the two
hyphens have different values, the first dividing constituent lexemic parts of the
compound {guna and vrddhi), the second, bound morphemes. For underxlvi).
for
standing the sutra, only the
first
cut
is
relevant.
Review of Katre
Zgusta:
191
Perhaps a greater difficulty obtains in a certain vacillation in the use of the
symbols - and =. One sometimes suspects the possibility of a misprint. Consider for instance, 1.1.39 krt=m=eC=antah. The sutra deals with expressions
that are derived with krt (as defined
class of sounds designated by
in
-eC
sutra 3.1 .93), with the affix "-m, or with the
au). "-m is, then, clearly an
(i.e., e, o, ai,
language under description, of natural Sanskrit. The double
suggests, however, that a sandhi-form was dissolved here:
Therefore, should there not be krt=m-eC=antah for the reading krnmejantah of
the continuous text, just as we read 1.1.47 M-IT=aCah=antyat parah for the
reading midaco 'ntyatparah of the continuous text? it would be wrong to
suppose a dissolution of a form with a merely formal element ma (as above, in
yaN) because this would give a sandhi form krnmaljantah. The sandhi of the
continuous text, "meC" shows that we are dealing with "m only. (Cf. the
similar case on p. xlv, paragraph 3: pari-bhasa=s; probably for pari-bhasa-s?)
element
of the
hyphen
m=
,
Generally speaking, the non-Sanskritist will certainly experience some
attempting to restore the continuous text from the semi-continuous
one. A sandhi such as 1.1.46 ady-antau is perfectly clear, but compare 1.1.39
and 1.1.47 just quoted above or 1.1.48 eCa iK=hrasva=adese for the continuous eca igghrasvadese. However, why should non-Sanskritists indulge in such
attempts? They will be overwhelmingly thankful for Katre's interpreted text,
because while not giving all the sandhi-forms of the continuous text, nor all the
pre-pausal forms as in the Padapatha, it is vastly superior to the former by its
analyticity and to the latter in respect to the use of the capitals and the
difficulty in
underiined lower case letters
may
in
the sigla.
As a
mirror
image
to this, the trad-
continuous text with its
Padapatha, the inclusion of which would transform the semi-continuous text into
the first component of the exegesis. However, this edition is intended above all
for the non-Sanskritist, who is better served this way.
itional Sanskritist
regret the
absence
of the real
must be stressed, however, that the superiority of this edition consists
and above all, in the translations and commentaries, in which all the
elliptic material is filled in, all the cross-references are indicated, and all the
It
also,
derivations performed, step by step.
3.2.83 atma-man-e
[The
krt
For instance:
KHaS=ca
1.1 Ninj 78] as well as (ca) KHaS are introduced
the verbal stem 1.91 man- 82, co-occurring with a nominal pada
the object of the verbal stem is oneself (atma-mane).
1.93 affixes
[after 1.2
4]
when
darsaniyam atmanam man-ya-te = darsanrya+0Uman+Kha^/Nini =
darsanfya-muM+man + SyaN+a- = darsanfya-m-man-ya (3.1.69;
6.3.67)
/
The commentary
darsanfya-man-in- 'considering one's
also indicates the scope of the rule
the following example:
self
and
as good-looking'.
of the sigla.
Compare
192
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:1 (Spring 1989)
1.1.47 M-IT=aCah=antyat parah
(An increment) marked with M as IT is inserted after the
(aC) of the expression to which it is added.
= ru-na-dh- = ru-na-dh
1.
rudh+SnaM
2.
Increments with marker
yIT. yasiil,
(3.1.78)
T
last (antya)
vowel
(8.4.2) 'obstruct, hinder*.
iT. H". namuT. tuT. dhuJ, nuT,
syaT; increments with marker K
are: aT, aj.
yij, yiiJ, ruJ, sfyiiT, suT.
aduK, asuK, anuK, ithuK, kuK, juK.tuK tithuK, tuK, thuK, duK,
puK, muK, yaK, yuK, riK, riK, ruK, luK, vuK, suK, saK;
increments with marker M are: aM, iM, uM, nuM, puM, raM, 6naM.
are:
niK, nuK,
The strength
of
the exegetical
component
of
the
commentary can be
exemplified by:
1.4.103
sUpah
101] of the affixes denoted by the siglum sUP [ = sU au Jas,
Sas, Ta bhyam bhis, Nie bhyam bhyas, Nasi bhyam bhyas, Nas
OS am, Ni os suP 4.1.2 taken one by one have the t[echnical] t[erms]
ekavacana, dvivacana and bahuvacana to denote them 102 respect-
[The
triplets
am auT
ively].
1.
2.
3.
4.
ekavacana: sU, am, Ja, Ne, Nasi, Nas, and Ni.
dvivacana: au, auj, bhyam, bhyam, bhyam, os, and os.
bahuvacana: Jas, ^as, bhis, bhyas, bhyas, am and suP.
These seven triplets of sUP have respectively been given the t[echnical] t[erms] prathama 'first' (nominative), dvitfya 'second'
(accusative), trtiya
pancamt
'fifth'
'third'
(ablative),
'seventh' (locative)
cases
(instrumental), caturtht 'fourth' (dative),
sasthT 'sixth' (genitive) and saptamf
104 below].
[vibhakti
In addition to the edition itself, there is a Preface which introduces the
reader to the technicalities of Indian grammar and systematically develops the
picture of Sanskrit morphology as given by Panini. The body of the sutras is
followed by appendices: an 'alphabetic index of sutras', the Dhatupatha, an
alphabetic index of verbal stems, the verbal stems listed by their meanings, the
verbal stems with specific markers [such as, e.g., IT] indicated in the sutras and
the Ganapatha. All of these increase the value of the edition and make it more
usable.
Professor Katre is a scholar of many merits and achievements, of which
being the founder and intellectual engineer of the 'Sanskrit Dictionary on
Historical Principles'
a project that is developing into the Sanskrit counterpart
of the Oxford English Dictionary
is hardly the smallest; and what he had done
for Indian lexicography in that dictionary he has now done for Indian indigenous
linguistics in this edition of the Grammar.
โ
โ
Zgusta:
Review of Katre
193
NOTE
i|t will be useful to mention at this juncture the following book, the first of a
planned series of eight volumes: George Cardona, Panini: His work and its
traditions, volume
Background and introduction. Delhi/Varanasi/Patna/Bangalore/Madras: Motilal Banarsidass, 1988. The series is not planned to be an
edition of the AstadhyayF, but all the sutras will be discussed, and the commentary will be indispensable to any student of Panini.
I:
Spring 1974
Papers in General Linguistics
$3.00
Spring 1975
Papers in General Linguistics
$3.00
Spring 1977
Papers in General Linguistics
$3.50
Papers in General Linguistics
$5.00
Papers in General Linguistics
$5.00
Papers in General Linguistics
$5.00
Papers in General Linguistics
$5.00
Fall
1977
Spring 1978
Fall
1978
Spring 1979
Fall
1979
Relational
Grammar and
(Editor: Jerry L.
Spring
Fall
1
980
1980
Semantics
$5.00
Morgan)
Papers in General Linguistics
$5.00
Studies in Arabic Linguistics
$5.00
(Editor:
Michael
J.
Kenstowicz)
Vol.
Studies in
Tlie Lin
II
410
s-rx
St92
19:2 FALL 1990 COPY 2
TO UNGUJSTIC THEORY
v
Preface
Introduction
Part
vii
Keynote Address
I:
G. N. CLEMENTS: African linguistics and
its
contributions
to linguistic theory
Part
II:
Syntax
EDMOND BELOa:
G.
&
3
Ideophones
Tuki gaps: Null resumptive pronouns or variables?
TUCKER CHILDS: Where do
.
43
.
ideophones come from?
Harriet Ottenheimer & Heather Primrose: Current
55
research
77
on Shinzwani ideophones
Part
III:
Phonology
&
Tonology
Laura J. Downing: Tone in Jita questions
Larry
M. HYM AN: Accent
Claude Timmons
in
Bantu:
An
& Christian Dunt^:
91
115
appraisal
La
selection
morphophonologique des classes en kpokolo
Part IV:
Lexicography
Mohammed all
Robert BOTNT:
in
Trends
in
&
135
Historical Linguistics
Oromo
lexicon and lexicography
Bantu
1
Cynthia ROBB ClamonS:
in the
Part V:
155
Reconstruction of a grammaticalized auxiliary
Wollegan
dialect of
Appendices
69
Modification of the gender system
Oromo
to the
187
Proceedings
A.
History of the Annual Conference on African Linguistics
B.
Research and Publications
in African Linguistics
Alumni,andFaculty of the University of
Illinois,
by Students,
1980-1990
199
203
Department of Linguistics
University of Illinois
STUDIES IN THE LINGUISTIC SCIENCES
PUBLICATION OF THE DEPARTMENT OF LINGUISTICS
COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS AND SCIENCES
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIBN
EDITOR: Hans Henrich Hock
EDITORIAL BOARD: Eyamba G. Bokamba, Chin-chuan Cheng, Georgia M.
Green, Erhard W. Hinrichs, Hans Henrich Hock, Braj B. Kachru, Yamuna
Kachru, Michael J. Kenstowicz, Chin-W. Kim, Charles W. Kisseberth, Howard
Maclay, Jerry L. Morgan, Rajeshwari Pandharipande, and Ladislav Zgusta.
AIM:
SLS
is
intended as a forum for the presentation of the latest original
research by the faculty and especially students of the Department of Linguistics,
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
Invited papers by scholars not
associated with the University of Illinois will also be included.
SPECIAL ISSUES:
Since
its
restricted, specialized topics.
inception
SLS
has devoted one issue each year to
special issues is given on the
A complete list of such
back cover.
BOOKS FOR REVIEW:
Review copies of books may be
Editor, Studies in the Linguistics Sciences,
of
Illinois,
707
S.
Mathews, Urbana,
SUBSCRIPTION: There
sent to the General
Department of Linguistics, University
Illinois
60801.
two issues during the academic year. Requests
SLS Subscriptions, Department of
Linguistics, 4088 Foreign Languages Building, 707 S. Mathews, University of
will be
for subscriptions should be addressed to
Illinois,
Urbana,
UPCOMING
Illinois
ISSUES:
60801.
Vol. 20:1
โ "African
Linguistics, 11";
"Special Anniversary Issue".
Price: $7.50 (per issue)
Vol. 20:2
โ
STUDIES IN THE LINGUISTIC SCIENCES
The Contribution of African Linguistics
TO Linguistic Theory
Proceedings of the 20th Annual Conference on African Linguistics
Vol.
I
EDITOR
Eyamba G. Bokamba
ASSOCIATE EDITORS
Rick Treece
Dorothy E. Evans
VOLUME
19,
FALL
NUMBER
2
1989
LINGUISTICS, UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
URBANA, ILLINOIS 61801
DEPARTMENT OF
5
CONTENTS
Preface
v
Introduction
Part
I:
vii
Keynote Address
G. N. CLEMENTS: African linguistics and
Part
II:
EDMOND
G.
its
3
contributions to linguistic theory
Syntax & Ideophones
43
BiLOA: Juki gaps: Null resumptive pronouns or variables?
Tucker Childs: Where do ideophones come from?
55
Harriet Ottenheimer & heather Primrose: Current research
on ShiNzwani ideophones
Part
III:
77
Phonology & Tonology
Laura J. downing: Tone
in Jita
Larry M. Hyman: Accent
in
91
questions
Bantu: An appraisal
Claude Timmons & Christian Dunn: La
selection
1 1
morphophonologique
135
des classes en kpokolo
Part IV:
Lexicography & Historical Linguistics
Mohammed Ali:
Trends
Robert Botne:
Reconstruction of a grammaticalized auxiliary
in
Oromo
lexicon
Cynthia Robb Clamons: Modification
in the Wollegan dialect of Oromo
Part V:
Appendices
to the
and lexicography
of the
in
Bantu
1
55
1
69
1
87
gender system
Proceedings
A.
History of the Annual Conference on African Linguistics
199
B.
Research and Publications in African Linguistics by Students,
Alumni, and Faculty of the University of Illinois. 1980-1990
203
Preface
It is with considerable pleasure that we publish these proceedings of the 20th
Annual Conference on African Linguistics (hereafter 20th ACAL) held at the
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, April 19-22, 1989. This conference
marked not only the twentieth anniversary of ACAL meetings in North America,
but also a major phase in the evolution of our field internationally.
The conference was attended by over 250 registered participants and included
some 200 presentations in several sub-fields of linguistics. The papers were
various recent and current theoretical frameworks, reflecting the
and increased level of theoretical sophistication of
Africanist linguists.
What was particularly heart-warming was the
proportionately high number of graduate student presentations.
presented
in
diversity of interests
In order to expedite the publication of the proceedings of the 20th ACAL, it was
decided at the conference business meeting that selected papers be published
in two issues of the Studies in the Linguistic Sciences (SLS). Accordingly, SLS
19.2 and 20.1 were specifically earmarked for the proceedings.
Following established SLS editorial policy, all the studies included in these two
issues were vetted by at least two faculty members selected from a number of
universities in the United States. Their anonymous comments were reviewed
by the editors and passed on to the authors concerned. The editors relied
heavily on the opinions of these reviewers in accepting or rejecting the papers
submitted for consideration. While this review procedure offered needed quality
control, it also delayed the publication by a few months. The results have
justified the wait, however, and we are happy to offer our readers the first
volume of these proceedings which contains an excellent and very stimulating
selection of the studies presented at the 20th
ACAL.
We
would like to take this opportunity to express our gratitude to the following
scholars for reviewing the papers submitted for consideration for this volume: V.
Bergvall, E.G. Bokamba, C.C. Cheng, G. T. Childs, D. Dwyer, A. FolarinSchecler, M. Goodman, G. Gragg, G. Green, H. H. Hock, J. Hualde, J.
Hutchison, L.M. Hyman, A. Kimenyi, L. Moshi, Paul Newman, D. Nurse, D.
Odden, W. Samarin, and L. Zgusta. The constructive criticisms of these scholars
have improved tremendously the quality of the studies included in this issue.
We
also
owe a debt
of gratitude to the African
Studies Center( Michigan State
University, East Lansing), the Center for African Studies (University of
Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign), the Department of Linguistics (UIUC), the Miller
Endowment Fund (of the Center for Advanced Study, UIUC), the College of
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
vi
Liberal Arts
Office of the Vice-Chancellor for Academic
Student Organization and the African and AfricaAssociation (UIUC) for their financial and material support of
& Sciences (UIUC), the
Affairs (UIUC), the African
Related
Women
the conference.
of the conference itself would have been less
successful without the effort of a number of local staff and students who served
on the organizing and planning committees. Our special thanks are extended
to Issam Abu-Salim (then Visiting Scholar from the University of Jordan), B.
Creek, A. Diop, L Downing, A. Dunn, E. Hsiao, B. Khoali, A. Kishe, S. Lilanda,
P. Lindell, S. Lo, S. Mmusi, M. Ngame, M. Ourso. D. Roth, C. Saldeen, Y.
Scheven, E. Sutton, and S. Swisher. The following linguists from this and other
universities who were indirectly involved in the planning committee by serving
The planning and operation
as colloquia and workshops organizers or as special project reporters (e.g., the
history of ACAL) also deserve our special thanks: M. L Bender (SIU), V.
Carstens (Cornell), G. T. Childs (Temple), D. Dwyer (MSU), C. W. Kisseberth
(UIUC), S. A. Mchombo (UC-Berkeley), M. Mishra (UIUC), S. S. Mufwene (U of
Georgia), R. Schaefer (SIU), R. Schuh (UCLA), and C. Myers-Scotton (U. of
South Carolina). Their contribution in these tasks enhanced tremendously the
quality of the scholarly debates that occurred during the conference.
am deeply indebted to
As the conference chair and proceedings' editor,
Dorothy E. Evans and Rick E. Treece who served, respectively, as my Secretary
and Vice-Chair for the conference and as associate editors for these
proceedings. Their hard work, efficiency, and willingness to work long hours
beyond the call of duty, and to achieve the best results possible contributed to
what many participants characterized as 'resounding success.' Without their
assistance, the conference would have been less successful and would have
I
I
had a nervous breakdown; and without their continued assistance in editing the
proceedings, this publication would not have been possible. Naturally all three
of us derived considerable pleasure in the success of the conference and were
gratified by the unsolicited commendation letters that many of you wrote. We
sincerely hope that each of you will find these proceedings equally stimulating
and informative.
Urbana,
April
Illinois
1990
Eyamba
G. Bol<amba
Editor
INTRODUCTION
Eyamba
University of
G.
Illinois at
Bokamba
Urbana-Champaign
The field of African linguistics has experienced tremendous growth and
evolution world-wide since the introduction in the mid-1960s of 'classical
generative grammar' as characterized by Chomsky's (1965) Aspects of the
Theory of Syntax and Chomsky and Halle's (1968) The Sound Pattern of
English. Since that time the field has gone through a number of developmental
phases that may be placed on a continuum of 'largely descriptive' at one end to
'highly theoretical' on the other end. For instance, studies published in most of
the African linguistic journals (e.g., African Language Studies, Africana
Linguistica, African Language Review, Journal of African Languages, Journal of
The English Language in West
Linguistics in Sub-Saharan
the mid-1970s were largely descriptive.
West African Languages ) and anthologies
Africa ^\97^, Current Trends in Linguistics,
Africa 1971) from the mid-1960s until
(e.g.,
vol.
7:
The few theoretical studies that appeared during this period (1965-1975),
mainly article-length works and doctoral dissertations, were largely applicative
in the sense that they applied the classical generative grammar approach to the
analysis of African languages. There was very little theory construction based
on African languages. Two of the few exceptions to this observation were
William Leben's M.I.T. dissertation, Suprasegmental Phonology {^973), and
Larry M. Hyman and Russell Schuh's (1974) article on 'Universals of tone rules:
Evidence from West Africa' (in Linguistic Inquiry), in which new and insightful
of analyzing tone phenomena are suggested and their implications for
general phonology are persuasively discussed.
ways
As
moved on from the mid-1970s to the late 1970s,
became increasingly theoretical and innovative in their
Here again, the field of phonology led the way in terms of major
African linguistics
Africanist linguists
research.
break-throughs in analytical insights and theory-construction. By building on the
insights provided in Leben (1973), for example, John Goldsmith (1976, MIT
thesis) developed the theory of autosegmental phonology for the analysis of
tonal phenomena based on African language data. George N. Clements, in a
series of papers (1976, 1977, 1981) extended autosegmental theory to the
analysis of vowel harmony in African languages. Michael Kenstowicz and
Charles W. Kisseberth's books on phonology. Topics in Phonological Theory
(1977) and Generative Phonology (1979), which are commonly used as
textbooks in phonology courses in the United States, popularized further African
language data.
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
Developments
in
syntax and sociolinguistics (including pidgin/creole
studies) during this period have been less dramatic in terms of theoryconstruction, but nonetheless significant insofar as application and critical
assessment of non-African based theories are concerned. For example, the
study of logophoric pronouns, grammatical relations (especially 'terms' in
Relational Grammar), grammatical agreement, and Wh-question formation in
African languages contributed important insights to the debates that shaped RG
(Relational Grammar) and EST (Extended Standard Theory) in the 1970s (cf.
Bokamba 1976, R. Epee 1976, Givon 1976, Gary and Keenan 1977, Kisseberth
The bulk of the studies in
and Abasheikh 1977, Kimenyi 1980, etc.).
sociolinguistics during this period was primarily descriptive and devoted
primarily to practical aspects of multilingualism such as language
policy/planning, language variation, and discussion of salient structural aspects
of pidgin and Creole languages (see Bokamba's paper in vol. 20.1 for a detailed
discussion).
The contribution of African linguistics to general linguistic theory in the
1970s, enhanced particularly by the establishment of three additional major
journals devoted entirely to the study of African languages i.e.. Studies in
African Linguistics (1970, UCLA), Journal of African Languages and Linguistics
(1979, University of Leiden, The Netherlands), and Sprache und Geschichte in
Afril<a (1979, University of Cologne)โ enabled the field to emerge from its
The convening of the Annual
'exotic' status to that of semi-respectability.
โ
Conference on African Linguistics (ACAL), which began
in
1970
at this
by steadily drawing nonAfricanist scholars into the meetings as the conference moved from one
university to another in North America.
university, further increased the visibility of the field
is that by the mid-1980s African
as a respectable field in which language
data and theoretical development impacted strongly on the constnjction of
various theories of linguistics. By the late 1980s African linguistics had become
a mainstream sub-field as continued to influence theoretical developments in
phonology (e.g., 'CV phonology, autosegmental phonology, metrical
phonology), syntax (Government and Binding, Lexical-Functional Grammar,
and Generalized Phrase Structure Grammar), and sociolinguistics (especially
code-switching, language variation, and creolistics). The impact of African
languages on general syntactic studies in the last six years is amply illustrated
by the work of scholars such as Marantz (1984), Baker (1985), Bresnan and
Mchombo (1987), Bresnan and Moshi (1988), Kidima (1987), and the steadily
increasing number of dissertations on African languages that apply
contemporary theories such as GB and LFG: e.g., Harford-Perez (1985),
The
linguistics
net result of these developments
began
to establish itself
it
Bergvall (1987),
Machobane
(1989), Culy (1989).
Introduction
The studies included in these two volumes, representing a cross-section of
the papers delivered at the 20th Annual Conference on African Linguistics held
from 19-22 April, 1989, exemplify both the progress made in the
study of African languages per se and the mainstreaming of the field. As the
title of the proceedings indicates, African linguistics has evolved to an extent
that we are able to assess its 'contribution to (general) linguistic theory' and
attempt to ascertain the direction for future developments.
Yes, African
linguistics is today a field to be reckoned with: it can no longer be ignored as an
'exotic' area. The contribution of an Afrocentric perspective, to use Clements'
(in this volume) terminology, on the construction of a general theory of language
will counter-balance the long-held Eurocentric approach to linguistic theory and
will eventually lead to the emergence of a broadly-based theory. If the growth in
descriptive and theoretical research exemplified by the work undertaken in the
last decade is sustained, the potential for future growth is even greater and its
this University
impact
will
be considerable.
Unlike
in
our
regular
SLS issues where papers
alphabetically according to author, the ten studies
in this
are
arranged
issue are grouped by
African linguistics, is
The keynote address, which reviews progress in
presented in Part I, and is followed by papers on syntax and ideophones (Part
II), phonology and tonology (Part III), and lexicography and historical linguistics
(Part IV). Part V includes two important documents that were prepared for and
distributed at the conference. The organization of the papers in the issue was
The
largely dictated by the revised studies we received by the deadline.
second issue of the proceedings (SLS 20.1) will contain the plenary session
papers and several other studies that were read in the colloquia and plenary
sessions. We hope the readers will find the studies here both stimulating and
topic.
challenging.
REFERENCES
1985. Incorporation: A theory of grammatical function
C.
changing. Ph.D dissertation, MIT, Cambridge. [Subsequently published
by the University of Chicago Press under the same title, 1988.]
BARRETT-KEACH, Camille N. 1980. The syntax and interpretation of the
Ph.D. dissertation, University of
relative clause construction in Swahili.
Massachusetts, Amherst.
BERGVALL, Victoria. 1987. Focus in Kikuyu and universal grammar. Ph.D.
BAKER, Mark
dissertation. Harvard University,
Cambridge.
1976. Question formation in some Bantu languages.
Ph.D. dissertation, Indiana University, Bloomington.
BRESNAN, Joan, and Sam Mchombo. 1987. Topic, pronoun, and agreement
in Chichewa.
Language 63:741-82.
BOKAMBA, Eyamba
G.
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
BRESNAN,
1989.
Locative inversion in
Joan, and Jonni M. Kanerva.
A case study in factorization in grammar. Linguistic Inquiry
Cinichewa:
20:1.1-50.
BRESNAN,
Joan, and Lioba Moshi. 1990. Object asymmetries In comparative
Bantu syntax. Linguistic Inquiry 21 :2. 147-86.
CHOMSKY, Noam. 1965. Aspects of the theory of syntax. Cambridge: MIT
Press.
and Morris
MIT Press.
,
CLEMENTS,
G. N.
Halle.
1976.
1968.
The sound
Vowel harmony
in
Cambridge:
pattern of English.
nonlinear generative phonology.
Distributed by Indiana University Linguistics Clubs (1980).
Bloomington,
Indiana.
1977.
The autosegmental treatment of vowel harmony.
Phonologica 1976, ed. by W. U. Dressier and E. Pfeiffer.
Harvard
1981. Akan vowel harmony: A nonlinear analysis.
Studies in Phonology, vol. 2, ed. by G. N. Clements.
CULY, Christopher D. 1990. Syntax and semantics of internally headed
.
I.
.
relative clauses.
Ph.D. dissertation, Stanford University.
syntactic studies in Duala. Ph.D. dissertation,
EPEE, Roger. 1976. Generative
Cornell University, Ithaca.
GARY,
Judith O.
and Edward Keenan. 1977. On collapsing grammatical
grammar. Syntax and Semantics 8: Grammatical
by Peter Cole and Jerrold M. Sadock. New York: Academic
relations in universal
relations, ed.
Press
GIVON, Talmy.
1976. Topic, pronoun and grammatical agreement. Subject
by Charles N. Li. New York: Academic Press.
GOLDSMITH, John. 1976. Autosegmental phonology. Ph.D. dissertation, MIT.
[Subsequently distributed by Indiana University Linguistics Club, 1979.]
HARFORD-PEREZ, Carolyn. 1985. Aspects of complementation in three Bantu
languages. Ph.D. dissertation. University of Wisconsin, Madison.
HYMAN, Larry M. and Russell Schuh. 1974. Universals of tone rules:
and
topic, ed.
Evidence from West Africa. Linguistic Inquiry 5:1 .81 -1
Michael and Charles W. Kisseberth.
KENSTOWICZ,
1
6.
1977.
phonological theory. New York: Academic Press.
1979. Generative phonology: Descripiton.and theory.
.
Topics
New
in
York:
Academic Press.
KIDIMA, Lukowa. 1987. Object agreement and
topicality hierarchies in Kiyaka.
Studies in African Linguistics 18:2.175-209.
KIMENYI, Alexandre. 1980. A relational grammar of Kinyanwanda. Berkeley:
University of California Press.
KISSEBERTH, Charles W. and Mohammed I. Abasheikh. 1977. The object
relation in Chi-Mwi:ni, a
Relational
Grammar,
ed.
Bantu language. Syntax and Semantics 8:
New York:
by P. Cole and J. Saddock.
Academic Press.
LEBEN. William R. 1973. Suprasegmental phonology. Ph.D.
Cambridge, MA.
dissertation, MIT.,
Introduction
MACHOBANE,
1989.
'Malillo.
morphemes. Ph.D.
MARANTZ,
Alec P.
Some
on the SeSotho transitivizing
Quebec.
grammatical relations. Cambridge:
restrictions
dissertation, McGill University; Montreal,
On
1984.
the nature of
MIT Press.
SEBEOK, Thomas
in
A., ed.
Sub-Saharan
SPENCER,
John, ed.
Longmans.
1971. Current trends
in linguistics, vol. 7:
The Hague: Mouton.
1971. The English language
Linguistics
Africa.
in
West
Africa.
London:
I
Keynote Address
G. N.
African Linguistics
&
its
Clements
Contributions to Linguistic Theory
Studies
in
Volume
19,
the Linguistic Sciences
Number
AND
ITS
2, Fall
1989
AFRICAN LINGUISTICS
CONTRIBUTIONS TO LINGUISTIC THEORY
G. N. Clements
Comell University & Universite de Paris 7
This paper examines trends in the field of African linguistics in
the U.S. from its beginnings in the 1930s to the present, with a
special focus on its more recent contributions to linguistic theory.
Section 1 reviews some of the special circumstances that have given
African linguistics on this continent its special character. Section 2
provides some background on its origins and early development,
and section 3 gives an overview of the political and institutional
context underlying the growth period of the 1960s and 1970s.
Section 4 examines some of the contributions of African linguistics to
contemporary linguistic theory, focusing on developments in
phonology and syntax over the past twenty years. Section 5 offers
some
concluding remarks.
"African facts often constitute a challenge to theories elaborated by
Western
1
.
scientists in
a Western
setting"
-
J.
H. Greenberg,
1962
African Linguistics in the U.S.
This paper examines trends in the field of African linguistics in the U.S.
from its beginnings in the 1930s to the present, with a special focus on its more
recent contributions to linguistic theory. This introductory section considers
some of the special circumstances that have given African linguistics on this
The two following sections provide some
continent its special character.
background on its origins and early development, and give an overview of the
political and institutional context underlying the growth period of the 1960s and
1970s. Following this, a major section examines some of the contributions of
4
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
African linguistics to contemporary linguistic theory, focusing on developments
in
phonology and syntax over the past ten
concluding remarks.
to twenty years.
A
final
section offers
some
The goals
paper are limited. First of all, it concerns African
the U.S., with only occasional reference to research
elsewhere. This is not out of a failure to recognize the important contributions of
African linguists working in Europe and Africa (and more recently in Canada),
but rather in response to the need to document the development of African
linguistics in this country, which has so far not been the subject of systematic
study. 1 It attempts to show how African linguistic studies first developed out of
the activity of a few pioneering scholars beginning in the 1930s and 1940s, and
picked up momentum in the late 1950s and 1960s in the context of a national
drive to establish programs of language instruction and scholarship in Africa
and other non-Western cultural areas. A second limitation of this study is that it
does not attempt to review recent developments in comparative and historical
linguistics; it thus omits mention of much important work that has advanced our
knowledge of particular linguistic units, such as Chadic and Bantu. This choice
is due in part to the fact that an adequate synthesis of work in this area would go
well beyond the scope of a study of this size, requiring the evaluation of an
aggregate of work done not only by American scholars but also by the
European and African scholars with whom they have closely collaborated in
many instances.2 But it is also due to my desire to focus on what consider to
be the most original aspect of the recent U.S. contribution to African linguistics,
and the one that has received the greatest attention in conference papers,
theses and journal articles over the past twenty years: namely, the discovery of
the contribution that African languages have to make to our understanding of
general linguistics and the theory of universal grammar.
language study
of this
in
I
There
is
perhaps one feature, more than any other, that has marked
African linguistics on this continent since
its
beginnings
some
fifty
years ago.
have not been just Africanistsโthey have been linguists, with a
broad training in fields such as historical, anthropological and theoretical
linguistics. This fact has contributed much to the particular force and originality
of African linguistics in this country from its beginnings up to the present.
Africanists have first absorbed the lessons of successful work in other fields of
linguistics, and then gone on to develop methods appropriate to the particular
nature of African language study. And today, just as ten, twenty or thirty years
ago, most of the original and influential contributors to African linguistics in the
U.S. have a broad-based training In anthropological or theoretical linguists, and
include general linguists who have chosen to devote much or most of their time
Africanists here
to the study of African languages.
What is most specific to these last twenty years, at least on this continent,
has been the increasing interpenetration of African linguistics with general and
theoretical linguistics. Indeed, much current research on African languages is
Clements: African linguistics
&
its
contributions to linguistic theory
5
being done by linguists who would not define themselves as primarily Africanist
in orientation.
Why should this be so? To answer this question, we must consider the place of African linguistics in the larger context of linguistics as a
whole. In the earlier part of this century, most linguists were primarily concerned with the goals of grammatical description and historical reconstruction.
Many Africanists today are carrying on these traditions, and are continuing to
make substantial contributions to these areas. However, the most novel and
original enterprise of the field of linguistics in the second half of this century, and
the one which most characterizes work in the U.S. as opposed to elsewhere,
has been the search for an empirically-based theory of universal grammar.
While many linguists inspired by this program have been content to concentrate
on the relatively well-studied languages of Western Europe, many others have
been drawn to the study of less familiar languages, especially those of non-
Western cultures and civilizations. ^ Not surprisingly, African languages have
to receive a large share of attention, due both to the variety of their
grammatical structures and to the relative feasibility of research on African
languages as compared with the languages of many other parts of the world.
The emergence of this new research enterprise, more than any other single
reason, explains the great expansion of interest in African languages and
linguistics in this country over the past thirty years, especially in the areas most
closely related to the study of grammar.
come
In parallel to this increase of interest in more theoretical issues, there has
been a shift in the profile of American-based Africanists with respect to their
European- or African-based colleagues. In the earlier tradition of Africanist
research, which arose out of the activities of explorers, missionaries, and
colonial administrators, European Africanists travelled to Africa to carry out field
research, stayed for extended periods of time, usually learned the languages
they were studying, and often concerned themselves with aspects of African
history, society and culture.
In parallel to this, African-born Africanists have
generally concerned themselves with the languages they know from long per-
sonal experience.
have this kind of
a lower level of national
commitment to African studies has meant that government support for field
research has not been widely available, so that relatively few Americans have
been able to afford to travel to Africa with any regularity. Second, and connected with this, the near-total lack of institutional support for full-time Africanists
in American universities has discouraged many linguists from involving themselves with any single African language or language group in much depth; this
contrasts with the situation in Europe, where highly specialized, full-time
Third, theoretical
Africanists have received a larger amount of support.
linguistics has inherited the prestige once enjoyed by historical, comparative
and descriptive linguistics in this country, and few linguists are immune to the
special appeal of directing their research toward current theoretical questions to
In
contrast, not
background today,
many American-trained
for at least four
reasons.
Africanists
First,
6
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
which African languages so often have a good deal to say. Fourth, African
nations have been sending students to America and Europe for their higher
education in larger and larger numbers, and many Africans have settled in
Europe or the U.S. on a more or less permanent basis. As a result, it has
become increasingly possible for U.S. -based linguists to work with African
language consultants without leaving their home universities, often over long
periods of time. This proximity has established a new relationship between
linguists and their languages. Linguists working on their home campus have no
opportunity to immerse themselves in the language and culture in the way that
is only possible through an extended stay in the area where the language is
spoken. But on the other hand, the convenience of working on campus has led
to a closer dialogue with linguistic theory, since study of theory and particular
languages can be conducted at the same time and in the same place. '^ The
proximity of linguists and Africans on campuses and in the larger cities has
favored new methods of research which are especially appropriate to the study
of grammatical and phonological structure, as opposed to many other areas.
These differences in background, motivation and geographical circumstance
have contributed to the particular character of African linguistics in this country.
2.
Origins
American
European counterparts, were slow
American scholarship in
the humanities and social sciences up to World War
was predominantly concerned with American and Western European issues, and linguistics was no
exception. Very little research on African languages was published until after
the war.5 But there is an important exception to this statement. African linguistics got off to a promising start when an African-American scholar, Mark Hanna
Watkins, defended his thesis A Grammar of Chichewa: a Bantu Lar)guage of
Britist) Central Africa at the University of Chicago in 1933. This descriptive
grammar, later published by the Linguistic Society of America in its Language
Dissertations series, is written to a high standard which was not equalled in this
country for many years to come. Carried out within the framework of the (at that
time novel) model of structural linguistics, and inspired by Sapir's organic
conception of grammar, it reveals familiarity with recent developments in
comparative Bantu studies outside the U.S., and pays close attention to many
specific aspects of Bantu structure including the morphophonemics of tone.
linguists, in contrast to their
to discover the linguistic interest of African languages.
II
grammar already shows many
came to characterize
the future, such as the adoption of
a current theoretical framework, close attention to argumentation, and data
collection by means of interactive work with a linguistic consultant.^ Watkins
went on to a career as Professor of Anthropology at Fisk University and later
Howard University, where he directed the African Language and Area Center
from 1959 to 1965. He maintained an active interest in African languages and
linguistics to the end of his life in the 1970s, when as one of his last works, he
published a descriptive study of Yoruba phonology (Watkins 1972).^
Watkins'
American scholarship
in
features which
African linguistics
in
8
Clements: African linguistics
&
its
contributions to linguistic theory
African linguistics received a new impetus in this country after the war in
the work of Joseph H. Greenberg. Greenberg's approach and research goals
reflect the broad concerns of the first-generation structural and anthropological
linguists in this country, many of whom were his teachers: Greenberg attended
the linguistic seminars of Boas as an undergraduate at Columbia, and studied
with Sapir, Bloomfield, Bloch and others at Yale both before and after completing his doctoral thesis at Northwestern.
Greenberg's work in African
linguistics was principally inspired by the belief that language provides one of
the fundamental bases for the reconstruction of human history. His major
was his thoroughgoing new system of African language
(Greenberg 1963), a work whose major outlines are accepted by
the great majority of Africanists today, and which is notable for its method of
mass comparison and its careful refutation of many long-standing dogmas. A
later article (1972) offers persuasive linguistic arguments placing the original
homeland of the Bantu people in what is now southeastern Nigeria, and
remains a model of the use of linguistic evidence in the reconstruction of
prehistory. Other major achievements include the reconstruction of Proto-Bantu
tone (Greenberg 1948), and an influential theory of the historical origin of noun
class and gender markers (Greenberg 1978). A vigorous proponent of the
development of linguistic research in Africa through the collaboration of
American, European and African scholars, Greenberg was a pioneer in
developing the infrastructure for Africanist research in West Africa through his
active roles in the Language Survey of West Africa and the Linguistic Society of
contribution to this area
classification
West
Africa.
A further major postwar figure in African linguistics was William E.
Welmers, who pioneered in the application of structural linguistics to a great
variety of African languages.
Like Greenberg, Welmers was well trained in
general linguistic theory due to his studies with Zellig Harris at the University of
Pennsylvania. An early publication on Fante vowel harmony, coauthored with
Harris (Harris and Welmers 1942), was one of the first studies in this country or
elsewhere to develop an explicit suprasegmental model for the treatment of
prosodic phenomena. His research ranged over all areas of grammar, including studies of the phonology, morphology, and syntax of Kpelle, but he is
perhaps best known for his pioneering work in the description of tonal schemata, downstep, tonal morphemes and floating tones (see, e.g., Welmers 1959).
Welmers was actively concerned with African language teaching, and was
instrumental in setting up the program of African language instruction at UCLA,
which became a major center of African linguistics beginning in the late 1960s.
Welmers' achievements are summarized in his African Linguistic Stnjctures of
1973, an encyclopedic introduction to the linguistic analysis of African
languages.
Although dominated by the work of Greenberg and Welmers, African linin the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s saw important contributions by a
guistics
8
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
number
Carleton Hodge pioneered in the study of Hausa
pedagogical materials and a Hausa Grammar
Lorenzo Dow Turner initiated the study of African influences on
(1947).
English-based New World Creole languages, providing a convincing demonstration of African lexical retentions in his classic Africanisms in tfie Gullati
Dialect (1949).9
Wolf Leslau, based at UCLA from 1955 onward, established
modern Ethiopic comparative and lexicological studies with many major contributions continuing up to the present, including his comprehensive Etymological
Dictionary of Garage (1979). The Ghanaian linguist Gilbert Ansre made a
of other scholars.
linguistics, contributing articles,
significant contribution to phonological analysis with his Hartford
Seminary
Foundation M.A. thesis The Tonal Structure of Ewe (1961), one of the first
insightful studies of tonal analysis produced in this country.
In the area of
phonetics, Peter Ladefoged's classic study of the phonetics of West African
languages (1968) unveiled the articulatory mechanisms of a wide variety of
speech sounds rarely found, or completely unknown outside Africa. Major
syntactic studies of this period included several works on Hausa syntax and
grammar by Charles Kraft, and Alfons Loogman's Swatiili Grammar and Syntax
(1965), one of the most thorough descriptions of the syntax of an African
language written in the U.S. (or elsewhere) up to that time. Kay Williamson's
grammar of jjp (1965), based on her 1963 Yale doctoral dissertation, is one of
the first full-scale applications of transformational grammar to a non-Western
language. A full account of this period would go well beyond the scope of the
present study, and would include the work of a great many other scholars in
addition to those named. ""O
3.
The Creation
of
an
Institutional
Base
New fields of study do not emerge out of a vacuum, but respond to specific
research needs and social conditions. While the work of individual scholars
laid the basis for African linguistics in the U.S., the great increase of interest in
this field beginning in the late 1950s and 1960s forms part of a more general
awakening of American scholarship to the languages and cultures of nonWestern peoples.
World War II brought a dramatic demonstration of the inadequacy of
American scholarship in foreign languages and cultures outside the Americas
and Western Europe. In response to the widely-perceived need for scholars
with a command of the languages, culture and society of particular Western and
non-Western countries, a number of crash training programs were set up on
campuses to produce what were called 'language and area specialists.' One of
these programs was organized by the American Council of Learned Societies
under a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation. This program, the ILP (Intensive
Language Program), conducted wartime language courses in 26 languages at
18 universities, published language guides and instructional material, and
advised the government on language problems (Newmeyer 1 986). A militaryrun program, the ASTP (Army Specialized Training Program), taught modern
Clements: African linguistics
&
its
contributions to linguistic theory
9
languages on 55 American campuses; between June 1943 and
December 1945, over 16,000 members of the armed forces had been trained in
a language and area program under this program, with 60% of the training
foreign
consisting of intensive language instruction {Mijhler 1983).
When
was terminated
Language Training
took its place. The FSI's School of
Languages became one of the major centers of language teaching and
linguistic research in the U.S., generating instructional materials including some
twenty complete courses with language tapes, which have been widely used in
universities and governmental agencies.
A number of Africanists, such as
Program
the ILP
after the war, the
of the Foreign Service Institute (FSI)
James Redden,
Earl Stevick, and Lloyd B. Swift, were involved in this effort, and
produced oral-oriented teaching materials for languages in which adequate
textbooks were lacking; many contemporary Africanists got their first taste of
African languages through teaching materials of this sort. Although we can
criticize the limitations of some of these materials, which were often produced
under pressure of time and limited facilities, they filled the gap created by the
virtual absence of adequate textbooks for the practical teaching of most African
languages.
''
The universities and the major private foundations (Carnegie, Ford,
Rockefeller) provided further funding for the study of non-Western languages
and cultures. In the case of the more widely spoken languages, programs set
up during the war were simply continued, but with a research as well as pedagogical focus (Hall 1947). The first program in African studies was established
in 1949 at Northwestern under a grant from the Carnegie Corporation.
Boston
University set up its African Studies Center in 1953, and Howard its African
Studies and Research Program in 1954.
For these reasons, viable prototypes of today's foreign language and area
centers were already in place when Congress passed the National Defense
Education Act (NDEA) in 1958, largely as a response to the launching of
Sputnik the year before (McDonnell 1983, Lambert 1984). Its aim was 'to insure
trained manpower of sufficient quality and quantity to meet the national defense
needs of the United States' (McDonnell 1983:1), and its special target areas
were science, mathematics, and modern foreign languages. This legislation,
and the Higher Education Act (HEA) which later replaced it, provided the most
durable, and almost the only federal support for adding an international
component to the higher education system from that time up to the present. Title
VI of the HEA set up National Resource Centers in foreign language and area
studies on American campuses, supported the development of language
teaching materials, and funded competitive graduate student fellowships (FLAS
fellowships).'' 2 A specially-targeted section of the Fulbright-Hays Act supported
some of the overseas activities of the faculty and students of the centers, and
the NDEA Title IV program provided graduate fellowships until 1971. All of
these programs included support for basic linguistic research. As Newmeyer
10
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
book The Politics of Linguistics (1986), they made a major
development of linguistics in this country in the postwar
years; they were also the single major force in giving African language studies
an institutional base In this country. New African studies programs, most of
them funded under the NDEA or HEA, were set up at the University of Wisconsin in 1959, and at Michigan State, Indiana and UCLA in 1960, and many
further programs were added in the course of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.i3
Even today, instruction in African languages other than Swahili and Hausa is
almost entirely dependent on Title VI centers, and most U.S. research on African languages (as measured by Ph.D. theses and scholarly books and articles)
has pointed out
in his
contribution to the
comes
out of Title VI centers."'^
A setback in institutional support for African studies came in 1967, when
the Ford Foundation's International Training and Research Program came to an
end. No federal funds were appropriated to take its place. In 1973, the Title VI
program
was
cut back drastically,
and the 107 centers (including 13
1972 were reduced to 46 the next year
(Lambert 1984:136). Similarly, Title VI (FLAS) fellowships were reduced from a
total of 214 for all areas of African studies in 1972 to just 85 in 1974 (McDonnell
Nevertheless, even when federal support was withdrawn, most
1983:136).
African studies programs continued to survive on the basis of internal university
support. Government funding has recovered somewhat in recent years, and
there were 93 Title VI centers overall in 1985, including 10 in African studies at
itself
African studies programs) funded
about the
same
More
in
time.
difficult to quantify,
but nonetheless real as a factor
in
the growth of
was
the increased prominence of Africa
in popular consciousness as a result of the emergence of the newly-independent African states, many of which were headed by outspoken advocates of an
African studies
in
the U.S.
in
the 1960s,
African perspective on world events and political organization.
This trend
coincided, in the United States, with the civil rights movement and the rise of
black pride among African-Americans, accompanied by an increasing awareness of African history and African contributions to literature, the visual arts and
music. In addition, many Peace Corps volunteers had the opportunity to experiat first hand during extended assignments in African countries. The
study of African languages seemed to many to be an indispensable basis for
achieving a deeper understanding of African culture and society. One sign of
this is the fact that enrollment in Swahili language courses (the only African
language offered for study at most American universities) swelled to unprecedented numbers toward the end of the 1960s and into the early 1970s. But
enrollment in graduate programs in African linguistics also saw substantial
ence Africa
growth, as
we
shall
now
see.
Perhaps the best quantitative Indicator
linguistic
research
American
universities.is
is
the
of the long-term
growth
In
African
number of PhDs in African linguistics awarded by
Table 1 shows all PhDs in African linguistics since the
Clements: African linguistics
& its contributions to linguistic theory
11
1930s, "IS grouped according to general topic area. Gross totals are given in the
last column, and the mean number of theses per year (MPY) in the last
column, for each period.
(A complete listing of theses by year, author,
language, topic, and awarding university is given in the Appendix.)
next to
Table
1
U.S. Ph.D. theses on African languages 1933-87, by general topic area
(Source: Appendix).
HI
1930s
GR
PH
SY
SO
AP
m
TOTAL
MPY
12
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
and a corresponding general decline in descriptive grammars as opposed
more detailed studies of phonology or syntax alone. "i^
A
given
further
in
Table
measure of the
2, showing the
institutional
to
development of African linguistics is
American Ph.D. theses, classified
distribution of
by region.
Table 2
U.S. Ph.D. theses on African languages 1933-1987, by geographical area of
the awarding university. (Source: Appendix)
East Coast
1930s
Midwest
West Coast
South/Texas
TOTAL
Clements: African linguistics
Finally,
country and
&
its
contributions to linguistic theory
13
a discussion of institutional support for African linguistics in this
Africa cannot omit mention of the Summer Institute of Linguistics,
in
the linguistic
arm
the SIL and
its
of the Wycliffe Bible Translators. Since its beginnings in 1934,
over 3000 members world-wide have published thousands of
books, articles, and technical reports, including many on African languages
since the initiation of SIL activities in Africa in 1962.20
its linguists (around
1400 strong) are active in over 20 countries, including 10 in Africa, although its
major focus has been in Latin America, the Philippines, and Papua New
Guinea. A staff of over 100 part- and full-time faculty members teaches courses
at three summer schools in the U.S. and Canada, and during the academic year
at the University of Texas at Ariington. As a teaching institute, its courses are
"especially designed to give basic tools needed by those who are preparing to
serve preliterate peoples through language tasks such as Bible translation or
literacy work" (from the 1989-90 SIL Course Catalogue, p. 4). Viewed as a
constituency in the field of African linguistics, it is clear that most SIL members
have a different agenda from most university-centered linguists, and its political
However,
and social role in developing countries has been controversial.2i
some SIL members have pursued advanced studies in linguistics outside SIL
centers and published through normal scholarly channels, and have made a
significant contribution to the descriptive, and at times theoretical literature.
Table 3
African languages ranked according to teaching
A.
Number
and research emphasis.
of Ph.D. theses on particular African languages in U.S. univer1933-87. Only languages which have been the subject of five or
more theses are shown. (Source: Appendix)
sities,
Swahili
14
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
Zulu
Lingala
5
5
C. Percent of a sample of 176 Africanists In all fields who have studied a
given African language. Only languages studied by at least 5% of the
sample are shown. (Source: McDonnell 1983)
Swahili
Clements: African linguistics
& its contributions to linguistic theory
15
taken up the suggestion that logophoric structures may be found in languages
outside Africa.23 The continuing study of African languages will not leave our
models of universal grammar unchanged. Our way of viewing Western (and
other non-African) languages will improve as African language structures
become better understood and better integrated into our theories.
This is not to say that we, as linguists, study African languages only in
order to enrich our theories of language in general. Far from it - we also (and
perhaps primarily) study African languages for their intrinsic interest, and as a
tool for the understanding of African histor>', culture and literary expression. But
in addition to this, the valid insights that African languages offer into the
structure of universal grammar are also valid insights into African languages
themselves, and thus genuine advances in linguistic theory also constitute
advances in African linguistics. Newer models, developed in part through an
attempt to handle African language phenomena, stimulate further research on
African languages due to their greater explanatory power and closer fit to
African language structures: witness, for example, the explosion of work on
tonal systems since the mid-70s, and the more recent renewal of interest in
African syntax, stimulated in part by the study of object relations and argument
structure in Bantu languages.
Reviewing the work of the past twenty years or so, one is impressed by the
approach to African language study has led, overall, to a
more expansive view of grammar. The overly simple and mechanical models of
the early 1960s in which each component of the grammar was unrelated to
others have been replaced by increasingly powerful models postulating richer
systems of representation, a higher degree of interactivity among the various
components of grammar, and (in some approaches) a greater interaction between grammar and discourse structure on the one hand, phonology and
phonetics on the other - in short, to what we might call an open architecture, as
opposed to the closed architecture of earlier models. We can see this most
clearly if we examine the two areas in which African linguistic research has
been most concentrated in recent years, and in which it has had the greatest
impact on recent linguistic theory: phonology and syntax.
fact that the Afrocentric
Developments in Phonological Theory, The past twenty years have
been witness to a radical restructuring of phonological theory, which is largely
due to results coming from the study of African languages. Perhaps nowhere
else have we so clearly seen a deliberate attempt to develop new, appropriate
models for African phenomena. The successive frameworks of Williams
(1976/1). Leben (1973) and Goldsmith (1976) show increasingly radical
departures from the linear, phonemic view of phonological representation
inherited from their immediate predecessors (Chomsky and Halle 1968), and
have provided successively richer theories of phonological representation. In
particular, autosegmental phonology as originally developed by John
Goldsmith postulates that tones form a separate tier of phonological
4.1
16
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
representation at all levels of representation, underlying and derived; thus tones
are related to tone-bearing units not through inclusion in a common feature
matrix, but through the looser relation of
The success
autosegmental association.
these innovations can be measured in terms of the
First, they have given us improved theories of
tonal structure, in which tonal phenomena that had earlier required arbitrary
descriptive devices are now seen to reflect general properties of autosegmental
phonological representation.
Second, they have proven to have a high
predictive value when applied to previously unstudied (or poorly understood)
tone languages, and for this very reason have stimulated an immense amount
of new research, to such an extent that the tonal phonology of African
languages may very possibly be better understood than their segmental
phonology at the present time.^-* Third, the tonal model has been generalized
and extended to a wide range of non-tonal phenomena in the languages of
Africa and elsewhere. In one such development, models of vowel harmony In
African languages have been integrated into more general theories of
autosegmental representation, which are being redirected to African language
phenomena in turn. 25 in a further development of the autosegmental model
(sometimes called CV phonology), evidence in favor of an abstract level of
segmental organization called the prosodic template or CV skeleton was first
drawn from the study of Semitic word formation, and subsequently generalized
to phonological phenomena in Chadic, Ethiopian Semitic, West African and
Bantu languages, as well as many non-African languages. 26 As a result of
such developments, the current, generalized model of nonlinear phonology
now represents a new paradigm in phonological theory, differing more radically
from the generative model of the 1960s than generative phonology did from its
own predecessors.27
of
considerations stated earlier.
Perhaps less widely familiar, but equal in importance, is the revolution in
phonological feature theory that is now taking place, inspired again by studies
Beginning with Ladefoged's work on the
of African phonological systems.
speech sounds
of
gling to revise their
West
African languages (1964), linguists have been strugto account for such typically African speech sounds
models
as multiply articulated stops and clicks. Rather than considering these sounds
as marginal and exotic, linguists have again applied the Afrocentric method,
with surprising results. In an important paper of 1983, Halle points out that we
can better understand the structure of multiply articulated stops (including
clicks) if we consider the speech-producing mechanism as consisting of three
independent articulators: the lips, the tip or blade of the tongue, and the back of
the tongue, or dorsum. Each of these articulators is capable of acting alone to
define a point of articulation, as in the sounds [p]. [t], and [k], but they can act in
combination as well. Thus if we combine the lips and the tongue tip. we
produce what are termed labiodental stops, such as have been supposed to
exist in the Chadic language Margi.28 if we combine the lips and the dorsum,
we get the labiovelar stops exemplified in the name of the Gbe language cluster
Clements: African linguistics
& its contributions to linguistic theory
17
we combine
the tongue tip and the dorsum, we get the
Khoisan languages, as well as neighboring
Bantu languages such as Sotho, Xhosa and Zulu. This apparently simple
observation has been extended to a wider range of African phenomena,29 and
a fourth articulator, the tongue root, has been suggested to account for the
pharyngealization characteristic of many North Caucasian, Semitic and
Khoisan languages.30 The full consequences of these proposals cannot yet be
fully assessed, but it is clear that they are leading to a profound reassessment of
phonological feature theory, which promises to yield a feature system bearing
little or no relation to those that were widely assumed in the 1960s and 1970s.
of
West
Africa.
And
if
clicks that are characteristic of the
Other developments in phonology, though less dramatic or less crucially
dependent on African data, deserve mention as well. Work on Chadic languages brought to light the importance of the distinction between heavy and
light syllables in tonal phonology, and contributed to the renewal of interest in
the syllable in the 1970S.3'' Theories of tonal downstep, first developed for
African languages, have provided the basis for models of intonational structure
in European languages, and are now being turned back onto African languages, for which studies of intonational structure are just beginning.32 These
do not exhaust the areas in which African languages have had an active impact
on current phonological theory, but they are enough to show that African
languages continue to provide a rich field for research in phonological theory.
4.2 Developments in Syntactic Theory. The role of African languages in
the development of syntax has been less dramatic, and seems only now to be
starting to realize its vast potential. The first theoretically-oriented work tended
to apply early
models
of transformational
grammar
in
a mechanical fashion,
was particularly
An initial impulse for innovation
came from the West Coast, where a number of linguists began applying
"nonstandard" models of grammar to African data. The journal Studies in
creating elaborate rule systems that rarely brought to light what
characteristic of the languages under study.
African Linguistics, created at
UCLA
in
1970 under the
initial
editorship of
Talmy
Givon, became a sounding board for many of these ideas. In his UCLA thesis
Studies in Chibemba and Bantu Grammar of 1969,33 Givon first applied the
model of generative semantics to Bantu morphology. Shortly afterward,
however, he proposed a new research program which held that "in order to
understand the current morphology and morphotactics of a language, one must
construct highly specific hypotheses concerning the syntax of that language at
some earlier historical stage of its development " (Givon 1971:145). This view
proved influential, and resulted in a renewed interest in historical syntax and
processes of morphologization, perhaps best exemplified in Greenberg's work
on gender and noun class markers (cf. Greenberg 1976), as well as in many
studies by Heine and his associates at the University of Cologne. Givon's
evolving ideas eventually coalesced into a theory of functional syntax, which
continued to draw on African language data (cf. Giv6n 1976, 1984), and stimulated much work by others. In particular, l_arry Hyman and his many students
18
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
and collaborators developed the notion of thematic hierarchy (cf. Hyman &
Duranti 1982), and brought to light the morphological importance of focus in
Bantu languages (Hyman & Walters 1984). However, many linguists, especially
on the East Coast, found this theoretical framework insufficiently well-defined
and constrained in comparison to framework evolving from classical
transformational-generative grammar taking place at that time, and its influence
decreased as Chomsky's theory of Government and Binding (1981) began to
attract the attention of an increasing number of syntacticians (see below).
A
further source of innovation in the
African languages
was
1970s that drew in large part on
Grammar, initially developed by
the theory of Relational
Perlmutter and Postal. 3^* This theory, which holds that grammatical relations
are primitive (undefined) concepts and seeks to develop universal laws stated
in terms of them, immediately attracted the attention of Bantuists, who found it a
framework
for exploring the complex properties of objects in Bantu
Representative works include Kisseberth and Abasheikh (1977)
and many publications in the journal Studies in the Linguistic Sciences in the
late 1970s and early 1980s, as well as Kimenyi's 1976 UCLA thesis, revised
and published as A Relational Grammar of Kinyarwanda (1980). The results
from Bantu ted to certain proposed modifications in the general theory, but their
larger importance can be seen in the fact that the ability to handle Bantu object
relations adequately is widely accepted as a condition of adequacy by most
new theories of grammatical structure that have emerged in the last few
years 35
useful
languages.
Inspired by the study of Bantu syntax and its interrelations with phonology,
morphology and discourse structure, Bresnan, Mchombo and their collaborators
have recently begun to develop an enriched version of Lexical Functional
Grammar (LFG),36 which incorporates many earlier results from functional
grammar and relational grammar and integrates them into a formal model designed to achieve a more highly integrated expression of the relations between
syntax, phonology, morphology, and the lexicon. One of its goals is to achieve
a more transparent account of syntactic variation across closely related lan-
guages while
correctly deriving crosslinguistic generalizations,
recent work has
been focused on the study
of
and much
Bantu syntax.37
Finally, an increasing number of Africanists are working within the framework of Government and Binding (GB) syntax, an approach which reduces the
emphasis on rules in favor of an enriched theory of representation and attempts
to explain syntactic form in terms of general principles and parameters of
universal grammar.38 Over the past few years a number of PhD theses have
examined African syntax in this framework, and publications are starting to
appear. In a particularly thorough study of the syntax of several Kru languages,
for example, Koopman (1984) examines the striking patterns of verb movement
in these languages and argues that they support an extension of general
In spite of
principles independently required to account for NP movement.
Clements: African linguistics
& its contributions to linguistic theory
19
recent increasing attention to African language data, however, it seems fair to
GB theory, like most of the other theories mentioned above, has still not
say that
reflected the impact of results from the study of African languages to a
significant degree. 33
Why
should this be so? The answer
sure to be complex, but two related
is the long neglect of African languages in this country (combined with a neglect of other aspects of African
culture, history and civilization), resulting in the presence of fewer well-trained
linguists involved in the study and teaching of African syntax in American
universities, fewer English-language descriptive materials, and consequently
less opportunity for younger scholars to be trained in, or stimulated to carry out,
syntactic research. While it is feasible for linguists to carry out phonological
research on languages with which they are not acquainted at first hand
provided that adequate descriptions are available, it is much more difficult to
carry out syntactic research without at least a working knowledge of the
language under study and ready access to native speakers.'^o The second is
that phonology was able to seek an "African" model for a phenomenon that had
no close counterpart in European languages: lexically significant tone. Existing
models for tonal phonology, based on East Asian languages, were quickly
found to be incapable of explaining many intricate properties of African tone
systems such as tone spreading, contour tones, downstep, floating tones, tone
melodies, tone stability, and so forth, and in order to achieve insightful descriptions of these complex phenomena, new concepts had to be developed. Since
tonal phonology seemed to have no direct implications for the phonologies of
the better-described European languages, phonologists were free to experiment with new models without having to defend their views against welldeveloped preexisting theories in this area.'^^
In contrast, adequate descriptions of African syntactic systems are much sparser at even the most unsophisticated level, valid crosslinguistic generalizations are harder to obtain,
and it is more difficult to determine without prolonged first-hand study whether
any given phenomenon can be accommodated within some version of existing
theory. A cautious view, and one not completely unjustified, would be that the
burden of proof falls upon the linguist to show that existing theory cannot be
adjusted or modified in small ways to account for what at first appear to be
factors deserve special mention.
radically different
The
is
first
phenomena.
One hopes, however,
that these considerations will not discourage
from developing new syntactic concepts on the basis of the study of
African languages. If, as has often been claimed, the intensive study of English
(or French) syntax is capable of revealing properties of universal grammar, the
intensive study of Yoruba, Kanuri or Zulu can do the same. And only by taking
the potential contribution of African languages seriously can we avoid the
danger of skewing our theories of syntax toward languages which have a long
It is
literary tradition, and which for that reason, we happen to know best.
sufficient to page through earlier volumes of African linguistics journals to find
linguists
20
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
any number
which focus exclusively on African counterparts to
English, while passing over interesting and potentially
important syntactic phenomena which do not have obvious counterparts in
Western literary languages. The better descriptive grammars (as well as
surveys such as Welmers 1973)) already suggest that African languages offer a
rich range of syntactic constructions which deserve closer study, and arguably
provide an analogue to tonal phenomena in their potential interest for general
syntactic theory. It seems quite possible that an effort to construct an Africaninspired model of such phenomena as serial verbs, predicate clefting, focus
constructions, and relative tenses (to take just a few examples), taking into
account both language-internal and crosslinguistic generalizations, will lead to
similar advances in the study of phrase structure, anaphoric binding, discourserelated constraints, and models of tense and aspect, with beneficial consequences for syntactic theory as a whole.'*2
of articles
syntactic constructions
in
We have so far considered phonology and syntax in isolation from the
each other and from the rest of the grammar. African languages have
contributed more than their share to the current development of "interface"
models, that is, models of the way the various components of grammar interact
For example, early generative theory had proposed that
with each other.
domains of phonological rule application are defined symmetrically, according
to a hierarchy defined by the left and right edges of morphological and syntactic
constituents (Chomsky and Halle 1968).
Subsequent research on African
languages, however, has shown that tone rules could apply asymmetrically in
domains bounded by the left edges of phrasal constituents, but not by their right
edges, and these results have been integrated into a generalized edge-based
approach to syntactically-conditioned rules.^3 More recently, it has been suggested that phonological rules may have direct access to syntactic structure,
without the mediacy of the boundary markers or prosodic structure provided by
This hypothesis continues to be debated in the current
earlier theories.
literature, but newer evidence, coming once again from African languages,
seems to argue in favor of some interpretation of this hypothesis.'*'* However
this issue is eventually resolved,
it
is
clear that African languages, with their rich
systems of postlexical phonological rules, provide a particularly fertile testingground for theories of the syntax-phonology interface, and will continue to
remain
at
the center of investigation
New developments
in
in this
area.
theory, whether originally generated by the study of
African languages or subsequently
enhanced by them, have made
contri-
butions to areas outside the study of grammatical structure properly speaking.
In the study of language acquisition, for example, we now have the tools to
undertake the serious study of the acquisition of African syntax and phonology
African languages have been brought to bear on the study
(cf. Demuth 1989).
of Creole languages, and a number of linguists have suggested that the African
substratum has a larger bearing on the linguistic structure of African and New
World pidgin and Creole languages than has been previously supposed.'*5
Clements: African linguistics
& its contributions to linguistic theory
21
Theoretical advances have contributed to the development of African language
teaching as well. If good theory lays the basis for good description, good description is the foundation for developing successful language teaching
materials: it is no coincidence, for example, that Swahili is at present both the
best described African language, and the one for which the most adequate
pedagogical materials exist. '^ Africanists have also taken the lead in producing textbooks in phonological theory and African linguistics, which have
made tne structure of African languages more widely known among linguists at
large. 47
5.
Further remarks
The preceding discussion has argued that many aspects of the development of African linguistics in the U.S. reflect particular features of the geographFrom the time of Boas,
ical and political context in which it has taken place.
Sapir and Bloomfield onward, American linguistics has had a particular strength
in descriptive and theoretical linguistics, and this emphasis is reflected in its
more recent contributions to African linguistics. Independently of this, the
relative predominance of descriptive and theoretical approaches over historical
and anthropological ones has much to do with the relative difficulty which the
American scholar finds in carrying out extensive research in Africa itself. Geographical distance and limited institutional support have made types of research
that are dependent on sustained field work quite difficult for the American-based
Africanist, but more practical for the European with easier access to Africa, and
of course most practical for the Afhcan-based linguist. We may hope that with
increasing consciousness
in this
country of the importance of basic research on
and culture, the American contribution to African
linguistics will grow in depth and broaden in scope, and researchers will
develop increasing contacts with their colleagues abroad, in Europe and
especially in Africa, as many have done on an individual basis already.
African languages, history,
The vast
majority of African languages
still
do not have adequate descrip-
here that work based on shorter periods of residence
in Africa or work with language consultants in the U.S. will continue to be useful
There is much need for basic descriptive work in phonology,
at all levels.
morphology, syntax and lexicon, which will be essential not only for theory but
tions at
any
level,
and
it
is
also for our eventual understanding of the complex patterns of relations among
African languages and to the eventual reconstruction of features of parent
languages, and of aspects of African prehistory.
should be emphasized that advances in theory require careful basic
much as advances in historical and comparative work do. In
tonal phonology, some of the major advances have been based on the study of
published descriptions of such languages as Margi, Mende, Igbo, Kikuyu,
Tonga, Zulu, and Luganda, all of which had already been extensively documented, and for which the descriptions are complete enough that one can test
It
description just as
22
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
In other cases, linguists have based their
work on extensive descriptive materials they have provided elsewhere.'*9 in the absence of a sufficient descriptive base of this sort, theoretical
conclusions are necessarily highly tentative, since small samples of data can be
used to support almost any novel theory, including many that are mutually
incompatible.
There Is no reason, however, why new theoretical insights
cannot be based on full, adequate descriptions, especially in the case of languages that are still poorly documented. The investigator will have to take
special care to provide enough data, organized in a structured way, that researchers working in any framework or tradition can make use of it, and if
alternative theories against them.'^s
theoretical
necessary, reinterpret it in ways different from the way the original investigator
Such descriptions will continue to be valuable sources even when the
theoretical issues they address have been resolved (or forgotten).
did.
In sum, the field of African linguistics has seen a substantial growth over
recent years, not only in terms of purely quantitative measures, but also in terms
of its increasing contribution to the development of linguistic theory. One thing
we have
an Afrocentric approach to theory constructo a pluricentric approach, in which
all linguistic zones play a proportionate role
can prove fruitful, and may
continue to lead to new and valid insights as our knowledge of the diversity of
linguistic form becomes broader and deeper.
tion
learned,
I
believe,
is
that
โwhich must eventually be generalized
โ
Clements: African linguistics
Appendix:
&
its
23
contributions to linguistic theory
American Ph.D. Theses on African Languages and
Linguistics
(1933-1987)
The following list includes Ph.D. theses on Niger-Kordofanian, NiloSaharan and Khoisan languages, and Afroasiatic languages and linguistics
also
except Egyptian, Coptic and Semitic (but including Ethiopian Semitic).
includes theses on pidgins and Creoles spoken in Africa. It does not include
theses on the topic of oral literature. Each thesis is assigned a major topic, e.g.,
syntax, descriptive grammar, orthography. In the case of theses with two or
more topics, the 'major topic' is selected according to the principle by which the
It
general linguistic field outranks the grammatical subarea, e.g., histoncal phonology is classed as 'historical' rather than 'phonology', a sociolinguistic study of
syntax is classified as 'sociolinguistics' rather than 'syntax', and so forth.
AbbreviatI
24
AUTHOR
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
Clements: African linguistics
BAUCOM
& its contributions to linguistic theory
25
26
AUSTEN
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
Clements: African linguistics
BOYS
&
its
contributions to linguistic theory
27
28
BADER
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
Clements: African linguistics
& its contributions to linguistic theory
29
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
is a revised and expanded version of my keynote address 'Progress in the
Study of African Languages: Research in the U.S. 1969-1988' read at the 20th
Annual Conference of African Linguistics at the University of Illinois, UrbanaChampaign, April 19-22, 1989. In preparing this study have benefitted from
correspondence with Eyamba Bokamba, Don Burquest, Katherine Demuth,
Joseph Greenberg, Larry Hyman, Paul Newman, James Redden, Carol Rosen,
Earl Stevick, and Laurie Tuller, and from discussion with Thilo Schadeberg.
Needless to say, the opinions expressed in this paper as well as any errors of
am indebted to
fact or interpretation are entirely my own responsibility.
Sylvestre Osagie for valuable research assistance, and to Russell Schuh for
sending me portions of Schuh (1988) and the questionnaire responses on
which that study is based. Presentation of this paper at the 20th ACAL was
made possible by a grant from the George A. Miller Endowment Fund, Center
would finally
for Advanced Study, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
like to thank the Africana Studies and Research Center and the Department of
This
I
I
I
Modern Languages and
Linguistics, both of Cornell University, for providing
research support.
NOTES
Greenberg (1965) and Cole (1971) give general overviews of the history
have little to say about
work carried out in the U.S. Schuh (1988) reviews the state of African language
instruction over the past decade with an equal emphasis on the U.S. and
Europe, and gives quantitative information on linguistic research as well.
1
of African linguistics to the mid-twentieth century, but
general synthesis of comparative/historical work in African linscope, is provided by the many contributions to volume
7 of Current Trends in Linguistics (Sebeok 1971). A synthesis of recent
research on the classification of Niger-Congo languages is provided in Bendor2
The
last
guistics, international in
Samuel
tics,
(1989).
See Bokamba (1989)
another area which
is
for
an overview
of
work
in
sociolinguis-
not treated here.
empirically-based theory of universal grammar, of course, is one that
concerning the structure of individual
languages, hence the importance of the study of a broad and diverse language
use the term 'grammar' broadly to include phonology, morphology,
base.
3
makes
An
verifiable or falsifiable predictions
I
syntax, semantics,
and
lexicon.
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
30
4 Thus questions such as 'does language X have parasitic gaps?' can be
answered at the next meeting with the consultant, or even by picking up the
phone.
The Linguistic Bibliography
(Utrecht) lists a total of nine articles by
area of 'Negro-African languages' during the period
(The authors were
1 939-47, the first for which the bibliography was published.
Joseph Greenberg, Zellig Harris, Carleton Hodge, and William Welmers.)
5
American
6
linguists in the
Watklns' informant
currently by his Christian
was Kamuzu Banda, better known to the world
surname Hastings, and as President of Malawi
(southern Africa).
7 His last publication is Watklns (1978), published posthumously in 1976.
Another pioneering figure of the 1930s was Ethel G. Aginsky, who wrote a
Grammar of the Mende Language (1935) at Columbia University under the
direction of Franz Boas. Aginsky's later career was devoted to the study of the
Pomo Indian culture in Northern California, in collaboration with her husband;
have been able to determine, she did not make any further
as far as
I
contribution to African linguistics.
3
is to be hoped that a future edition of
much-needed index of languages and topics,
It
allowing this
work
to realize
its full
potential
this
work
listing
will
actual
as a resource
it with a
page numbers,
provide
for Africanists.
9 Turner was later active in setting up the Peace Corps programs in Africa,
and prepared pedagogical materials and texts for the study of Krio. See WadeLewis (1989) for a review of Turner's career.
0
See Schachter (1971) for a review of aspects of
and elsewhere during the period 1945-1969.
African linguistics in
this country
''
Beginning in the 1960s, the Peace Corps took an increasing role in
course development and language training. The Peace Corps has reprinted
some of the older FSI courses, and has funded the development and publication of new courses in recent years, the more recent of which have extensive
cultural notes. According to the Rand survey mentioned in note 17, 26% of a
sample of Africanists in all fields supported by Title VI FLAS fellowships during
1962-1979 received language instaiction during service with the Peace Corps.
12 FLAS fellowship support was one of the major sources of financial
support for graduate students in African studies In the first two decades of the
According to a 1983 Rand survey of 176 Africanists who
Title VI program.
received FLAS fellowships (or were nominated as alternates) between 1962
and 1979, and who went on to earn the PhD between 1967-1979, 14.8% (or
about 26) were linguists (McDonnell 1983). These fellowships thus supported
Clements: African linguistics
about
&
its
20%
linguistics
13
31
contributions to linguistic theory
of the approximately 120 PhDs awarded
by U.S.universities during these years.
in tlie
area of African
See Duignan (1967) and Rana and Distefano (1987)
for further
information.
''*
To my knowledge, only two programs in African linguistics currently
have departmental status: the Department of African Languages and Literatures
at the University of Wisconsin (Madison), established in 1964 with a strong
specialty in the study of oral literatures, and the Department of African
Languages and Literatures at the University of Florida (Gainesville), established
in the 1970s.
A number of further departments combine African Studies with
Afro-American Studies, though few of them have special strength in the
linguistic
IS
study of African languages.
This
is,
of course, only
one way
of evaluating the
of research in African linguistics in the U.S.
growth and direction
See Schuh (1988)
for discussion of
other measures, covering the period 1978-88.
โข6
Figures for
some
years, especially 1987, may be incomplete. Not all
degrees to bibliographical sources such as
universities report their higher
have suppleDissertation Abstracts International.
In preparing this table
mented published sources from personal knowledge whenever possible.
I
โข7
Students graduating in this year would correspond to those who
entered Ph.D. programs when FLAS funding was at its peak, around 1970-2.
โข8
Not reflected in this table is the growth in production of African
language teaching materials, which also increased substantially during this
period. See Johnson (1976) for a bibliography of materials available in the
mid-1970s.
9
An examination
of
Appendix
A shows
that this increase mostly involves
universities with Title VI funding.
20
1979/85
21
See Brend and Pike 1977
for
a bibliography
See
e.g. Pike
and
for
an overview
of publications of
Fries (1985),
SIL
of the SIL,
members through
Newmeyer
and Wares
1982.
(1986) for differing views.
22
See especially Goldsmith (1976,1981), Leben
Pierrehumbert (1980) for developments of this approach.
(1976),
and
23
See Clements (1975) and Hag6ge (1974) for descriptions of
logophoric pronouns in West African languages, and Sells (1986) for a more
recent theoretical treatment.
32
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
24
For recent studies of African tone systems see, among others,
Clements and Goldsmith (1984), Pulleyblank (1986), Clark (1988), and Odden
(1988).
25
For the phonetics of vowel harmony see Lindau (1979); for
phonological analysis see Clements (1985), Archangeli and Pulleyblank
(1989).
.
|
I
26
For comprehensive presentations of the current paradigm, with
emphasis on African contributions, see van der Hulst and Smith (1982) and
Goldsmith (1989a).
27 More recently, Maddieson (1987) has shown that the labiodental stops
Margi are more accurately characterized as clusters; however, he elsewhere
shows that labiodental stops occur In other languages of the world (Maddieson
of
|
,
and Ladefoged 1988).
|
28
See Sagey (1986)
for discussion of
Bantu and Khoisan phonology
within this approach.
29 See Maddieson and Ladefoged (1988) for the feature [radical]. In a
somewhat different proposal, McCarthy (1989) argues that pharyngeal and
laryngeal articulations form a natural class for which the feature [pharyngeal]
|
i
is
,
proposed.
30
term
See Newman (1972). To the best
was introduced in this
'syllable weight"
31
(1983),
Inkelas
of
my knowledge,
the now-standard
paper.
i
For downstep in African languages see, among others, Clements
Huang (1985); for intonational studies see Lindau (1986), Leben and
(in
press).
32 For Classical Arabic see McCarthy (1981); for other African languages,
see Halle and Vergnaud (1980), Kenstowicz (1982), Hyman (1985), Clements
(1986), and others.
33 This
34
work was
later
published as Giv6n (1972), SAL, supplement
Grammar was
3.
first presented In courses given by Perlmutter
(Vincennes) In 1973 and by Perlmutter and Postal
at the LSA Summer Institute held at the University of Massachusetts In 1974,
and became widely known in subsequent years through many lectures and
privately circulated papers by Perlmutter, Postal and their collaborators. For a
Relational
i
"
at the University of Paris VIII
collection of early studies
see Perlmutter (1983).
^
^
I
Clements: African linguistics
35
& its contributions to linguistic theory
33
See, for example, Marantz (1984), Baker (1988), and Bresnan and
Kanerva (1989).
36 See Bresnan (1982) for a collection of studies
37
See
especially Bresnan
in this
framework.
and Mchombo (1987), Bresnan and Kanerva
(1989).
38
For the basic presentation of
39
For a further approach
Makua
approach see Chomsky (1981).
Generalized Phrase
Stucky's analysis of the Bantu language
to African syntax, that of
Grammar (GSPG), see
Structure
this
(1981).
'*0 As Eyamba Bokamba points
out (personal communication): 'Syntactic
research in African languages demands considerable knowledge of the
language(s) concerned, and can be done easily only by native speakers of
such languages. This is a major obstacle for graduate students as well as
faculty members who are often under pressure to produce results in a short time
for one reason or another. The consequence is the paucity of syntactic studies
in general, including article length work, and theoretical development in
particular.*
'^i
all in
It
will
be recalled that Chomsky and Halle (1968) do not discuss tone
comprehensive work.
at
their otherwise
"^^
That there may already be some movement in this direction is
suggested by the contributions to the first meeting of the Niger-Congo Syntax
Workshop in Boston in 1988 and to the conference on Bantu linguistics held at
Stanford
'*3
sandhi
Mwiini
in
in
in
1989.
See Clements (1978) for discussion of left-edge constraints on tone
Ewe, and Selkirk (1986) for an analysis of the Bantu language Chia generalized theory
of
edge-bounded phrasal phonology.
'*'*
See Odden (1987, 1988) for discussion of rules requiring direct
reference to X-bar phrase structure in Kimatuumbi, and Hayes (1988) for a
reanalysis of some types of syntax-sensitive rules as 'precompiled' lexical rules,
drawing many examples from African languages.
^^ See Alleyne (1980) and Koopman (1986) for studies of New World
Creoles, and Singler (1988) for examination of a West African pidgin.
^^ See Zawawi (1979) for an informative descriptive study of Swahili
noun class morphology, and Zawawi (1971) for a popular first-year textbook.
34
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
Nurse and Spear (1985) present a nontechnical overview
the Swahili people
47
and
of the early history of
their language.
Hyman
(1975) and Kenstowicz and Kisseberth (1979) are two widelyphonological theory with much detailed exemplification from
African languages.
Gregersen (1977) is a readable introduction to African
used textbooks
languages and
48
in
linguistics
designed
See Goldsmith (1989b)
contribution
linguistics to
for the general reader.
for insightful discussion of the important
European, especially British, tradition
the development of autosegmental phonology.
the
of
of
descriptive
49 See, for example, the descriptive study of the Haya tonal system in
Byarushengo, Hyman and Tenenbaum (1976), later given a theoretical
reinterpretation in Hyman and Byarushengo (1984).
โข1
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Pike, K. and C. Fries. 1985. Introduction, in A.C. Wares, vol. 2.
Pulleyblank, D. 1986. Tone in lexical phonology. Dordrecht: Reidel.
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UCLA.
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E.
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Keynote address to the 19th Annual Conference on
African Linguistics, Boston, Mass.
Sagey,
Clements: African linguistics
Sebeok,
1971.
T. A., ed.
Africa.
& its contributions to linguistic theory
Current Trends
in
Linguistics, vol. 7:
39
Sub-saharan
The Hague: Mouton.
Selkirk, E. O.
On
1986.
derived domains
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Phonology
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V.
1988.
The homogeneity of the substrate as a factor in
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Turner, L D. 1949. Africanisms in the Gullah dialect. Chicago: University of
Chicago Press.
Sells, P.
Singler, J.
Wade-Lewis, M. 1989. Lorenzo Dow Turner: the First African-American
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Department of African American Studies, Temple University,
Philaelphia, Pa. To appear in SLS 20:1.
Wares, A. C. 1979/85. Bibliography of the Summer Institute of Linguistics, Vol.
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Dallas: Summer Institute of Linguistics.
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Language Dissertation No. 24.
Philadelphia, Pa.:
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484
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Margi and Igbo.
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circulated in 1971].
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J. Brill.
4
n
&
5t--'^t
lum.
Tss:
^h-j
Wh&s
-^s-
s
^i
Studies
in
Volume
19,
the
Linguistic
Number
TUKI GAPS:
Sciences
1989
2, Fall
NULL RESUMPTIVE PRONOUNS OR VARIABLES?
Edmond
Biloa
University of Southern California
- Los Angeles
It is argued in this paper that gaps in Tuki WH-constructions are
non-overt resumptive pronouns rather than wh-traces. The fact that
the language violates Subjacency corroborates this claim.
The
analysis of weak crossover phenomena, coordination, parasitic gap
constructions and anaphoric binding in Tuki provides evidence that
gaps in this language are null resumptive pronouns which are
syntactically bound.
shows that gaps in Tuki WH-constructions should be analyzed
resumptive pronouns which do not involve movement on analogy with
the resumptive pronoun strategy, rather than variables left by 'Move Alpha'. In
Tuki, a Bantu language of Central Cameroon (West Africa), the head of the WHphrase can be associated with a gap or a resumptive pronoun. Generative
grammar analyzes the gapped examples as instances of 'Move Alpha', a
general rule that prohibits movement from island environments. The fact that the
resumptive pronoun strategy in Tuki violates Bounding Theory is expected
under current assumptions in the field. Such a violation is unexpected under a
movement analysis of the gapped constructions in the language. However,
Tuki consistently appears to violate island constraints such as the CNPC, the
Moreover,
WH-island, the CED, and the Sentential Subject Constraint.
coordination of a clause containing a full resumptive pronoun and a clause
containing a gap is possible. Furthermore, while resumptive pronouns fail to
exhibit weak crossover effects, gapped sentences also fail to exhibit weak
crossover effects, suggesting once more that these gaps are pronominals and
not variables. Other facts such as parasitic gap constructions corroborate this
claim. In the next section, we introduce the reader to resumptive pronouns in
Tuki.
Section 2 establishes the parallelism between gaps and resumptive
pronouns in Tuki WH-constructions. In Section 3, we provide evidence that that
the behavior of the gapped sentences is similar to the behavior of the
resumptive-pronoun-sentences with respect to island constraints. In Section 4,
This paper
as
null
44
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
we examine
Section 5
coordination and conclude that Tuki does not violate the CSC.
that full resumptive pronouns as well as gaps do not exhibit
shows
weak crossover effects
exhibits weak crossover
(at S-structure),
while
in
Section 6
we show
effects at LF, providing further support that
that Tuki
gaps
in
Tuki
WH-constructions are non-overt resumptive pronouns. It is claimed in Section 7
that resumptive pronouns license parasitic gaps in the language. The analysis
of anaphoric binding in Section 8 strengthens the idea that resumptive
pronouns are syntactically bound in the language.
1
.
Resumptive Pronouns
Following Sells (1984a, 1984b, 1987),
we
will
assume
that resumptive
pronouns are pronouns which appear in unbounded dependency or WHmovement constructions, and which are directly bound by the operator in such
constructions, as
(a)
(1)
in
the following Tuki sentences:
mutu odzuj
ngu muj dingam
him love
man who
'the man who
(b)
okutu
I
I
love him'
odzuj ngu
woman who
'the woman who
(c)
mu
pi
I
I
danced
bina
dance
na
with
her
with her*
nosi
waaj
mangadzu odzuj
a
who
mother
his
SM
'the child who his mother loves Puta'
child
aj
dingam
love
Puta
Puta
pronouns are morphologically Identical to object
There are eight object pronouns in the language which can refer
only to NPs bearing the feature [+ human], as shown in (2) below. In other
words, there are no object resumptive pronouns for [- human] NPs. There are
also no overt subject pronouns or overt subject resumptive pronouns in the
In
Tuki, resumptive
pronouns.
language.
(2)
Tuki Object Pronouns
Singular
Biloa:
andzuj
(a)
(3)
[
imgbeme
who
45
xj
]
SM
'who does the
who
unam
y
lion
kills
lion kill?'
andzuj [imgbeme
(b)
TukiGaps
SM
'who does the
nam
muj
i
lion
lion
kill
him
]
kill
him?'
WH-word andzu 'who' which is + human] can be associated either
gap or a resumptive. In contrast, the WH-word ate 'what' which Is
human] can only be associated with a gap below:
In (3)
the
[
with a
[
-
(4)
nambam
Mbaraa
atei
[okutu
a
what
woman
of
Mbara
SM
xj]
cooks
'what does Mbara's wife cook?'
The contrast in behavior between andzu 'who' and ate 'what' with respect to the
generation of resumptive pronouns will become crucial when we look at island
phenomena in Tuki In a subsequent section.
3.
Island
Environments
In this section, we consider the island environments in Tuki.
Chomsky
(1977) has subsumed Ross's (1967) island constraints under the Subjacency
Condition. Subjacency prohibits movement from island configurations. Tuki,
however, consistently violates island constraints.
clauses
(5)
seem
(a)
to violate the
mutu [CP odzuj
man
(b)
[IP
who
ee[IP
Putaam
that
Puta
'the
SM
p
1
Mbara a m udza [NP
Mbara SM pi tell
una xj ]]]]]
that
[IP
the story that Puta
which
Mbara a
Mbara SM
Puta a
m(u)
tevere [CP odzu [IP
[CP ee
PutaSM
'the table that
mam ama [CP
story
this
kill
man whom Mbara told
table
For instance, Tuki relative
CNPC:
p1
Mbara
ofa
m
killed'
udza [NP
p1
tell
x
maru
ama
story
this
]]]]]
throw
told the story that
Puta threw away'
CNPC is violated irrespective of whether the position relativized can be
associated with a resumptive pronoun or a gap. In (5b) for instance, since
tevere 'table' is [- human], the position it has vacated cannot be filled with a
resumptive pronoun. Nevertheless, the position is disrespectful of the CNPC
without any ungrammaticality resulting.
The
46
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
Consider the following sentences:
[karate odzu]
(a)
(6)
book
'this
(b)
iya
xj
send
book,
I
know
my
man who send
Nga
idzima [CP
the
ti
my
nu nambam anenga
cook
In (6a),
position inside
my
mother*
[IP
xj
a
SM
what
]]]
this
know what
(she)
will
cook
this
evening'
NP
In (6b),
mu
PutajjIPi
Puta
it
'Puta,
good
it
is
Mbara
'Mbara,
is
good
[IP xj
a
nu
banam
f1
marry
SM
that
Mbara]]
Mbara
that (she) will marry Mbara'
mu
it
it
wusi [CP ee
is
Mbarai,[IPi
(b)
In (7a),
don't
to
ate
a sentential subject:
(a)
(7)
SM
karate odzu 'this book' is associated with a variable inside
the topic NP iya ame 'my mother' is extracted over the
ate 'what'. And in (7a & b) below, a topic is associated with a
the topic
relative clause.
WH-element
aye
evening
I
know
neg
I
'my mother,
a
a
[IP
who
arne]]]]
mother
f1
odzu
mother
ame]i, [IP
[iya
man
know
I
ma tomena
p2
idzimam [NP mutu [CP
[IP Ngi
i,
this
wusi
good
[CP ee
good
is
that
[IP
Puta
Puta a
nu muj/O banam
PutaSMfl him
that
]]]
marry
marry him/0'
will
the subject Puta has been topicalized.
Bear
in
mind
that there are
no
overt subject resumptive pronouns.
In
the following sentence, extraction has taken place over an adverbial clause:
[manya amajj, avan
(8)
food
'this
(8) violates
this
food, before
to
dze
that
you touch
o
timbita
you touch
,
xj,
suwa amboo roo
wash hands your
wash your hands'
Domains (Huang 1982) which prohibits
ungoverned environments, and the data presented so far
the Condition on Extraction
extraction from
appear
before
indicate that Tuki allows island violations.
extraction from relative clauses,
embedded questions and
Since Tuki allows
adjuncts,
it
seems
appropriate to suggest that gaps in Tuki should not be analyzed as variables
by 'Move Alpha', but rather as null resumptive pronouns.
left
Biloa: Tuki
4.
Gaps
47
Coordination
Further evidence for a parallelism between gaps and full resumptive
pronouns is provided by the fact that it is possible to conjoin a clause containing
a full resumptive pronoun and a clause containing a gap:
[IP
(9)
Mbara a
sesam [CP andzuj
Mbara SM asks
who
[IP
Tsimi
a
Tsimi
SM
mui
him
[IP
Puta a
Puta
benam]]]]
SM
dingam
ka
xj
then
loves
hates
'Mbara asks who Puta loves and Tsimi hates him'
However, Tuki does not
1967);
it
is
violate the Coordinate Structure Constraint (Ross
impossible to extract one constituent of a conjoined stoicture in Tuki:
idzimam [NP mutu [CP odzui
(10) *ngi
[IP
Puta a
dingam
xj
who
Puta SM loves
[IP Mbara
benam Dima ]]]]
a
Mbara
SM hates Dima
know the man whom Puta loves and Mbara hates Dima'
know
I
man
ka
then
'I
Across-the-board extraction allows extraction from both conjuncts, provided that
the affected elements in each conjunct be 'identical' in syntactic category (see
Williams (1 978, 36, (31 ) ). Consider in this respect (lib):
(11)
(a)
idzimam [NP mutu [CP odzui [IP Puta a dingam xj ka
Mbara a benam xj ]]]]
know the man whom Puta loves and Dima hates'
ngi idzimam [NP mutu [CP odzuj [IP Puta a muj/O dingam ka
ngi
[IP
'I
(b)
Mbara a muj /O benam ]]]]
know the man whom Puta loves him/0 and Mbara hates
'I
[IP
him/0'
grammatical because the same extraction rule has applied in both
Notice that in (lib), the two conjuncts are the two VPs and that in
each case the trace left by the extracted element can be replaced by a
resumptive pronoun. Assuming Williams's requirement that the WH-movement
rule must apply across-the-board to an identical item in both conjuncts, then we
have to assume that WH-movement has affected both conjuncts in (1 1 ), and that
the trace that is left behind is optionally spelled out as a resumptive pronoun.
Given that the phonological realization of the trace cannot change its syntactic
category in compliance with Williams's condition, both gaps and resumptive
pronouns must be of the same syntactic category. That is that they are both
(11a)
is
conjuncts.
bound by the WH-word
at S-structure.
48
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
We
conclude that Tuki does not violate the CSC, although it seems to
Georgopoulos (1985) observes the
same behavior in Palauan and concludes that the CSC is a constraint different
kind from other constraints subsuming Subjacency.
in
Scandinavian
languages too observe the CSC while many island constraints are violated
(Engdahl and Ejerhed 1982).
violate consistently other island constraints.
5.
Weak Crossover
Full
(12)
at S-structure
resumptive pronouns do not exhibit weak crossover effects
(a)
andzuj
waaj ] [a
mother his
SM
'who does his mother love?'
andzuj [okutu
[odzuj xj a
[nosi
who
(b)
who
'who
Likewise, sentences containing gaps also
(a)
andzuj
andzuj
'who
On analogy
[okutu
(14)
]
his
to exhibit
xj
a
]]
Tuki:
]
benam
muj
him
SM
hates
him'
weak crossover
[a
dingam
SM
loves
xj
effects,
variables:
]]
love'
[odzuj
xj
a
dingam
]]]
woman whom
SM loves
does the woman whom he loves hate'
with their English counterparts, the sentences
ruled out by the Bijection Principle
Condition
fail
waaj
mother
'who does his mother
who
dingam
gaps are pronominals, not
[nosi
who
(b)
dingam
loves
woman whom
SM loves
does the woman whom he hates love
providing further evidence that these
(13)
mu
him
in
In
(Koopman & Sportiche 1982)
a
benam
SM
hates
(13) should be
or the Leftness
(Chomsky 1976, Higginbotham 1980):
The
(a)
Bijection Principle
Weak
half:
A
quantifier
can bind only one variable.
(Violation
results in semigrammaticality)
(b)
Strong
half:
A
in
must bind a variable. (Violation results
ungrammaticality)
quantifier
The Leftness Condition states that a pronoun cannot be coindexed with a
variable to its right. The fact that the constructions in (13) are licit seems to imply
that the gaps are non-overt pronouns which may be phonetically realized when
is [+ human]. Sentences such as (13) have
important consequences for Safir's (1984, 1986) Parallelism Constraint on
Operator Binding (PCOB):
the position they are associated with
TukiGaps
Biloa:
on Operator Binding (PCOB)
(15) Parallelism Constraint
If
one
O
local A'-bindee of
bindees of
O
49
must be [&
is
[& lexical]
lexical]
and
[b pronominal],
then
all
or [b pronominal].
Safir's constraint rules out as illicit constructions in which a single operator
binds two variables, one of which is a trace and the other a pronominal. Since
we have argued that gaps in the above weak crossover configurations are nonovert resumptive pronouns, it is possible to suggest that all the local A'-bindees
of the operator andzu 'who' are [+ pronominal ]. If this argumentation proves to
be accurate, both types of Juki bindee would bear the feature [+ pronominal ].
6.
Weak Crossover
LF
at
Tuki allows WH-in-situ phrases. The latter consistently trigger weak
crossover effects as evidenced by the ungrammaticality of the following
sentences:
(16) (a)
*isa
father
waaj
a
his
SM
'his father
(b)
'karate ate
dingam
andzuj
loves
who
loves who'
udzam ee
book what says
'which book says
nosi
a dingam
waaj
mother his SM loves
that his mother loves which
[mwana
child
that
ate]i
what
child'
The
illicitness of the above two constructions infers that coindexing is not
possible between pronouns and unmoved wh-words to their rights. Assuming
that WH-in-situ items raise at LF, consider for instance the LF representation of
(16b):
(17) [karate ate]
j
[mwana
ate]j
[xj
udzam ee
nosi waaj
a dingam
xj
]]
In (17) above, the variable x is to the right of \Naa 'his' and the construction is
disqualified by the Leftness Condition (Chomsky 1976, Higginbotham 1980).
As opposed to the previous cases where the weak crossover effects were
nonexistent, in (17) wh-movement has taken place
weak crossover effects at LF.
Consider next the interpretation
(18) (a)
*ee
a
[e]i
SM
that
'that
(b)
he
*iyere
is
Tuki thus exhibits
of quantifiers in the following
mu
yedza
is
mad
mad annoys
waaj a
at LF.
i
SM
sentences:
saseyam [mutu ongima]i
annoys
man
every
everyone'
dingam
[mangadzu
child
teacher his SM loves
'his teacher loves every student'
a
of
sukunj
school
ongima]i
every
50
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
both sentences above, the anaphoric relation between the pronoun and the
phrase is impossible. The LF representations for both sentences are
provided below:
In
quantifier
(19)
(a)
(b)
[mutu ongima]i [ee
man every
that
a
[e]i
he
SM
[mangadzu a sukum ongima]i
every
of school
child
mu
yedza]
is
mad
saseyam
i
SM
xj
annoys
waaj a dingam
teacher his SM loves
[iyere
xj
]
the above structures, pronouns are coindexed with variables to their right; the
Leftness Condition disqualifies them consequently. This again provides prima
In
facie
evidence that weak crossover effects show up
in
Tuki at LF.
Notice that
there seems to be a correlation between the presence of resumptive pronouns
and the occurrence of weak crossover effects. The unavailability of resumptive
pronouns at LF, after the raising of quantified NPs and the movement of WH-insitu items, inevitably triggers
7.
Parasitic
weak crossover
effects.
Gaps
Chomsky
(1982) indicates that resumptive pronouns cannot license
that resumptive pronouns are indexed at LF whereas
parasitic gaps are licensed at S-structure. So, only WH-traces which receive
their index at S-structure through Move Alpha can license parasitic gaps.
Consider the sentences given in (21) where the four logical possibilities in (20)
parasitic gaps.
He argues
are explored:
(20) trace... gap
pronoun
resumptive pronoun. ..gap
resumptive pronoun... resumptive pronoun
trace.. .resumptive
(21) (a)
[okutu
ate]i
o
woman what you
'[which
(b)
[okutu
woman]
ateji
(c)
(d)
dinga
love
did you love
o
woman what you
'[which
mu
pi
woman]
mu
dinga
pi
love
did you love
tj
avan
adze
before that
t
tj
o
before marrying
avan
adze o
before that you
t
mu
you pi
[okutu
ate]j
mu
muj
bana
p1
her
marry
before marrying her'
'[which
woman]
bana
mu
pi
ei
marry
muj dinga avan adze o mu muj
before that you pi her
her love
did you love her before marrying her'
o
woman what you
ei
marry
e'
muj dinga avan adze o mu
[okutu
o
ate]i
woman what you p1 her love before that you pi
'[which woman] did you love her before marrying e'
mu
bana
bana
marry
Biloa:
TukiGaps
51
(21a) above, a parasitic
gap is not c-commanded by its licensing WH-trace,
bound by the same operator which binds the WH-trace. In (21b) the
parasitic gap is realized as a resumptive pronoun.
In (21c), the resumptive
pronoun apparently does license a parasitic gap. In (21 d), both the wh-trace
and the parasitic gap are realized as resumptive pronouns. We would expect
(21c) to be ungrammatical. However,
turns out that
is grammatical. The test
usually applied to identify parasitic gaps is to replace the 'real' gap with a
lexical NP, and see if the parasitic gap is
then disallowed. The test is
performed on (21c) and the result is seen in (22) below:
In
and
Is
it
o
(22) *[okutu ate]j
mu
dingaPutaj avan
it
adze
o
mu bana
woman what you
'[which
(22)
is
woman]
love Puta before that
you pi
p1
did you love Puta before marrying e'
ungrammatical because Puta occupies the position
ej
marry
of the variable.
Given the licitness of (21c), it seems to be the case that resumptive
pronouns can indeed license parasitic gaps. This poses a bone of contention
between the Tuki facts and Chomsky's claim that resumptive pronouns
receiving their index at LP cannot license parasitic gaps at S-structure. Thus in
(21), the relevant gaps and resumptive pronouns do indeed license parasitic
gaps, contradicting the situation which obtains in languages such as English
where resumptive pronouns do not license parasitic gaps (Chomsky 1982). We
argue that resumptive pronouns license parasitic gaps in Tuki because
resumptive pronouns in this language, whether null or overt, are coindexed with
the relevant antecedents at S-stnjcture, and parasitic gaps are licensed at that
level of representation.
Tuki, then, unlike English, pattterns with Swedish,
Irish,
Hebrew and Palauan in that resumptive pronouns (null or overt) function as
bound variables at S-structure (Borer 1979; McCloskey 1979; Zaenen et al.
1981; Engdahl and Ejerdhed 1982; Sells 1984b; Georgopoulos 1985). This
one more evidence for the view that gaps in Tuki WH-constructions
are null resumptive pronouns.
constitutes
8.
Anaphoric Binding
The claim
that resumptive
pronouns are syntactically bound
in
further supported by the analysis of anaphoric binding in the language.
a
lexical
anaphor cannot precede and c-command the
NP
Tuki
is
In Tuki,
with which
it
is
coindexed, as illustrated by the ungrammaticality of this sentence:
woman
'his
udzam ee
ta
[e]i /Isomoj a
that he /Isomo SM neg
says
own wife says that he/lsomo does not love her/0'
(23) *[okutu
waamatej
her
self
]j
muj
/O
her/0
dinga
love
52
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
In (23) the clause containing the antecedent [e] /Isomo is embedded within the
clause containing the lexical anaphor waamate 'herself.
Irrespective of
whether the antecedent is an NP or an empty pronominal, the sentence is illicit.
(24) *vatu va
men SM
ee
kutu dzara
prog, talk
he
mu
a
[e]j
that
SM
maru m(a) Isomoj (Okutu waamatej
of
Isomo woman her self
.
of
husband
'People were talking about Isomo's problem.
he
is
udzam
says
ombee waonumutu
bad
is
]j
story
His
own
wife says that
a bad husband'
In (24) a possible antecedent in the immediately preceding discourse cannot
bind a reflexive in the immediately following discourse. However, WH-fronted
constituents can contain lexical anaphors bound by a following antecedent, as
evidenced by the following construction:
(25)
[CP okutu waamatej ate ]j
her self
what
woman
[IP
bunganam [CP ee
o
you think
[IP
Isomoj a ta dzu
Isomo
that
Slwl
neg
still
muj /O dinga?
her /O love
'which of his
It
is
own
commonly assumed
binding
in
wife
you think
that
Isomo no longer loves her
/O'
within the standard transformational tradition that
(25) takes place before
WH-movement. Now
we question the
waamate in (23), we obtain
if
subject of the clause containing the lexical anaphor
a grammatical sentence:
(26) [okutu
woman
Isomoj a
muj /O dinga
ta
ate]j udzam ee
what says
that Isomo SM neg her /O love
own wife says that Isomo no longer loves her/0?'
waamatej
her self
'which of his
worth comparing the ungrammatical (23) to the grammatical (26). In (26)
mu or the gap is bound by an anaphor in an A' position,
which is not the case for (23). Notice that (25) and (26) enjoy the same status
of grammaticality, showing that both the resumptive pronoun and the gap can
be bound by an item in a non-theta position, and suggesting that the binding
relationship between the wh-phrase and the resumptive pronoun/gap has taken
place in the syntax. Thus in Tuki, since resumptive pronouns and gaps are
It
is
the resumptive pronoun
lexical anaphor located in a fronted WH-phrase, one can
reach the conclusion that Tuki resumptive pronouns are syntactically bound at
coindexed with a
S-structure.
Biloa: Tuki
9.
Gaps
53
Conclusion
paper, we have shown that in Tuki. topic NP or the head of the
clause can be associated either with a resumptive pronoun or a gap.
Since Tuki allows violations of island constraints, we have claimed that gaps in
Tuki should be analyzed as null resumptive pronouns which do not involve
movement, on analogy with the full resumptive pronoun strategy available in the
language. Further evidence for a parallelism between gaps and full resumptive
pronouns was provided by the fact that it is possible to conjoin a clause
containing a gap and a clause containing a resumptive pronoun.
Full
resumptive pronouns as well as gaps do not exhibit weak crossover effects in
Tuki; this constitutes more evidence that these gaps are pronominals.
Moreover, in Tuki. relevant gaps license parasitic gaps, contradicting the
situation which obtains in English and Spanish where resumptive pronouns do
not license parasitic gaps (cf. Chomsky 1982)). We argue that this is possible in
Tuki because resumptive pronouns in this language, whether null or overt, are
coindexed with the relevant antecedents at S-structure. and parasitic gaps are
In this
relative
licensed at that level of representation.
Acknowledgements
We
are much indebted to Joseph Aoun. Carol Georgopoulos. Hajime Hoji.
Osvaldo Jaeggli. Kenneth Safir, Peter Sells, and SLS reviewers for providing
helpful comments on an earlier version of this study. Thanks also go to Maria
Luisa Zubizarreta with whom we have discussed in class material included
here. Thanks to the participants at the 20th Conference on African Linguistics at
the University of Illinois and to Joan Bresnan for her encouragement. The usual
disclaimers apply.
Glosses
We
have made use in the glosses of the following symbols:
f1= future tense one marker
Neg= negation marker
0M=
object marker
p1= past tense one marker
p2 = past tense two marker
SM= subject marker
54
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
REFERENCES
BORER,
1980. Restrictive relatives in Modern Hebrew. NLLT 2.21 9-260.
1976. Conditions on rules of grammar. Essays on form
and interpretation. New York: North-Holland.
1977. On wh-movement. Formal syntax, ed. by P. Culicover, T. Wasow, &
A. Akmajian. New York: Academic Press.
H.
CHOMSKY, Noam.
Some
concepts and consequences of the theory of government
Monograph 6. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
ENGDAHL, E., & Eva Ejerhed. 1982. Readings on unbounded dependencies
in Scandinavian languages.
Stockholm: Umea.
GEORGOPOULOS, Carol. 1983. Resumptive pronouns, syntactic binding, and
levels of representation in Belau. Proceedings of North Eastern Linguistic
Society 14, ed. by C. Jones & P. Sells, 81-97. Amherst: Graduate
Linguistic Student Association.
1985. Variables in Palauan Syntax. NLLT 3:59-94.
HIGGINBOTHAM, J. 1980. Pronouns and bound variables. Linguistic Inquiry
1982.
and
binding.
Linguistic Inquiry
11:4.
HUANG, James.
1982.
grammar. MIT
KOOPMAN,
The
H.,
&
Linguistic
McCLOSKEY,
J.
Logical relations
in
Chinese and the theory
of
dissertation.
D. Sportiche.
1982.
Variables and the bijection principle.
Review 2:135-170.
1979.
Transformational syntax and model theoretic
semantics. Dordrecht: Reidel.
ROSS, John R.. 1967. Constraints on variables
in
syntax.
Ph.D. dissertation,
MIT.
SAFIR, Ken. 1984. Multiple variable binding. LI1 5:603-638.
1986. Relative clauses in a theory of binding and levels. LI1 7:663-690.
Resumptive pronouns and weak crossover.
SELLS, Peter.
1984a.
Proceedings of West Coast Conference on Formal Linguistics 3, ed. by M.
Cobler, S. MacKaye. and M. Westcoat, 252-262. Stanford.
1984b. Syntax and semantics of resumptive pronouns. Ph.D. dissertation,
University of Massachusetts.
1987.
298.
Binding resumptive pronouns.
Linguistics
& philosophy 10:3.261-
E.S. 1978. Across-the-board application of rules. LI 8:419-423.
1981. Resumptive
Annie, Elisabeth Engdahl, and Joan Maling.
pronouns can be syntactically bound. LI 12:679-682.
WILLIAMS,
ZAENEN,
Studies
in
Volume
19,
the
Linguistic
Number
Sciences
1989
2, Fall
WHERE DO IDEOPHONES COME FROM?*
G. Tucker Childs
Temple
University
This paper begins with an analysis of ideophones in Kisi (West
This examination leads to consideration of the
diachrony of ideophones, but because of the lack of data with any
real time depth, we are limited to finding clues in the synchronic data.
This study looks first at verbs, the class of words which Kisi
ideophones resemble most closely. Such is also the case in other
African languages, where ideophones can often be analyzed as
verbs, as has been done for several Southern Bantu languages.
then demonstrate how Kisi ideophones can be derived from verbs,
illustrating several possible scenarios for such a process.
then look
at possible derivational relationships with other word categories,
finding that with other word categories the direction of derivation is
the opposite. For example, nouns are derived from ideophones but
no vice versa.
This generalization holds across other African
languages as well and may be true for expressive language in
general.
Atlantic, Guinea).
I
I
1
.
Introduction
This paper presents an answer to
paper by examining the links between
The title actually poses two questions,
answering in any but a general or
the question posed by the title of this
ideophones and other word classes.
the first of which we are incapable of
highly speculative manner, that is,
determining the ultimate origin of ideophones.
The more
tractable
second question asks, where do
new
ideophones
come from once ideophones already exist in a language? The reply to this
question is that ideophones come from verbs, as is shown by data drawn from
More
Kisi (Atlantic Group, Niger-Congo) and other African languages.
importantly, the process of deriving ideophones from verbs via reduplication
56
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
accords well with universals of reduplication.
suggestions as to the ultimate origin of ideophones.
I
conclude by presenting
The earliest discussions of the emergence of new ideophones often
consist of anecdotal accounts detailing no specific process. While ideophones
many languages comprise an open and productive class, e.g., Ewe (Ansre
1961:49), they do not do so in every language, e.g., Swahili. Whether or not
they form such a class is an empirical question and must be answered for every
in
language
individually.
One sort of claim for complete productivity is that ideophones can be
created spontaneously. For example, Noss speaks of an elderly story-telling
hunter 'creating a series of ideophones' (1975:149). Innes similarly states,
'New ideophones are sometimes coined by a story teller' (1964:18), which
statement Samarin strongly questions, 'It is not enough to rely on the statements
of a few informants who professed not to have known the ideophones (as Innes,
in a personal communication, explains)' (1967:40).
Where
processes of ideophone creation have been detailed, one
ideophones arise from within their own word class, as novel
assemblages of ideophone partials. Maduka makes this claim for Igbo (198384) and Nembe (1988b); Awoyale states that for Yoruba ideophones consist of
small, even non-concatenative, sound-symbolic morphemes ('phonesthemes*
in the terminology of Bolinger, e.g., 1949), which combine to form new
ideophones (Awoyale 1988).
claim
is
explicit
that
Ideophones have also been analyzed as being derived from other word
The two classes have always been seen as
closely related, especially in Benue-Congo, e.g., Voeltz 1971. Although the
directionality of the derivation is sometimes ambiguous, e.g., Noss 1985, in the
majority of cases ideophones arise from verbs, in one case even from verbs
with extensions (Nurse 1974).
This process has been particularly well
documented in Southern Bantu, e.g., von Staden 1977, and is common
elsewhere in Bantu, e.g., Alexandre 1966. In the comments that follow,
discuss how just such a process can be identified in Kisi, despite their being no
active synchronic processes in the language.
classes, most notably, from verbs.
I
2.
Ideophones and expressiveness
unhelpful) answer to the question of where ideophones
Ideophones arise out of the universal need for human beings
to express themselves, to signal their individuality and their unique perception
of events.
That this need is universal can be seen in the presence of
comparable classes in other (non-African) languages of the world, including
The short (and
come from
is
that
Childs:
pidgins and Creoles.
seen below.
(1)
Where do ideophones come from?
A sampling
of
languages
In
which such words appear
57
is
Iroquoian languages (Mithun 1982); Jamaican English (DeCamp
1974); Japanese (Frei 1970); Korean (Martin 1962); Lahu, TibetoBurman, Laos (Matisoff 1986); Malay (Carr 1966); Mayan languages
(Durbin 1973); Middle English (Smithers 1954); Russian (Andersen
1988 p.c); White Hmong, Miao, Thailand. (Ratliff 1986).
The universality of this need can be seen further in the fact that in languages
where there are no ideophones, speakers employ other means to achieve the
same ends, for example, through intonation and gesture (see Samahn 1973 for
a
full
discussion of these issues).
An expansion to the short answer given above must state why there is a
human need for expressiveness, a statement that is far beyond the concerns of
this paper.
Nonetheless, that the need for expressiveness is universal is
is the ways in which ideophones fulfill this
established; what remains to be seen
need.
3.
Ideophones and other word categories
In
KisI
present the relationships between
In the following discussion,
ideophones and other word classes, demonstrate the directionality of these
relationships, and assess their productivity. Although the point of this section
will be that ideophones are most closely related to verbs, ideophones also
show links with other word classes. Ideophones are somewhat related to
adjectives and nouns, and totally unrelated to syntactically important words,
such as particles, prepositions, and pronouns.
I
3.1
Ideophones and nouns
Only a few cases of nouns and ideophones exhibit what could be
construed as a derivational relationship. Ideophone-like nouns are usually
derived from ideophone-like verbs by a regular process of nominalization. In
the exceptional cases discussed below, nouns exhibit a more direct relationship
with ideophones.
The examples below illustrate cases where the directionality is uncertain.
Nouns related to ideophones follow the phonotactic (including tonotactic)
That the phonology of
constraints of the language (unlike ideophones).
ideophone-related nouns is 'tamer* can be seen in the second and third sets of
words (2b and 2c), where the raised register of the ideophone (indicated by the
framing
'+'s'), is
not associated with the noun.
58
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
Ideophone -> Noun ?
(2)
(a)
H
dong
H
H
/
H
dong-dong
H
id.
'quietly, silently'
H
dongdongndo
nam. 'Febmary
(quiet month)'
+ HH +
(b)
mui
id.
+HH
'hard, sharp, bitingly, pinchingly'
HH+
mui-mui
id. 'finely
LL H
muiyo
n.
ground'
'mosquito'
Noun -^ Ideophone ?
(3)
+H H
H H+
kpele-kpele
id.
'straight (up), steeply, to the top'
+H H+
kpeleng
id.
'loudly, clearly, at
a high volume'
HH HH
kpeelaa
The
first
direction,
very straight palm tree with a
smooth trunk and sometimes no fronds'
n. 'a tall,
two sets of examples (2a and 2b)
and the last (3) suggests the opposite.
hint at
the time of the year
dongdongndo
an ideophone-to-noun
set, the name of the
informants were sure as to
represented, yet they were all familiar with
month probably comes from the ideophone. Not
In
the
first
all
Their unsurety suggests that the name of the month is newer,
perhaps even a product of Western calendar-making. In the second set (2b) the
same direction is likely because many animal names are onomatopoeic in
the ideophone.
origin
and use
reduplication (see below).
One
piece of evidence for a noun-to-ideophone derivation, as in the final
is fomial. The assonance of the ideophone is predictable; Kisi
ideophones generally have the same vowel throughout. If the derivation is from
ideophone to noun, there is no way to predict which vowel will appear in the
set of examples,
noun. More importantly, however, one informant stated
kpele-kpele and kpeleng come from the noun.
In
that the
ideophones
the examples appearing below, the directionality of the derivational
is straightforward: nouns are derived from cognate ideophones.
relationship
Childs:
The
Where do ideophones come from?
59
based on the semantics of the new nouns. Both
new concepts for the Kisi people,
arising only recently from contact with Western culture.
Assuming that the
ideophones were part of the lexicon before trousers were part of the Kisi
wardrobe and candy a part of a child's intake, we can hypothesize that the Kisi
words representing 'trousers' and 'candy' date back only to the introduction of
justification for this
'trousers' {4a)
these items
claim
and 'candy'
is
(4b) are relatively
into Kisi culture.
F
(4)
(a)
H
id. 'flaccid,
H
lOndOngndo
n. 'trousers'
H
floppy'
L
HL
F
(b)
H
F
lOndO/HOndO)
bOng
bOOng
/
H
L
id.
H
bOmbOngndo
'sucking or drawing
HL
H
bOngbOOngndo^
in'
R
/
n.
'candy'
3.2 Ideophones and adjectives
As
and ideophones. Kisi
and a productive process
deriving adjectives from verbs.
Kisi adjectives can be identified by their
morphosyntax, as in the sequence illustrated below (NCP = noun class
pronoun; NCM = noun class marker). Adjectives follow nouns they modify and
show agreement by affixing the noun class marker (suffix) of the noun they
modify. The noun class marker of the noun is replaced with its respective
pronoun, except in the case of o-class nouns, where noun stems appear
without a pronoun, as in 'pineapple' below.
has a
with nouns, no statable processes link adjectives
relatively large
number
of underived adjectives
Stem+NCP Adj+NCM
(5)
[[Noun]N [AdjJAjNP ->
(a)
wangmgbang
id.
H
H
H
wangmgbang+lang
window+NCP open+NCM
'wide
H
H
H
'widely, far'
LH H
wundEI-fIa
+H
(b)
H
H-t-
musuku
L L
bEIE-fO
open windows'
id.
'broken into small pieces'
H H HL H
musukuu-fO
Stem+NCP Adj+NCM
'a
pulverized pineapple'
60
In
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
the second example (5b) the ideophone used as an adjective has the tonal
pattern associated with derived adjectives (HL).
this last
example, that the adjective
It
seems
likely,
then, at least
in
derived from the ideophone, and one can
generally in this direction. Adjectives, similarly to
assume that derivation is
nouns, seem an unlikely source
for
is
new ideophones.
Thus far have demonstrated the non-productive relationships that exist
between ideophones and nouns, and between ideophones and adjectives.
Where relationships exist, the directionality has been uncertain, and there have
been no suggestions of productivity.
now consider ideophones and verbs, the
latter being the class to which ideophones are most closely related.
I
I
3.3 ideophones and verbs
that
The first fact that emerges in a consideration of ideophones and verbs is
many more verbs than nouns or adjectives show affinities with ideophones.
furthermore apparent that the relationship between verbs and ideophones,
is direct.
Ideophones also share morphosyntactic
features with verbs. The similarities between verbs and ideophones, however,
are not extensive enough to support the claim that Kisi ideophones are actually
a sub-category of verbs, as has been claimed for other African languages,
especially those in southern Africa (Fortune 1962, Kunene 1965). The features
shared by Kisi verbs and ideophones are given below.
It
is
both formal and semantic,
(6)
1
.
Reciprocal co-occurrence restrictions
2.
Syntactic proximity
3.
Appearance
after
co and
iva^ (auxiliary
/
copula)
Reciprocal co-occurrence restrictions signify that ideophones co-occur
few verbs and that verbs often co-occur with only a few ideophones. These
tendencies culminate in a situation where a verb takes only one ideophone,
and that ideophone appears only with the one verb. The tightness of such cooccurrence restrictions is illustrated below. The first ideophone (7a) occurs with
only one verb, the second (7b) with two, and the third (7c) with three.
with
(7)
Childs:
Where do ideophones come from?
H
(c)
cing
'keenly'
61
LLH
nuaa
'to
stare
L LH
tofaa
'to
look
'to
see'
at'
at'
LH
cOO
A second morphosyntactic
Ideophones
syntactic proximity.
feature ideophones share with verbs is
appear clause-finally after a verb (first
typically
three examples, 8a, 8b, 8c) or adjective
LH
L
(8)
(a)
ma
pel
Pro
fikiki
Id
fill
'It
L
L L
ma CO huno
Pro Aux come-out
LHL
(c)
(d)
example, 8d).
-i-HHH-i-
filled
(it) all
the way.'
HH H H
L
(b)
(last
fEIE-fElE
Id
'It's
dribbling out.'
HHLLL
LLR
CO hiilOngndo yikpE-yikpE
Id
'The grass
grass Aux shake
billo
L
o
Pro
L
CO
is
shaking a
lot.'
H H+
LLL LH +H H
L
luEiyaa nyEIE-nyElE
Cop NCP sharp
'The knife
Id
is
razor sharp.'
Note how the ideophone comes after the non-finite form of the verb in the
second and third examples (8b and 8c) rather than after the auxiliary co, which
is marked for tense, aspect, and polarity. This stands in contrast to the syntax of
non-subject arguments. These elements appear before the verb (and after the
auxiliary) in compound-verb constructions, as is represented schematically
below.
(9)
Simple
NP
Compound
NP Aux
Verb (NP) (NP)
Id
(NP) (NP) Verb
Id
Although ideophones appear peripheral to the structure
do seem attached in some way to the verb itself.
of the
sentence, they
Ideophones have in common with verbs that they appear after co and wa,
words that double as copulas and auxiliaries. When verbs appear in co
constructions, they have either a progressive or future meaning, as represented
in the examples below.
62
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
(10)
Prog
HHLLHLLHFH
L
num bEE
a
co ya malaa capo
you indeed you are me help
a-lot
'You indeed are greatly helping me.'
it
L
LL
CO hau
Aux today
'It
will
L
o
Fut
L
R
start
be started today.'
ideophones can appear
L
H R
kandOng
in
H H
exactly these constructions.
Qiilds:
(13)
(a)
Where do ideophones come from?
HH HH
wee -wee
LL H
63
id. 'cut
into small pieces'
v.
throw (something), esp. small
LL H
wliyo/weiyo
'to
rocks'
LL LL H
welweiyo
v
(pi),
"to
(at
throw
small
rocks
something)'
HL HL
(b)
kili-kili
id.
'describing quick footsteps of small
animals
kiolu
In
the night, pitter-patter"
LL
LLL
/
kelu
to
V.
cut'
LL LL
V
kilikili
The
ideophone
(pi), 'to
cut into small pieces'
representative pairs exhibit relationships where the
almost an exact copy of the verb.
following
is
(14)
id.
V.
'curvaceous'
'pervade, go around, spread throughout'
id. 'plentiful
V. 'to
peeling, copious scraping'
peel or scrape'
id.
'smooth and slippery'
V.
to smooth out or over'
Often ideophones are used with their cognate verbs, as shown below.
(15)
H HHL
L LL
LH
L
o buu boo yOmndo buuu
he peel bark tree Id
'He really peeled the bark
off
the tree."
64
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
it
'It
HHL
LL R
buunung
L
o
buuu
peel-Mid Id
peeled everywhere.'
LLHHL
H
FHLH
tElEka lEngndeng tElEkElE
he smooth ground
Id
'He smoothed the ground thoroughly."
These
facts
can be rearranged
A
into
what can be presumed
reduplicated for emphasis
to represent
a
the morphological
reduplication used to convey plurality). For greater emphasis the second part
may be formally altered, either prosodically, with extra-high tones, or
diachronic process.
verb
is
(cf.
segmentally, e.g., by changing a vowel. This step is not absolutely necessary
as shown by the ideophones that are segmentally identical to the verbs from
which they arise. This item is then reanalyzed as a separate element. A
schematic representation of the different possibilities, all attested in Kisi,
appears below. In all cases there are formal and semantic similarities between
the forms at each stage. The stages are arranged in the order in which they
may have occurred. Stage one thus represents the earliest stage and the fifth
stage a possible final stage. An actual example from Kisi follows.
Redup. vb
vgrt?
(16)
1
2
3
4
5
+
+
+
-
+
+
+
-
-
Ideophope
+
+
+
(Reanalysis)
LL
(17)
'to
ye la
taste good'
LL LL
1)
reduplication of verb for
2) erosion
/
emphasis
partial reduplication
yela-yela
*
LL L
yela-ye
LL H
3)
reanalysis as separate
morpheme,
yela ye
tone raising
LL H H
4)
ideophone reduplicated
yela ye-ye
5)
ideophone used with other verbs
*
Where do ideophones come from?
Childs:
Although
many
traces remain,
in Kisi
the process
is
no longer
65
active.
A final step is to consider ideophones that are related to each other, the
incestuous relationship which may eventually lead to sound symbolism.
3.4 Ideophones related to each other
Sets of ideophones appear
related forms.
In
many
in
what can be interpreted as derivationally
African languages these relationships are
common
among
the ideophonic part of the lexicon, more so than in other parts of the
language, occasionally displaying a great deal of systematicity. Shared partials
in many ideophones can be isolated as possessing identifiable meaning.
These partials can be recombined to form new ideophones. Bolinger (1940)
has labelled the diachronic process 'accretion', and Samarin (1989) refers to
the resultant phenomenon as 'clustering'. In another paper (Childs 1988) call it
'neutralization', focusing on the fact that segments which contrast elsewhere do
not contrast among some sets of ideophones. In Kisi no systematicity appears,
yet there is enough phonetic similarity among semantically related ideophones
to hint that such systematicity is possible, as illustrated below.
I
(18)
(a)
H
H
H H
dOnggu-dOnggu
'going
H L
H
L
donggo-donggo
lasting a long time or happening
on
for
a long
time'
repeatedly'
(b)
H
H
yeng-yeng
'alert, clear,
H
H
H H
yengge-yengge
'delicately
H
H
H
H
yenggeng-yenggeng
HH
H H
yElEng
/
(ears) wide open'
balanced, about to topple'
'balanced, alert, listening carefully'
HH
yElEng-yEIEng
'slowly, gently, delicately'
we assume that each set of examples represents one ideophone, we can see
how contrasts elsewhere in the language are suspended in the ideophonic
subsection. Back vowels are in free variation in (18a), and in (18b) we see
even sequences differing even in syllable structure can mean the same thing. A
If
potentially
d...ngg...,
meaning-bearing
as in (18a).
unit, for
example, would be the non-concatenative
66
3.5
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
Summary
From this discussion of ideophones and other word classes, we see that
ideophones and verbs form a closer bond than do ideophones and any other
word category. That ideophones show more affinities with verbs than with other
word classes is registered quantitatively and in the close formal and semantic
similarities.
Besides the clustering that is a harbinger of sound symbolism, we see
clearly how ideophones are derived from verbs. The process can be seen
as consisting of two steps.
more
1.
Reduplication.
2.
Reanalysis.
This stage
changes.
(19)
A
verb
is
repeated for emphasis.
The repeated verb is analyzed as a separate word.
may be accompanied by segmental and tonal
now consider ideophone derivation in other African languages, many of
which possess fully productive processes for deriving new ideophones from
verbs. The process we have identified in Kisi is just one of several types.
I
4.
New Ideophones
in
other African languages
Language-specific processes can be separated from universal ones. In
all processes are particular to a language, but some are shared with
many languages and may be universal. The display below presents an
overview of the processes under consideration.
actual fact,
(20) Universal
4.1
Language-specific
Onomatopoeia
Sound symbolism
Accretion
Borrowing
Reanalysis
Productive derivational processes
Sound symbolism
Language universal processes
Although the extent to which forms said to be onomatopoeic truly imitate
sounds of nature is problematic, most onomatopoeic forms draw their substance
from speakers mimicking sounds in nature. In some sense onomatopoeic forms
are significantly different from ideophones. Only a relatively small proportion of
ideophones are usually based on sound, e.g., Samarin 1965. Nonetheless,
;
Childs:
there
is
Where do ideophones come from?
67
a process by which onomatopoeic forms become ideophones and even
verbs, as has been noticed by others, e.g., Alexandre (1966:24).
Some
examples of onomatopoeic ideophones and cognate forms are given below.
(21
Gbaya
68
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
(23)
H L L
Childs:
Where do ideophones come from?
69
the same way ideophones do. Pidgins used by African speakers notoriously
borrow ideophones (Noss 1975:146).
in
Bulu.
Below appear some examples of borrowings converted to ideophones
(The particle ne often marks the following word as an ideophone.)
(26)
L H L
ne fonos
L
LH
'repulsive'
in
< English 'punish'
LH
ne didon-didon
'flirtatiously'
< French 'dis-donc'
(Alexandre 1966)
It
is
universal processes such as onomatopoeia, (universal) sound
symbolism, and borrowing that serve to supplement the expressive resources of
a language in general, and of ideophones in particular. No one process,
however, contributes in any major way to the augmentation of the word class of
ideophones.
now turn to several language specific processes.
I
4.2 Language specific processes
A number of language-particular processes also provide for the creation of
new ideophones. A necessary preliminary step for the existence of a productive
system
of
phonesthemes or
(local)
sound symbolism depends on a process
of
accretion (Bolinger 1940).
Accretion is the process by which language-particular non-arbitrary
sound-meaning correspondences are built up, namely, the building of sound-
symbolic associations. The original associations, of course, are completely
arbitrary, as are the first similar sound-meaning correspondences, but then both
sound and meaning changes provide a set of correspondences. Structure can
arise in a self-organizing way (Lindblom 1986). Sound symbolism is present
when these associations reach some undefined critical mass.
Sound symbolism
a relatively pervasive association of a sound pattern
As shown above, there are universal associations of
this type; there are also local, language-specific associations.
In an
intermediate stage, patterns of association exist which have arisen from
changes of the sort described in languages with documented time depth.
is
with a specific meaning.
(27)
ham
hEm
hal
hEI
pal
pEI
(Samarin 1989)
The sound-meaning correspondence could have begun with one ideophone
and gradually attracted other ideophones, which subsequently changed their
form, their meaning, or both. Productive
sound symbolism
is illustrated
below.
70
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
A third process is reanalysis. Reanalysis requires that speakers Interpret a
sequence as containing an ideophone and subsequently treating the item as an
ideophone. This process is important for ideophones being derived from the
second half of a reduplicated verb in Kisi, as indicated above. The reverse
process is well attested, a situation where a verb and an ideophone are
interpreted as a verb, e.g., Kanuri (Hutchison 1981).
In
addition to reanalysis, there
may be
derivational processes specific to
a
A common
observation is that ideophones are closely related to
e.g., Marivate 1985).
Because of this close relationship, it is not
surprising that verbs provide the major source for new ideophones, as has been
shown for Kisi, where it is mediated by reduplication. Although discuss this
process as language-specific or internal process,
suggest below that it is
universal in that it involves the use of reduplication for expressiveness, a
language.
verbs (cf.,
I
I
process
in
and
of itself universal.
Alexandre demonstrates the importance of reduplication for deriving
ideophones from verbs. Bulu ideophones are derived from verbs by various
forms of reduplication.
(28)
L
-bom
HH
L
-^ (ne)
L
L
L
L
bpmp-bomo-bpmp
HH HH
-jae -> (ne)Jae-Jae
LL
kaaft
(Alexandre 1966:22)
'fill'
Ekere has similarly found that ideophones
a process of reduplication.
(29)
'strike'
in Ibibio
are related to verbs by
LL LL
LL
kaaAkaafikaaft
'limp'
'clumsily
LL
niyak
'limp with
L L
L L
niyak-niyak
'limpingly'
a sore between the
thighs'
(Ekere 1988a, 1988b)
Note how the process illustrated here is different from that identified for Kisi.
Here, as in Southern Bantu, ideophones are simply reduplicated verbs. In Kisi,
as demonstrated above, ideophones likely arose from the second part of a
reduplicated verb. Because Kisi uses verbal reduplication for pluralization and
because the process is 'newer' (Childs 1987), this resource is no longer
available to speakers of the language and may explain why the process of
ideophone derivation is no longer productive.
Childs:
Where do ideophones come from?
71
A second type of productive derivational process, discussed above,
features recurrent partials that recombine productively, as exemplified below:
(30)
Nembe phonesthemes (Maduka
mi
kpi
-^
[+S0FT1
^
[+WELL-MARKED]
[+WELL-MARKED]
gb-j -^
LL
L
L
1988b:107)
LH
kpokorokpokoro
LARGE(R)
ansl
ROUND and WELL-MARKED
H L HH
gbodoroo
LARGE(R) and
ROUND and WELL-MARKED
LL
L
L
LL
SOFT and SMALL and THIN
m^ftlam^gala
LH
L
L L L
SOFT and LARGE and ROUND
mugurumuguru
(31) 'psychomorphs' in Igbo
km
(medial
[k]
or
(Maduka 1988a)
'back and
[g])
forth"
regerege
'swinging side to side'
kwakakwaka
'shaking side to side'
(32) Non-concatenative
phonesthemes
of
Yoruba (Awoyale 1988)
i
'hard, solid'
u
'sealed
r-g-d
'largeness'
p-l-b
'flatness'
gbirigidi
'of solid
rigid!
'round, solid, massive'
ragada
'very wide'
These examples
illustrate
matter
rolling with
much
off'
impact'
a highly productive system of language-specific
sound symbolism.
Thus far have sketched out a number of processes for the creation of new
ideophones. Cross-linguistically and within Kisi derivation from verbs stands
out as the most common. It can even take several forms, in some languages
being an entirely productive process.
I
5.
Implications and conclusion
It
identify
has been shown that with sufficient ingenuity and imagination, we can
a process of ideophone derivation in Kisi that was probably once more
72
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (FaU 1989)
many other African
languages. We should not be surprised that verbal reduplication serves as the
primary source for new ideophones.
Their close relationship to verbs
recommends this analysis and may raise something of a chicken-egg question,
were it not for the derivational directionality we have been able to establish.
active in the language, replicating a process found in
That the process used is reduplication is also not surprising.
Reduplication is a universal process; other facts about ideophones fall into line
with consideration of universal features of reduplication.
(33)
1.
Reduplicated structure entails the meaning of its nonreduplicated part (implying that reduplication is semantically
additive)
2.
Conveys
3.
Can
Ideophones
and amount of intensity
change (Moravcsik 1978)
quantity of referents
also convey word class
add an extra dimension of meaning, as in Moravcsik's
convey intensity, typically in the action itself. Verbs
represent the strongest candidate for the ___location of such information, as was
exemplified in Kisi verb pluralization. There has also been a word class
first
point.
change, as
They
in
clearly
certainly
her third point,
i.e.,
from verb to ideophone.
On the basis of the facts of Kisi and other languages coupled with
universals of reduplication, we can make a strong prediction about the
between reduplication and ideophone derivation. The prediction is
is a process of ideophone derivation, it will involve reduplication,
and probably reduplication of verbs. The process need not be synchronically
active and may even be overridden by language-specific considerations. In Kisi
we observe a situation where the formal resources of the universal process
have been usurped by verb pluralization. Nonetheless, traces of ideophone
relationship
that
if
there
derivation by reduplication exist.
recommend we view the issue of ideophone derivation in
a concern with universals. Cross-linguistic comparisons show that
ideophone-like words are found in many, if not all, languages. Furthermore,
have shown how ideophones exploit a universal morphological process in
augmenting their number, even suggesting that the production of ideophones in
such ways is also a universal. To find out what is truly universal and basic, even
creative about human language, one needs to examine expressive language,
especially when it manifests itself so prominently in a language as do
ideophones in African languages.
In
terms
conclusion,
I
of
I
half of the question posed by the title
clue as to the ultimate origin of ideophones. If
ideophones were not originally ideophones, then they were probably verbs.
The only problem now is to identify where the verbs come from.
To
of
my
return to the
paper,
unanswered second
we may have some
Childs:
Where do ideophones come from?
73
NOTES
Unusual conventions used
'+'
The
'+'
in this
(plus sign) before
with the next
'+'
paper
one or more tones representing a raised
register
representing the end of that raised register.
Reduplicated parts of an ideophone are separated with a
'-'
(hyphen).
Tvpocraphical conventions
ng
ny
c
L
H
the velar nasal
the palatal nasal
the voiceless alveo-palatal affricate
low tone
high tone
*
Much
of the
data for this paper
Research Grant.
would also
comments and criticism.
like to
I
was acquired with the aid of a Fulbright
thank William J. Samarin for his helpful
The word for 'candy' may represent a borrowing from French, as has
been suggested by several commentators, but such a derivation is unlikely.
The reduplicated form is usually the newer of reduplicated and nonreduplicated forms. Furthermore, French-Kisi bilinguals showed no awareness
of such an etymology (as they did in other cases). Tonal evidence also argues
against borrowing: on the basis of other borrowings, tones on the putatively
borrowed form would be different than the tones actually found.
1
2
for
Co, roughly speaking,
one form
is
the present form and
is
wa the
past.
What
is
true
true for the other.
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Studies in the Linguistic Sciences
Volunne 19, Number 2, Fall 1989
CURRENT RESEARCH ON SHINZWANI IDEOPHONES
& Heather Primrose
Kansas State University
Harriet Ottenheimer
This paper explores the use of ideophones in ShiNzwani
Islands) narratives.
A Collection of tape-recorded
narratives provides the basic data for a survey of ideophones.
Methods of identification (listening to tapes, reading through
transcripts, developing computerized concordances) are discussed
and evaluated. Variant versions of selected narratives are compared
for relative frequency of ideophone use and for differences
attributable to gender, age, story-type and locale. Transcriptions of
tape-recorded examples are provided.
(Comoro
Spoken on the
Comoro
archipelago, ShiNzwani
Hinnebusch and Nurse place it
within the Sabaki family with elements of both northern and southern KiSwahili
dialects (see Hinnebusch 1985, Hinnebusch and Nurse 1984, Nurse 1983,
Nurse and Spear 1985). KiSwahili is said to have few ideophones (see Deed
1939; Doke 1954; Snoxhall 1938; Samarin 1971:134), and ShiNzwani, too,
does not appear to have many. This paper is a summary of cun-ent research in
ideophones and ideophone use in ShiNzwani.
is
island of
Anjouan
in
the
related to, but separate from, KiSwahili.
The data from which we are working was collected during several field
sessions ranging from 1967 to 1982.
The collection includes folktales,
narratives, riddles, recipes, interviews and oral histories. Most of the texts were
taped in 1967-68 by Comorian student assistants (ShiNzwani speakers). A few
were taped by Harriet Ottenheimer or by her husband, Martin Ottenheimer, the
leader of the 1967-68 research team. A few of the contexts were natural, most
were not. Most have been transcribed, sometimes by the student who had
collected the texts, sometimes by others. All of the texts have been broadly
translated and some have been analyzed in detail. In addition to preparing the
texts for publication we have also been using them to construct the ShiNzwaniEnglish Dictionary.
78
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
Our search
native-speakers
for
ideophones was greatly simplified by the fact that the
transcribed the texts included ideophones in the
transcriptions.
We put a few transcriptions through KWIC-MAGIC, a
concordance program designed for bilingual texts, but the output proved more
cumbersome to use than the transcripts themselves. Most useful, in the end,
was reading through the transcripts and listening to the tapes first separately
and then together. Primrose read through the transcripts and marked likely
ideophones; Ottenheimer listened to the tapes and noted likely ideophones.
When we compared notes we found a high level of agreement. A final thorough
examination of both tape and transcript was required for those examples on
which we differed to be certain of our interpretations. We then used LEXWARE,
a set of computer programs designed for bilingual dictionaries, to sort and resort the list; sorting by gloss, for example, made potential cases of soundsymbolism easier to identify.
who
โ
We
found it useful to distinguish between ideophones, emphatics and
ShiNzwani intensives are principally ordinary words which are
altered in some way
most often doubled or stretched in order to intensify
their meanings. They may be verbs {aende 'he went' becomes aeeeeende 'he
went and went), adverbs {mbio 'quickly' becomes mbio mbio 'very quickly'),
demonstratives {hule 'over there' becomes huleeee 'waaaay over there') or
adjectives {masera 'crazy' becomes maseraaaa 'very crazy'). We did not count
intensives but there appear to be a lot of them. Ideophones, on the other hand,
are not ordinary words and are therefore nearly impossible to translate.
Although some of them appear to be stretched (krrrrrr) they do not have any
'unstretched' forms to refer back to. Although they are sometimes doubled,
tripled, quadrupled, or further multiplied (gara gara gara gara) they do not
appear to have any specific meaning or even to exist as single words.
Emphatics are emotive expressions {AH, Fa!, Oheeee!, Unhun!) while
ideophones provide sensory descriptions {ba, dududududu, vwiiii).
intensives.
โ
โ
โ
โ
Syntactically, ideophones generally follow verbs (the cattle came,
dadadadada; they fell, bwa bwa bwa, he pounced, ba), emphatics follow mba,
a word best glossed as 'he said' or 'that' or 'quote' (He said, quote, 'Ail'; She
cried out, quote, 'Oheeee! ') or they begin sentences ('Hai! What is this here?),
and intensives function in the same way as their unintensified base forms do.
Laughter was a particularly difficult example to deal with. Although
seemed
like an ideophone at first,
behaved structurally like an emphatic and so, in the
'
it
it
end,
we
classified
it
as such.
Ideophones in ShiNzwani are probably adverbials. There are no surface
manifestations of an auxiliary verb phrase such as Marivate suggests for
southern Bantu (1985:210-214). 'He pounced,' bwa, may indeed imply an
auxiliary 'in this way' in ShiNzwani but it is impossible to be certain from the
texts. Additionally, although they do not appear to be inflected, it is likely that
some derivation takes place, particularly with respect to verbs. The relationship
Ottenheimer
between kwala
for
example,
is
& Primrose:
Current Research on Shinzwani Ideophones
'a clinking, clattering noise'
and hukwala
'to
bump
79
into, to kick,"
possibly derivational.
All of the ideophones we found were in folktales and riddles. There were
none in conversations, interviews, histories, recipes, or other narratives. Nor
were there particularly large numbers of ideophones in the folktales and riddles.
This surprised us as we had been expecting to find high levels of ideophone
use, particularly in these two latter forms (Whiteley 1966:154; Johnson
1976:241). Instead, we found relatively few ideophones in our texts. In twentythree folktales and one set of riddles (112 pages in all) we found fewer than fifty
distinct ideophones.
There was some repetition within texts but not much.
Generally an ideophone was used once, in a very specific context, and not
repeated unless the context (or scene) was repeated. This low incidence of
ideophones in folktexts probably parallels the infrequent use of such words in
the language in general. While all narrators used many expressive devices
such as emphatics and intensives, expressiveness itself did not appear to be a
significant indicator of ideophone use. Less animated narrators were as likely
Some very expressive
to use ideophones as more lively narrators were.
narrators used very few, if any, ideophones. Others used as many as 2 per
page (typed, double-spaced). Some of these findings are summarized in the
following table:
GENDER
AGE
female
60-70
SETTING
TEXTS
PAGES
IDEOPH.
REPET.
male
(numbers are
totals, not
averages)
The ShiNzwani data indicates that men use ideophones more frequently
than women. In fact, most women used no ideophones at all. Of seven
narrations by women, only two (28%) contained any ideophones. Of seventeen
narrations by men only two did not contain any ideophones (i.e., 88%
contained ideophones). Furthermore men used ideophones twice as much as
women; men's ideophone use ranged from .3 to 2.3 occurrences per typed
page while women's ideophone use only ranged between .14 and 1 per typed
page. Context is probably most important here, as this is predominantly an
All of the recordings of women were made in the 1960s with
running the tape recorder. This was not the most natural setting, as
women more often told stories to children or other women. Occasionally a
woman's husband and/or brother was also present during the tale-telling
session, and this might have created a more comfortable story-telling setting for
Islamic society.
men
80
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
these
women. There
when
narrating to
culturally
work
a chance that women who used few, if any ideophones
might have behaved differently with a different (more
appropriate) audience. It will take some focused field research to
is
men
this out.
Urbanization
Not
among men.
may correlate with some differences
many folktales were collected in rural
in
ideophone use
settings, but every
one of them used ideophones. More folktales were collected in the town
Domoni, but only about 85% of the urban collection included ideophones.
One specific story collected in a rural setting had four times as many
ideophones as its urban counterpart. Nonetheless, both rural and urban men
who did use ideophones did so with about the same frequency (averaging one
per page). Age did not appear to be a factor in the data that was collected in
1967-68. Some of the more recent data suggest, however, that aging may
influence ideophone use. Two of the tales that were collected in 1982 were renarrated by the same individual.
In each case this individual used fewer
ideophones in the newer versions than in the earlier ones. Context may
account for these differences, also, as the earlier versions were narrated to a
WaNzwani audience, while the 1982 ones were not (and may have been
intended to be reminders or summaries). Again, further fieldwork could resolve
single
of
some
of these questions.
The
level of
ideophone use
in
ShiNzwani seems better correlated with
Narrators who used ideophones
individual narrators than with specific stories.
in
one story were
likely to
use them
in
others.
Different people telling the
same
way they used ideophones.
Ideophone use is also textspecific to some degree. Certain actions or scenes are more likely to provide
openings for ideophones than others (whether these openings are taken
advantage of or not is a more individual matter). However, when sacks of glass
are opened and spilled out on the beach, for example, or when someone is
rushing away on horseback, the discourse is almost ripe for the insertion of
ideophones. Yet not every individual uses every one of these opportunities.
stories varied in the
A scene that is repeated one or more times in a text may contain an
ideophone each time, or it may not. The ideophone used in each occurrence of
the scene may be the same one, it may be a variant, or it may be a different
ideophone. One narrator used three slightly different ideophones in one story
to describe climbing a chain (gagara gagara gagara, garara garara garara, and
gara gara gara). He used one of the three ideophones (gara gara gara) in a
different story to represent pulling a bucket up from a well. (If one considers the
hand-over-hand action common to both situations these might be variants of the
same ideophone). Kicking or opening or dumping out sacks of glass provides
another appropriate setting for ideophone use. Most often this is something like
kwalalalala, but there are other possibilities such as krrrror shwaa XhaX are used
and for some narrators the scene is not marked by an ideophone at all.
.
.
Ottenheimer
& Primrose:
Current Research on Shinzwani Ideophones
81
There are several examples of the same ideophone representing different
Kwalalalala, for example represents the clinking of broken glass but it is
also used for the lowering of a chain. Shwa represents kicking a sack of glass
Rrrrrr
with one's foot and turning one's horse quickly or galloping away.
represents the unwinding of a chain and the growling of a monster. It is
possible that there is a common semantic range that we are unaware of in these
ideophones but would take more work with native speakers to be certain.
ideas.
it
be a very slight tendency toward sound symbolism,
for example, appears to be associated with rapid,
continuous motion (a horse running, a ring spinning, a chain unwinding, [k] and
[1] seem to associate with clinking sounds,
[g] seems to be associated with foot
and hand motions (pulling up, climbing up, knocking on the door).
There also appears
consonants,
at least for
to
[r],
sum, although there are relatively few ShiNzwani ideophones, they do
be a separate class. They are probably adverbials, following specific
syntactic and text-sensitive mles. Gender and locale (and possibly age) also
seem to have some predictive value. Finally, although there seems to be a
tendency towards sound-symbolism, there is also quite a bit of room for
individual improvisation. Ideophones are particularly difficult items to work with,
especially for non-native speakers. The fact that one of us has good fluency in
KiSwahili and the other in ShiNzwani, helped immeasurably in preparing this
paper. Yet we feel that this paper has raised many more questions than it has
answered. We anticipate that further fieldwork, focused at least in part on
ideophones, will be necessary.
In
appear
to
EXAMPLES
(1)
Vushuka watsunga wakuzhonosa zi nyombe. Mmmm.
A herdsman came down to water his cattle. Mmmm.
Akia zi nyombe hale zizhao dadadadadada N/lmmm.
[Banawasi] heard the how the cattle were coming dadadadadada
.
Arongoa mba,
He
said,
.
.
.
.
.
Mmmm.
82
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
(2)
'I
mali izha irengwa
The
wealth
was
taken,
wahimondro tsomoa hule,
and when they dumped it out,
ta
mabai ya falasika de ya shukao, bwa bwa bwa
was pieces of bottles which fell out, bwa bwa bwa
.
it
.
Tsiremwa mahava tsitolewa."
was slapped and was sent away.'
I
I
'Kwaaa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa, tsihu kubalia na mfuko wa dhahabu,
'Haaa ha ha ha ha ha, will give you a sack of gold,
I
be endra ta meso
but wait
vo.'
tomorrow.'
until
(3)
Bahe azhosika gagara gagara gagara gaqara
Her father grabbed and gagara gagara gagara gagara
it
ahea zhu
hule.
he climbed up to the top.
(4)
Arongoa
'Ai
masikini u
He
'Ai!
My poor
said,
mwana wangu
daughter
is
afu.
dead.
Mwana wangu jini lizha limuli.'
My daughter, a djinn has come and
eaten
her.'
Bako tsio areme ishundri ne asiki isilisili,
The old man cried a tear but he grabbed the
garara gara ra garara garara oarara.
oarara garara oarara o arara aarara.
ta
ahea
until
hule.
he climbed
to the top.
chain,
'
Ottenheimer
& Prinuose:
Current Research on Shinzwani Ideophones
83
(5)
Mwana vo akia mba ule de bahe,
When the child heard [the djinn] sounding
like
her father,
andra vambua upetro vie, jm, ta udmbu u montsi
she unwound the chain, rrrr, until it reached the ground.
Bako jini ausiki, gara qara gara gara gara qara
The old djinn grabbed [and climbed up], gara gara gara gara gara gara
.
it
ata
until
mwezimgu amtria nia alawa, ahizhohima mlangozhu.
God gave her the notion to leave, while he was climbing
.
.
to the door.
(6)
Ashishi hule hutsaha ya mazhi.
He lowered
it
down
to get
some
Banda ashisha, dia,
As soon as he had lowered
it,
water.
dra
.
vwa daria hule nyoha ile ingia kamwe. nyoha ingia vale.
the snake climbed inside of it. The snake climbed in.
ta
I
i
Ta ahendro tsudza zhau vwa vudzitro.
And when he was lifting the bucket was
it
very heavy.
Ahedza, gara gara gara gara gara gara gara
He raised it, gara gara gara gara gara gara cara.
.
ta
ahendro hedza akuona nyoha.
while he was raising it he saw the snake.
until
(7)
Bako ule avutsu umundru vuvuni ya kwaka.
The old man thrust a foot underneath where
[the sacks] were.
Akia kwala Arongoa 'Ail Vani una mpesa halini?
He heard kwala He said, 'Ai! You have money like this?
'
'
'
.'
Hail
Unu
Hail This
akentsi hashizaya vani.
guy
.'
.
lives in poverty here.
.
.
.
.
.
84
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
(8)
Ule
areme
She
Mba
li
bahe lahe
ntrini.
the [sacks he said his father had given him].
hit
asikia
kwalalalaiala
And she heard
.
kwalalalaiala
Alawa amwambia bahe.
Then she went to tell her
.
father.
(9)
Guni
The
la
handra libulwa tswaa
sack was opened tswaa
.'
'
first
.'
'
Mabai yafalasika.
litsomolewa, kwalalala
was dumped out, kwalalala .' Pieces of bottles.
.'
'
it
'
Vuvurwa la vili, krrrrrrrrr Mabai ya falasika.
The second was dug into, krn'rrrrr Pieces of
.'
'
.'
bottles.
Vuvurwa la raru. Mabai ya falasika.
The third was dug into. Pieces of bottles.
Bako ule tsio azhahasira:
The old man became angry:
'Ail
'Ai!
Mkantre roho yahe.'
He is a person who would cut your heart
out.'
(10)
Bweni avutsu mundru, akia kwalalala
put her foot [there], and heard kwalalala
.
The woman
Ahentsi mba, 'Zile mpesa.'
She thought, 'That's money.'
(11)
Na ule asusisa
i
sllisili ile
And she would lower
kwalalalaiala
the chain kwalalalaiala
idaria montsi.
until
it
reached the ground.
.
Ottenheimer
& Primrose:
Current Research on Shinzwani Ideophones
85
(12)
Tsimono ule avutsu u mundru, shwa vuvuni.
saw him kick with his foot, shwa underneath.
.
'I
it
Ufanya shwaa
It
went,
shwaa
.
!
!
Anambia mba na wantru dagoni hoho wana hamu ta.
He told me that the people at his home were very sad Indeed.
Ule, mwana wa mfalume, tsio. "Kwaaa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa"
There she was, the king's daughter. "Kwaaa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa kwa"
atsehe karnwe.'
laughing already.'
(13)
Mwana wa
The
waziri ule
son took
vizier's
arenge
ifarasi
yahe,
his horse,
mbio, mbio ta ahimovira zhezhe wale wamsheudza, 'Hee, hee.'
quickly, quickly, until
Ne
tsishuguli yahe, aviri vale,
But
it
fwiii
[the fatiha] they hailed him, 'Hey, hey.
.
wasn't any of his concern and he passed by,
Mwana wa
The
i
fwiii .
azha ta ahipara Zhomani awadzisa wale mba
son continued until he arrived at Zhomani and asked
waziri
vizier's
'Vale,
'Is
when he passed by
hazi
ile
ikomo?"
the work finished there?'
Wale wamsiki wampulia ngamani, wamfinikia.
They grabbed him and pushed him into the pit, and covered him
Mwanamtsa
ule tsio
Then the youth
left.
Alawa vasa vo na
He
left
i
alawa vasa. Wakati
The time
farasi
.
ruru ruru
.
hendra hule adzisa.
he arrived.
until
fatiha yavira.
was
yahe, mbio mbio,
with his horse, quickly, quickly,
ruru ruru ta
i
of the fatiha
finished.
up.
86
Mba
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
hazi
'I
[He asked,]
Mba
ikomo?'
'Is
the work finished?'
'Ikomo.'
[They
said,]
Abuzudza
He turned
mba
ile
i
'It's
finished.'
farasi
shwa shwa ta andre hule amwambia mfalume.
shwa and he went and told the king,
horse shwa
his
'Tsende hule.
saying,
'I
went
Waziri wakati
When
I
there.
hazi
ile
ikomo.'
The work
is
finished.'
amona mwanamtsa ule azhua mba mwana wahe afu.
saw that youth, he knew that his [own] son was dead.
the vizier
NOTES
A
version of this paper
was presented
African Linguistics, University of
Illinois at
20th Annual Conference on
Urbana-Champaign, April 19-22,
at the
1989
REFERENCES
1987.
The phonology of Kisi Ideophones. Paper
presented to the Phonology Lab, UCB. MS.
DEED, F.I. 1939. Ideophones and onomatopoetics in Swahili. Inter-territorial
Language Committee, Bulletin 13.
DOKE, Clement. 1954. The Southern Bantu languages. London and New
York: Oxford University Press.
DURBIN, Marshall. 1973. Sound symbolism in the Mayan language family.
Meaning in Mayan languages: ethnolinguistic studies, ed. by Munro S.
Edmonson, 23-49. The Hague: Mouton.
FINNEGAN, Ruth. 1970. Oral literature in Africa. Oxford: Oxford University
CHILDS, G. Tucker.
Press.
HINNEBUSCH, Thomas.
appraisal.
1985.
HINNEBUSCH, Thomas & Derek
affiliations.
JOHNSON,
Sabaki and lexicostatistics:
African Studies Association Meetings ms..
Nurse.
1984.
a
critical
New
Comorian:
Orleans.
external linguistic
African Studies Association Meetings ms., Los Angeles.
Marion R. 1976. Toward a definition of the ideophone
Ohio State University Working Papers in Linguistics 21 :240-253.
in
Bantu.
Ottenheimer
& Primrose:
Current Research on Shinzwani Ideophones
87
MARIVATE,
C.T.D.
1985. The ideophone as a syntactic category in the
Southern Bantu languages. Studies in African Linguistics, Supplement
9:210-214.
MITHUN, Marianne. 1982. The synchronic and diachronic behavior of plops,
squeaks, croaks, sighs, and moans. International Journal of American
Linguistics 48:49-58.
NURSE,
Derek. 1983. Is Comorian Swahili? Being an examination of the
diachronic relationship between Comorian and Coastal Swahili. Round
Table on the Limits of Swahili ms., Paris.
NURSE, Derek and Thomas Spear. 1985. The Swahili. Philadelphia:
University of Pennsylvania Press.
OTTENHEIMER, Harriet. 1984. A Shinzwani dictionary for the Comoro Islands.
Papers of the Annual Meeting of the African Studies Association, 84:82.
Los Angeles: Crossroads Press.
OTTENHEIMER,
Harriet
and Martin Ottenheimer.
the languages of the
Comoro
Islands.
1977. The classification of
Anthropological Linguistics
December:408-415.
SAMARIN,
.
W.J. 1965. Perspective on African ideophones. African Studies
24:2.117-121.
1967. Determining the meanings of ideophones. Journal of West African
Linguistics 4:2.35-41.
.
.
1970.
169.
1971.
Inventory and choice
in
expressive language.
Word
26:2.153-
Survey of Bantu ideophones. African Language Studies 12:1 30-
168.
SNOXHALL,
R.A. 1938. The ideophone in Swahili. Inter-territorial Language
Committee Bulletin 12.
WHITELEY, W. H. 1966. A study of Yao sentences. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
Ill
&
Phonology
Laura
Tone
J.
Tonology
downing
in Jita
questions
Larry M. hyman
Accent
in
Bantu:
An
appraisal
Claude Timmons & Christian Dunn
La selection morphophonologique des classes en kpokolo
Studies
in
Volume
19,
the Linguistic Sciences
Number
2, Fall
1989
THE INTERACTION OF TONE AND INTONATION
IN JITA YES/NO QUESTIONS^
Laura
J.
Downing
University of
Illinois
In Jita, an E. Bantu language spoken in Tanzania, yes-no
questions are realized at a higher pitch than declaratives. If the
declarative contains one word with a high tone, the overall tone
pattern of the corresponding question does not change. But if the
declarative has all low tones, then the corresponding question is
realized at a raised pitch except that the final syllable is low-toned. In
this paper
will show that these tone patterns may be accounted for
by a rule spreading an intonation register high tone from the first
syllable of a yes/no question rightwards to the metrically prominent
syllable of the utterance, raising high tones to super-high and low
tones to high. Finally, the tone pattern of questions is shown to
provide evidence that phrase-final extratonality rather than phrasefinal low tone insertion blocks the spread of high tones to phraseI
final syllables.
1
.
Introduction
Jita Is
discussed
speaker
a Lacustrine Bantu language spoken in Tanzania. The data
paper come from my field work with F. T. Magayane, a native
In this paper
will present an
Jita from the island of Ukerewe.
in this
of
analysis of the tone pattern of yes/no questions
I
in Jita.
As shown
in
the data
in
and (2), if there is at least one high tone in a declarative sentence, as in (la),
the corresponding yes/no question (lb) is realized with the same basic tone
pattern, except that the tones of all syllables up to and including the one bearing
(1)
the rightmost high tone are raised:
)
92
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
(1
Yes/No Question with
(a)
Ba:
ku
-
-
fuli
-
at least
one High Tone^
ye
they-you-wash for -tense
They have washed (something)
(b)
Ba:
ku
-
-
fGli
-
for you.
ye?
they-you-wash for-TENSE
Have they washed (something)
for
you?
If there are no high tones in the declarative, as in (2a), then the corresponding
yes/no question has raised low tones on all syllables through the penult, as
illustrated in (2b):
(2)
Yes/No Question
Ba:
with no High
Tones
(a)
ye
they-wash for-TENSE
They have washed (something) for (someone)
(b)
Ba: - full - ye?
they-wash for-TENSE
-
fuli
-
Have they washed (something)
for
(someone)?
In this paper
will first argue that the tone pattem of both (lb) and (2b) may
be straightforwardly accounted for by a rule spreading an intonational high tone
from the first syllable of a yes/no question rightwards to the metrically prominent
syllable of the utterance. Then
will show that the tone patterns of yes/no
questions provide evidence that helps decide between two competing analyses
proposed in Downing (1988) to limit the ___domain of high tone shift in Jita.
I
I
2.
Tone Patterns
of
Yes/No Questions
As can be seen by comparing (1a) with (lb) and (2a) with (2b), above, Jita
yes/no questions have the same words in the same order as the corresponding
declarative sentences.
Only intonation distinguishes the two, namely, the
overall pitch of yes/no questions is raised. If the declarative has one or more
high tones, as in (la), then in the corresponding yes/no question all tones up to
and including the rightmost high tone are raised, as shown In (lb). This same
pattern is found no matter where in the sentence the rightmost high tone may
occur or how many high tones it contains, as shown in the data in (3), (4) and
(5):
(3)
More Yes/No Questions
(a)
mw
you
You
-
pi.
a:ma
-TENSE
(pi.)
with at least
one High Tone^
-
m^l(a) o:ku-t6:ka
-
finish
INF-
cook
finished cooking (yesterday).
Downing: The
(b)
mw
-
Interaction of Tone
a:ma
-
and Intonation
in Jita
93
mSl(a) 6:ku-tS:ka?
you pl.-TEN6E -finish
INF- cook
Did you (pi.) finish cooking (yesterday)?
(4)
(a)
(b)
w
- a:ma - suk(a)
e:mi - ke:ka
you-TENSE - weave CI.4 - mat
You wove the mats (yesterday),
w - a:ma - s(jk(a) e:mi - ke:ka?
you-TENSE - weave CI.4 - mat
Did you weave the mats (yesterday)?
(5)
(a)
Ba
aBa-fwimf
-
kal
-
ire
i:-nama
they-dry-TENSE
Cl.9-meat
The hunters have dried the meat,
CI.
(b)
2-hunter
aBa-fwimT
Ba-
kal -ire
i:-fiama?
2-hunter
they-dry-TENSE
Cl.9-meat
Have the hunters dried the meat?
CI.
In
we see
second of
Comparing (4a) with
and (5a) with (5b) shows that the pitch is raised only up to the rightmost
tone, even when one or more low-toned words follow.
(3b)
that the pitch of the yes/no question
the two high tones
(4b)
high
is
raised up to the
the corresponding declarative (3a).
in
If there are no high tones in the declarative, as in (2a), above, then the
corresponding yes/no question has raised low tones on all syllables through the
penult, as shown in (2b). This same tone pattern is found no matter how long
the sentence may be. The data in (6a), (7a) and (8a) illustrate low-toned
sentences of various lengths and structures. Note that the corresponding
yes/no questions in (6b), (7b) and (8b) all have a raised low tone through the
penult:
(6)
More Yes/No Questions
(a)
(b)
with no High
Tones
nguBo
ye
they-wash for-TENSE Cl.lO-clothes
They have washed clothes for (someone).
Ba:
-
full
-
B^:
-
fiilf
-
ji
y6
jf
-
nguBo?
they-wash for-TENSE Cl.10-clothes
Have they washed clothes for (someone)?
(7)
(a)
Ba:
-
seiek
-
er(e)
omu
-
jinga
mu
cannon
They have hidden the cannon in the
they- hide
-
tense
CI. 3-
-
ci -
Bira
in-CI.7-forest
forest.
94
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
(b)
Ba:
-
seiek
-
6:mu- jinga
6r(e)
TENSE
mu
ci
-
-
Bi'ra?
cannon in-CI.7-forest
Have they hidden the cannon in the forest?
they- hide
(8)
(a)
omu
-
-
soni
CI.3-
a:
-
o:mu
maiisy(e)
-
limu
-seamstress s/he-tinished CI.3 - job
The seamstress has finished the job.
CI.
(b)
1
omu
- soni
A: - malisy(e)
6:mu - limu?
-seamstress s/he-finished CI.3 - job
Has the seamstress finished the job?
CI.
1
Yes/no questions
in
then, have basically the
Jita,
pattern as declaratives, except that the pitch
is
same
relative
raised up to a certain point
tone
in
the
not a surprising state of affairs.
Cruttenden (1986) notes that
both Bolinger's (1978) and Ultan's (1978) cross-linguistic surveys report that
yes-no questions are characterized by a pitch rise or generally higher pitch in
many languages. Further, Lieberman (1967: 130-133), in his cross-linguistic
survey of yes/no question intonation, concludes that languages (like Jita) which
do not form yes/no questions either by an Interrogative particle, phrase or word
or with a change in word order are the ones most likely to have a pitch rise to
indicate yes/no questions.
Referring to research by Chang (1958) and
especially Egerod (1956) on Chinese yes/no question intonation, Lieberman
(1967: 130) suggests that 'in tone languages the sentence intonation is ...
superimposed on the individual tones.'
question.
This
is
This indeed seems to be the case In Jita. Yes/no questions have the same
basic tone pattern as the corresponding declaratives, with an intonational high
tone 'superimposed' on the basic pattern up to a certain point in the question.
As a result, the simple high vs. low tone contrast found on the surface in
declaratives becomes a three-way contrast in yes/no questions. This is shown
by comparing (1a) with (lb) again (repeated below for convenience):
(1)
(a)
Ba: - ku - full - ye
they-you-wash for-TENSE
They have washed (something)
(b)
Bd:
-
ku
-
fGli
-
for you.
ye?
they-you-wash for-TENSE
Have they washed (something)
for
you?
In (la), the declarative, we find only high and low tones (high-toned syllables
are marked with an acute accent; low-toned syllables are unmarked). But in
(lb), the corresponding yes/no question, we find three tone levels: a raised
high tone, indicated by a double acute accent; a raised low tone, indicated by a
single acute accent; and a low tone, again unmarked.
)
Downing: The
Interaction of
Tone and
Intonation in Jita
95
Adopting and adapting Clements' (1983) proposal that tone in three (or
more) level systems - especially those derived by intonational register shifts be represented by a hierarchical feature system, the four tone levels of Jita
yes/no questions and declaratives may be represented as in (9):
(9)
(a)
"
Raised high tone (indicated by
)
(yes/no questions)
H
raised register
I
H
basic tone
I
a
(b)
syllable (= tone-bearing unit)
Raised low tone (indicated by
'
(yes/no questions)
H
raised register
I
L
basic tone
I
a
(c)
syllable (= tone-bearing unit)
Unraised low tone (unmarked)
(yes/no questions and declaratives)
L
basic tone
I
a
(d)
syllable (= tone-bearing unit)
Unraised high tone (indicated by
*)
(declaratives only)
H
basic tone
I
a
syllable (= tone-bearing unit)
level high tone in (9a) and (9b) represents the intonational high tone
which derives the raised register of yes/no questions. The bottom level high
and low tones are the 'basic' tones associated with each syllable after the
The upper
application of the post-lexical rules, including insertion of default low tones.
derive the raised register of yes/no questions, an intonational high tone
associated to the tone of the initial syllable of the utterance, as shown in
To
is first
(10):
)
96
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
(10)
Intonational High
Tone Assignment
H
I
I
I
T
T
I
I
X$
$ a
(X stands for any number of tone-bearing units;
$ indicates a phrase boundary; T stands for a high
or low tone)
The intonational high tone then spreads rightward either to the rightmost high
tone of the utterance (as shown in (11a)); or, if there are no high tones, to the
penult syllable (as
(1 1
(a)
shown
in (lib)):
Intonational
Spread
to
Rightmost High Tone
H
f-vT
T
I
I
$a
H
I
L
I
Y$
a
(X is any number of tone-bearing units;
Y is any number of low-toned syllables.)
(b)
X
Intonational
Spread
to Penult
H
[โขV
T
L
I
$a
(Y
is
L
I
I
Y
o
L
I
a$
any number
The
application of these rules
(12),
and
of (2b), given in (13):
of low-toned syllables.)
is illustrated
by the derivation of (lb), given
in
Downing: The
Interaction of Tone
and Intonation
(12) Derivation of (1b) Ba:kufQliye?
'Have they washed (something)
for you?'
in Jita
97
98
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
In (12),
after the intonational high tone links to the first
spreads to the high tone; while
no high tones.
in
(13)
It
tone of the utterance,
it
spreads to the penult, since there are
Although the rules in (10) and (11) derive the correct intonational pitch
a disadvantage of the rules in (11) defining the ___domain of intonational
tone spread so far is, precisely, that there are two rules. One rule, (11a), applies
to questions with at least one high tone, while another, (lib), applies to
questions with no high tones. It would be preferable to have the same rule or
rules apply to derive the tone pattern of all yes/no questions. In order to replace
(11a) and (lib) with a single rule, however, it is necessary to show that the
rightmost high tone and the penult of questions with no high tones have
something in common which attracts the intonational high tone. What propose
is that either the rightmost high tone or, if there are no high tones, the penult
syllable is designated as the metrically prominent position in a yes/no question
by the grid-building rules in (14). (The formulation of these rules is adapted
from Selkirk (1984)):
patterns,
I
(14)
Grid Building Rules for Yes/No Questions
(a)
Demi Beat Alignment:
Align a
first
level grid position
(b)
a sentence.
High Tone Beat Addition:
Assign a second level (basic) beat
(c)
Right
(demi beat) with
all
the
syllables of
End Rule:
Add a third level beat
to
all
high-toned syllables.
to the final basic beat of the
sentence.
Rules (11a) and (lib) may now be replaced with a single rule of Attraction to
Accent, formulated in (11"), below:
1
( 1
')
Accent
a yes/no question, the intonational high tone spreads
rightward up to the syllable bearing the third level beat (or
Attraction to
In
accent
(*)).^
Using metrical rules to assign an accent which defines the ___domain of high
tone spread rules like (11') has been proposed by Goldsmith, Peterson and
Drogo (1986) in their analysis of tone and accent in Xhosa, and by Peterson (to
appear) in her analysis of tone in Zulu and Ndebele. Using metrical rules to
determine which syllable of a word or phrase attracts a lexical high tone has
also been proposed in the analysis of lexical and phrasal tone patterns in other
languages, such as ChiChewa (Peterson 1987), and ChiZigula (Kenstowicz
and Kisseberth, to appear). And a number of authors (Liberman 1975,
Pierrehumbert 1980 and Selkirk 1984) have proposed that intonational pitchaccent tones in English associate with the accented syllable in their ___domain.
Downing: The
What
I
propose
is
that a metrical accent
intonational high tones, as
The
and
Interaction of Tone
in Jita
may
and Intonation
also define the
___domain
of
spread of
yes/no questions.
application of the yes/no question intonation rules formulated in (IT)
one high tone is illustrated by the new
(14) to questions with at least
derivation of (lb) given in (15):
(15)
99
in Jita
Derivation of (lb) Ba:kufGliye?
'Have they washed (something)
for
you?'
>
100
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
the grid-building rules apply first, assigning prominence to the rightmost
Then the intonational high tone is associated with the first tone of the
utterance and spreads to the prominent syllable, deriving the correct tone
In (15),
high tone.
pattern.
we
try to apply the grid-building rules to questions with no high tones,
however, we do not yet derive the correct results. First, since it is the
penult and not the final syllable which is assigned prominence in Jita if there
are no high tones, the phrase-final syllable must be extrametrical. i.e., invisible
to the rules assigning metrical structure (Hayes 1982).
The following
extrametricality rule must then apply before the metrical rules in (14):
If
like (2b),
Yes/No Questions
is marked extrametrical for the construction
of the metrical grid which determines the ___domain of spread of the
yes/no question intonational high tone.
(Following Halle and
Vergnaud (1987), extrametrical syllables are indicated by placing
them in angled brackets.)
(16) Extrametricality in
A
phrase-final syllable
Secondly, since utterances with no high tones do not have a second level beat
assigned to them by High Tone Beat Addition (14b), it is not clear how the Right
End Rule would assign a third level beat to them either, since it accents the
rightmost second level beat. To resolve this problem, assume, following Halle
and Vergnaud (1987), that the Right End Rule may be interpreted according to
the convention given in (17). (A schematic representation of the effects of the
convention on hypothetical grids is also given in (17)):
I
(17)
End Rule
(Adapted from Halle & Vergnaud (1987: 71,
Interpretive Convention, Right
(a)
Add a third
level
fig.
(43))
beat to the rightmost basic beat:
X
X
X
->
XXX
(b)
In
XX
XXX
cases where there are no basic beats, a
third level
placed over the rightmost beat of the next lower
beat is
the
line (i.e.,
rightmost de mi beat):
X
โ
XXX
XXX
7b) creates a gap in the column of beats over the penult after the
applies, so Halle and Vergnaud (1987) propose another
convention, which we might call a Well-Formedness Condition for grids, which
Convention
Right
(1
End Rule
Downing: The
fills
the
gap
in
Interaction of Tone
and Intonation
101
in Jita
the column of beats above the penult automatically, as
shown
in
(18):
(18)
Well-Formedness Condition for Grids (WFC)
(Adapted from Halle & Vergnaud (1987: 71, figs.
(44)
and
(45))
X
X
-->
X
XXX
XXX
Halle and Vergnaud (1987) propose these two conventions to account for the
stress system of languages like Aguacatec Mayan in which the rightmost long
syllable is stressed, but in words with no long syllables, the final syllable is
stressed.
questions,
The
Since this
I
assume
is
prominence pattern
and conventions may apply.
entirely parallel to the
the
same
rules
application of the intonation rules
yes/no question with no high tones
given in (19):
(19)
and
the
new
Derivation of (2b) Ba:fulfye?
L
Output,
I
post-lex
Ba:
rules
they-
Rule
(16)
L L
L
III
fu
li
ye
washed
for
for
yes/no
interpretive conventions to
is illustrated in
Have they washed (something)
for Jita
(someone)?
a
derivation of (2b),
102
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
Downing: The
(20)
(a)
Interaction of Tone
and Intonation
103
in Jita
Rightward Spread (RS)
H
f--.
o
a
(b)
Leftward Delink
H
The
in
application of tone shift (20a, b)
illustrated
is
by the derivation of
(1a),
given
(21):
(21)
Derivation of (la)
'they
Baikufuliye
have washed (something)
UR
Ba:
ku
they you
fu
wash
li
for you'
ye
for (Pres. Perfect)
Post-lexical rules
H
f--.
RS
Ba:
ku
fu
li
ye
li
ye
L
L
H
=^\
Delink
Default
Ba:
ku
fu
L
L
H
II
III
Lows
Ba:
SR
Ba:kufuliye
ku
fu
li
ye
Although RS is a very general rule, it fails to apply when the target of
spread is a phrase-final syllable. For example, the infinitives in (22a) and (22b),
below, have a high tone underlyingly on the stem-initial (or penult) syllable
(oku- is the infinitive prefix). This penult high tone does not shift to the final
syllable when the words are in phrase-final position. It does shift to the word-
104
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
final syllable,
shown
in
(22)
however, when the
infinitive is in
phrase-medial position, as
(23a) and (23b), below:
No
(a)
(b)
from penult to phrase-final syllable
Oku f:ga
'to look for'
Oku B6na 'to see; get'
shift
(23) Shift from penult phrase-medially
(a)
oku
i:ga
'to
look
for'
okui:ga ji:nd6Bo
(b)
oku Bona
okuBona
'to
ji:
'to
see; get'
i:noni
i:
'to
n
doBo
'buckets'
look for buckets'
noni
see/get a
'bird'
bird'
There are two proposals found in the literature to block high tones from
spreading to final syllables.
As Myers (1987) has argued, one way of
accounting for lack of high tone spread beyond penult syllables is for phrasefinal syllables to be extratonal and so unavailable as a target of tone spread.
(Extratonal syllables are indicated by placing them in parentheses in the
derivations which follow.) However, it has also been argued (Sietsema 1989)
that final segments or syllables may only be invisible to metrical njles, not tonal
rules like tone spread, so that extratonality may not be appealed to in order to
block spread of a high tone to a final syllable.
Instead, Sietsema (1989)
proposes that low tones inserted phrase-finally by a rule like (24), below, link to
the
final syllables:
(24)
Phrase-Final
0โ > L
Low
/
Insertion
phrase
This phrase-final low tone blocks the spread of a high tone from the penult to
the final syllable (this account assumes that tone spread may generally only
target a tonally unassociated vowel):
'
^
I
(25)
RS
blocked by a phrase-final low
"H
L
H
L
I--I
'phrase
If
the final syllable
is
derives a falling contour on that syllable:
(26)
Contour Creation
H
'phrase
underlyingly linked to a high tone, the phrase-final low tone
L
I'phreee
Downing: The
As
Interaction of
illustrated in the derivations of (23a)
Tone and
given
in
(27a)
and
(27b), both of these
solutions correctly allow spread from the penult to a word-final syllable
word
105
Intonation in Jita
when a
phrase-medial position, but block spread from the penult to the
syllable when a word is in phrase-final position:
is in
(27)
(a)
Extratonality analysis, derivation of
(23a) okui:ga ji:nd6Bo
UR
Oku
INF
i:ga
to look for
'to
look for buckets'
final
106
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
H
Delink
Default
ok u
i:
L
L
I
L
I
I
ga
H
I
Lows
ok u
SR
okul:ga ji:nd6Bo
i:
M
H
ga
ji:n
L
I
ji:n
L
do Bo
H
L
II
do Bo
In (27a), the high tone of okui:ga may spread since that word is in phrasemedial position, but the high tone of jindoBo may not spread to the extratonal
phrase-final syllable. In (27b), too, only the high tone of okui:ga may spread
since that word is in phrase-medial position, but the high tone of jindoBo may
not spread, because it is blocked by the phrase-final low tone.
Besides blocking high tone spread, the rule of Phrase-Final Low Insertion
also necessary in Jita to account for the fact that phrase-final high tones
are realized as falling contours in declarative sentences. That is, alternations
like those in (28):
(24)
is
(28)
Nouns
(a)
with
a High Tone on the Final Syllable
Downing: The
Interaction of Tone
and Intonation
in Jita
107
One
question we might ask, then, is whether Phrase-Final Low Insertion
in yes/no questions or only in declaratives.
If Phrase-Final Low
Insertion only applies in declaratives, then phrase-final high tones should be
realized with a level high tone in yes/no questions, instead of with a falling
contour. This is indeed the case in Jita, as shown by comparing the data in
(29a, c and e) with those in (29b, d and f):
also applies
(29)
Yes/no Questions: Phrase-final high tone
(a)
ci
-
-
li
u:mula
we-FUT-rest
We
(b)
will rest.
ci- lf-u:muia?
we-FUT-rest
we
Will
(c)
Ba:
rest?
ma gwa
-
-
a:nsT
down
down (yesterday).
Ba: - ma - gwS a:nsT?
they-TENSE-fall down
Did they fall down (yesterday)?
they-TENSE-fall
They
(d)
(e)
a:
-
fell
(a)ndik
-
ire
i:
-
naruBa
s/he-write-TENSE Cl.9-letter
S/he has written a
(f)
a:
-
(a)ndik
-
(re
letter.
i:
-
fiaruBS?
s/he-write-TENSE Cl.9-letter
Has
s/he written a letter?
conclude from the lack of a falling contour on phrase-final high tones in the
yes/no questions in (29b, d and f) that Phrase-Final Low Insertion (24) does not
apply in yes/no questions but only in declaratives.
I
The next question we might ask
is whether high tones on the penult will
yes/no questions. Recall from derivation
(27b) that one explanation for the lack of high tone spread from the phrasepenult syllable in declaratives was a phrase-final low tone blocked high tone
spread. Since no low tones are inserted phrase-finally in yes/no questions, this
analysis predicts that high tones underlyingly linked to the penult will spread to
the phrase-final syllable. But, in fact, high tones underlyingly associated with
the penult do not spread to a phrase-final syllable in yes/no questions, as
spread
to phrase-final syllables in
shown by the data
in
(30):
108
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
(30)
Yes/No Questions: Phrase Penult High Tones
(a)
Ba:
seiek
-
they- hide
er(e) 9:Bi
-
tense
-
They have hidden the
(b)
Ba:
s6lek
-
er(e)
-
- tense
Have they hidden
a:
ma
-
-
donge
pills.
e:Bi'-d8nge?
they-hide
(c)
-
Cl.7-pill
Cl.7-pill
the pills?
gwa
s/he-TENSE-fell
He
(d)
a:
tell
(yesterday).
mยง
-
-
gwa?
s/he-TENSE-tell
Did s/he
(e)
we
(f)
fall?
a:ma
TENSE
-
c(i)
-
Bala
ji
-
ngbko
We
count Cl.10-chicken
counted the chickens (yesterday)?
c(i)
-
-
a:ma
-
-
BSl^
ji
-
ng8ko?
we - TENSE - count Cl.lO-chicken
Did we count the chickens (yesterday)?
In both the declaratives in (30a, c and e) and the corresponding yes/no
questions in (30b, d and f) the phrase-penult high tone fails to spread to the final
syllable. The phrase-final low tone account is not available to block spread
from the penult to the phrase-final syllable in yes/no questions, since PhraseFinal Low Insertion (24) does not apply to them.
Instead, the phrase-final
syllable must be extratonal when RS applies in order to block spread from the
penult. Since RS fails to apply in both yes/no questions and in declaratives
when the target of spread is a phrase-final syllable, the extratonality analysis
provides the most general way of accounting for the lack of spread. Since the
only effect of Phrase-Final Low Insertion (24) and Contour Creation (26) is to
derive a falling contour on phrase-final high tones in declarative sentences,
conclude that they are not post-lexical rules applying to all utterances, but
intonational rules applying only in declarative sentences. To capture the fact
that RS, Delink and Default Low Insertion apply no matter what the intonation of
the sentence may be, propose that they form a separate ___domain of post-lexical
rules ordered before the intonational rules which apply either to declaratives or
to yes/no questions. The rules discussed so far and the domains in which they
apply are summarized in (31):
I
I
Downing: The
(31)
Summary
I.
Interaction of Tone
of Post-lexical
Post-lexical
and
and Intonation
109
in Jita
Intonational Rules
Domain
Extratonality of Phrase-Final Syllable
Rightward Spread of High Tones (20a)
Delink (20b)
Insertion of Default
II.
Intonational
Low Tones
Domain
Yes/No Questions
A.
Extrametricality of Phrase-Final Syllable (16)
Grid-Building Rules (14a-c)
Conventions
(17), (18)
Intonational High
Attraction to
Tone Association
Accent
(10)
(11')
Declaratives
Phrase-Final Low Insertion (24)
Contour Creation (26)
B.
One last problem remains to be discussed. Rule (16) marks phrase-final
syllables extrametrical for the grid-building rules (14a-c), yet phrase-final high
tones are realized with a raised high tone, as the data in (29) show. In order for
phrase-final highs to be the prominent (accented) position in yes/no questions,
Adopting
phrase-final high-toned syllables may not be extrametrical.
Goldsmith, Peterson and Drogo's (1986) suggestion that in tone systems, highpropose to revise rule
toned syllables may be considered metrically heavy,
(16) so that only light, i.e., low-toned, phrase-final syllables are marked
extrametrical, as in (16'):
I
(16')
in Yes/No Questions, Revised
methcally light (i.e., low-toned) phrase-final syllable is
marked extrametrical for the grid-building rules which
determine the ___domain of spread of the yes/no question
Extrametricality
A
intonational high tone.
The tone
now be
below:
pattern of yes/no questions with a phrase-final high tone
correctly derived, as
shown
in
the derivation of (29d), given
in
may
(32),
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
110
(32) Derivation of: (29d) Baimagwgi a:nsi?
'Did they fall down (yesterday)?'
H
H
I
UR
Ba: magwa
they-TENSE-fall
Post-lexical rules
H
!
a:nsi
down
Downing: The
SR
In
Interaction of Tone
BamagwS
and Intonation
111
in Jita
a:nsT?
does not apply to mark the phrase-final syllable extrametrical
The grid-building rules assign a third level beat
the phrase-final syllable, and the intonational high tone spreads to
(32) rule (16')
since
it
bears a high tone.
(accent) to
that syllable, deriving the correct tone pattern.
4.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion,
have argued that Jita has a level of intonational rules
which follows the post-lexical level. The intonational rules which apply to
yes/no questions are, first, grid-building njles which assign prominence to either
the rightmost high tone or, if there are no high tones, the penult syllable of the
utterance.
An intonational high tone is then linked to the first tone of the
utterance and spreads to the prominent position. Further research is necessary
to determine whether the ___domain of the yes/no question grid-building rules is
the utterance or an intonational phrase.
have also argued that phrase-final
low insertion is an intonational rule which applies only to declaratives, since the
only effect of the rule is to derive a falling contour on phrase-final high tones in
I
I
declarative sentences.
If one only examined the tone pattern of declarative sentences, one could
argue that phrase-final low insertion was a post-lexical rule and that the
inserted low tones were what blocked the spread of a penult high tone to the
phrase-final syllable. However, phrase-penult high tones do not spread to the
final syllable of yes/no questions, either, even though phrase-final low insertion
does not apply in questions. The tone pattern of questions thus provides
is the
evidence that phrase-final low insertion is an intonational rule, and that
extratonality of the phrase-final syllable which prevents high tones on the penult
from spreading to the final syllable in both yes/no questions and declaratives in
it
Jita.
NOTES
take this opportunity to thank F. T. Magayane for his patient,
me with the data which appears in this paper.
would also like to thank M. Ourso and R. Chung for their assistance in verifying
the tone patterns of yes/no questions, and L. Bickmore, C. Bundrick, R. Cervin,
A. Dunn, D. Evans, C. Kisseberth, T. Williams and two anonymous SLS
Any errors of data or
reviewers for helpful comments on the paper.
^1
would
like to
friendly cooperation in providing
I
my own. Finally, would like to acknowledge the
assistance of the University of Illinois African Studies Center who have
interpretation are, of course,
I
1
12
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
supported my dissertation research by granting
research grant for the 1988-89 academic year.
me a FLAS
Fellowship and a
'
^Transcription conventions adopted
in this paper are as follows:
a raised low tone in questions, but a
declaratives; low tones are unmarked in both; 'B' is a bilabial
" indicates
indicates a raised high tone;
high tone
in
fricative.
^Vowels
parentheses have coalesced with the adjacent vowel, leading
vowels are indicated by a colon. A detailed analysis of
vowel coalescence in Jita may be found in Downing (in progress).
in
to lengthening; long
^For the sake of compactness in the derivations which follow,
shall
replace the grid by placing an asterisk (*) over the syllable assigned a third
level beat after the Right End Rule applies.
I
^The long vowels
in
the
initial
discussed
in detail in
Downing
(in
two words in this phrase are
compensatory lengthening processes
syllables of the
actually not underlying but derived by
progress).
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and E. A. Moravscik. Stanford: Stanford University Press.
CHANG, N. T. 1958. Tones and Intonation in the Chengtu Dialect (Szechuan,
BOLINGER,
Phonetica 2:59-85.
G. N. 1983. The Hierarchical Representation of Tone Features.
Current Approaches to African Linguistics (vol. 1), ed. by
R. Dihoff, 1451 76.
Dordrecht: Foris Publications.
CRUTTENDEN, A. 1986. Intonation. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
DOWNING, L. J. 1988. Tonology of Noun-Modifier Phrases in Jita. Studies in
China).
CLEMENTS,
I.
โ
the Linguistic Sciences 18:1.25-60.
-.
In
Problems in Jita Tonology. Ph.D.
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progress.
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dissertation. University of
S. 1956. The Lungtu Dialect: A Description and Historical Study of
a South China Idiom. Copenhagen: Ejnar Munksgaard Ltd.
GOLDSMITH, J. 1987. Tone and Accent and Getting the Two Together. BLS
EGEROD,
13.
1986. Tone and Accent in the
J., K. Peterson and J. Drogo.
Xhosa Verbal System. University of Chicago MS.
HALLE, M. and J. R. Vergnaud. 1987. An Essay on Stress. Cambridge, Mass.:
The M.I.T. Press.
GOLDSMITH,
Downing: The
HAYES,
B.
1982.
13:227-276.
Interaction of Tone
Extrametricality
and Intonation
in Jita
and English Stress.
113
Linguistic Inquiry
KENSTOWICZ, M. and C. Kisseberth. to appear. Chizigula Tonology - The
Word and Beyond. Proceedings of the Stanford Conference on the
Syntax-Phonology
LIBERMAN, M.
1975.
Interface, ed.
The
by D. Zee and S. Inkelas.
System of English. Ph.D. dissertation,
Intonation
M.I.T.
LIEBERMAN,
Research
Intonation, Perception and Language.
Cambridge, Mass.: The M.I.T. Press.
MYERS, S. 1987. Tone and the Structure of Words in Shona. Ph.D.
dissertation. University of Massachusetts-Amherst.
PETERSON, K. 1987. Accent in the Chichewa Verb. CLS 23:2: Parasession
on Autosegmental and Metrical Phonology, 210-222.
-.
To appear. A Comparative Look at Nguni Verbal Tone. Current
Approaches to African Linguistics, vol. 6, ed. by I. Haik and L. Tuller.
P.
Monograph
1967.
no. 38.
โ
Dordrecht: Foris Publications.
PIERREHUMBERT,
1980.
The Phonology and Phonetics of English
J.
Ph.D. dissertation, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
SELKIRK, E. 1984. Phonology and Syntax: The Relation Between Sound and
Structure. Cambridge, Mass.: The M.I.T. Press.
SIETSEMA, B. 1989. Metrical Dependencies in Tone Assignment. Ph.D.
dissertation. Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
ULTAN, R. 1978. Some General Characteristics of Interrogative Systems.
Universals of Human Language, ed. by J. P. Greenberg, C. A. Ferguson
and E. A. Moravscik. Volume 4: Syntax. Stanford: Stanford University
Intonation.
Press.
the Linguistic Sciences
studies
in
Vol. 19,
Number
2, Fall
1989
ACCENT
IN
BANTU:
Larry M.
AN APPRAISAL
Hyman
University of California, Berkeley
or so there has been considerable
Bantu phonology from an accentual
perspective. Pointing out that within verbs only the first root vowel
can exhibit a seven-way opposition, Bennett (1978) argues that rootinitial stress can be reconstructed for Proto-Bantu (cf. stem-initial
accent in Western Bantu). On the other hand, penultimate accent
occurs in Eastern and Southern Bantu. In this paper provide an
appraisal of what has been said about accent in Bantu, recently and
becomes clear that
By synthesizing this work
in earlier studies.
Bantu is marked by accents of different kinds, e.g. those used to
predict segmental properties, tonal properties, juncture, rhythmic or
intonational effects, etc. The conclusion to be drawn is that if all of
these things are (metrical) accent, then Bantu languages must allow
for multiple (and usually conflicting) metrical representations, as is
now coming to be recognized in a number of language families.
Over the past ten years
interest
in
approaching
I
it
would like to consider some of the recent concepts and
have arisen in the study of prosodic phenomena in
The issue that will focus on is that of accent, which has been of
Bantu.''
interest to us for at least two reasons: First, as Bantuists, we are concerned with
understanding the synchronic and diachronic bases of prosody in our
Second, as phonologists, we are concerned with how these
languages.
prosodic properties fit in typologically with other languages and language
families and, ultimately, with what these prosodic systems have to say about the
In this
paper
I
analytic difficulties that
I
nature of phonology, universally.
Needless
to say,
I
and share with you where,
heading.
not be able to cover
will
arise in the study of accent
in
I
Bantu.
think,
Instead,
we
I
all
of the important issues that
hope
are, and,
if
to
cover a few basic points
where we might be
possible,
116
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
will not expend a great amount of energy developing definitions of what is
a tone or what is an accent, etc. Instead, will simply assert what think is one
standard view of tone and accent in (1).
I
I
(1)
a.
tone =
cf.
I
pitch features present lexically (e.g. at
Welmers
(1959):
"a
tone language
is
word
level)
a language
in
which
both pitch phonemes and segmental phonemes enter into
the composition of at least some morphemes'.
b.
accent = (headed)
word level)2
metrical structure present lexically (e.g. at
By defining accent
(or, if one wishes, stress) as metrical structure,
choose to
remain neutral as to how this structure is marked, e.g., by trees, grids or even
diacritic heads such as the asterisk notation introduced by Goldsmith (1976).
Since languages can have both tone and accent, it doesn't make sense to ask
whether a given language is "tonal' vs. 'accentual.' Instead, the discussion
can turn around questions such as in (2):
(2)
a.
b.
I
are there lexical (word level) tone features?
is there lexical (word level) metrical structure?
Bantu, these questions are particularly interesting, since, as summarized in
the same tonal facts from the same language have been cited by different
researchers, who have reached quite different conclusions.
In
(3),
KINYARWANDA/
(3)
UNDERLYING
KiKUYU
TONGA
KIRUNDI
+
+
accent
As an example, consider the Tonga sentence
in (4).
LUGANDA KiMATUUMBI
+
+
+
+
+
Hyman: Accent
(4)
Tonga
[
ta-ba-ba-lang-i
]
in
Bantu:
'they
An
Appraisal
do not look
at
117
them"
NEG-they-thsm-look
a.
ta-ba-ba-lang-i
b.
ta-ba-ba-lang-i
c.
ta-
d.
ta-
baH^
ba-
(Meeussen 1963, based on Carter 1962)
(Goldsmith 1984)
lang-
i
(Pulieyblank 1986)
118
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
(6)
a.
ku-lagaz-a
ku-guluk-a
ku-songelez-a
'to
run'
'to
aggravate'
ku-lombez-a
'to
request'
ku-hamil-a
'to
bump'
ku-hangalasanya
'to
carry
'to
drop'
many
things at once'
Kenstowicz and Kisseberth argue that underlyingly verb bases may either be
in (7a) or have an unlinked H tone, as in (7b), which as seen also
toneless, as
in
(8b), regularly links to the
(7)
a.
[
lagaz
]
penultimate vowel.
'drop'
)
Hyman: Accent in
Bantu:
An
Appraisal
1
19
H tone. Now, if the stem has only one syllable, the
undergoes the rule and not its prefix. The conclusion he draws
is that metrical structure must be introduced lexically, but only the LAST accent of
a phrase will have this tone-raising effect.
raises a STEM-penultimate
stem
โ
syllable
The same conclusion is drawn from (9c). Zulu and the other Nguni
languages have penultimate stress marked by vowel length, as seen in the nontone marked example in (10a), from Doke (1967).
(10) a.
6a-6^:n-e
'may they seel'
(subjunctive)
b.
6a-6?^n-e:
'they saw'
(<
Ba-B^n-yl-e
As seen in (10b) there is an exceptional final stress caused by the contraction of
the -He ending with the verb root. Doke's analysis is to assign stress before
contraction, as indicated by the double underlining in the parentheses. It is
interesting to note that if -He constitutes a bisyllabic foot, when contraction takes
place, stress is automatically shifted to the ultima, as Halle and Vergnaud
(1987) have argued.
Before moving on to consider stem-initial accent, let us pause. As
convincing as these arguments are for penultimate accent, there are problems.
Although Zulu and Xhosa have penultimate stress conditioning vowel
do
lengthening, they also have H tone attraction to antepenultimate position.
not know if an analysis would work in which the stress-foot is extrametrical for
the purposes of H tone spreading. If not, the metrically strong position required
for vowel length does not coincide with the methcally strong position required
for tone. There are other cases like this. Selkirk (1986) has argued that there is
a Latin-like metrical foot required in Chimwiini, which determines the realization
She bases her analysis on Kisseberth and
of accentual vowel length.
Abasheikh (1974), who make clear that stress and vowel length do not
I
necessarily coincide.
Here too
we would need two
different metrical stnjctures:
time one for vowel length and one for stress. As a third example, consider
the Kinande form in (1 1 ).
this
(11)
This
/e-ri-so-a/ -^
Kinande
infinitive
form
is
e-ri:-s6a
underlyingly toneless.
^
Two
[6rl:swa]
things
happen
'to
grind'
phrase-finally.
acquires length on its penultimate syllable.
What is clear is that the
it acquires a H tone on its penultimate vowel.
modifications being conditioned by phrase-final position are targeting
units: the penultimate syllable for length, but the penultimate vowel
First, like all
other words,
it
Even we propose a sequence
would face problems.
if
of
boundary tones, as
in
Hyman
(in
Second,
prosodic
different
for tone.
press),
we
still
The inescapable conclusion is that the same language may require more
than one metrical structure. At present, it looks as though we have one metrical
120
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
Structure per prosodic feature (e.g., stress vs. length vs. tone). In this regard we
note the similar claims made for Slavic (Wilson 1987) and Tiberian Hebrew
(Rappaport, cited by Halle and Vergnaud 1987; cf. also Hammond 1989). To
this observation,
cannot help citing Hyman, Katamba and Walusimbi
(1987), who showed that different (non-metrical) prosodic domains are required
for tone vs. vowel length in Luganda and also Dobrovolsky (1988), who argues
for non-isomorphic domains of vowel harmony and stress in Turkish.
complete
I
Thus, while there is considerable agreement going back several
generations of Bantuists for a penultimate accent, we note that this accent may
be feature-dependent and/or that it may contrast with a second metrical
structure in the same language.
Turning
now
West and
accent, this has been
particularly the work
my mind, that the stem-initial
accent in this Teke language has striking phonological and phonetic effects on
the tone, on the consonants and on the vowels.
The same claim has
inexplicably been made for one Eastern Bantu language, Luganda (Ashton et al
1954; Tucker 1962), and this observation is often repeated, usually citing the
stem -yagala 'want' (van Buick 1952, Doke 1967 etc.).
have, however, never
to the
to stem-initial
successfully claimed for a number of languages.
of Paulian (1974), who shows, conclusively to
I
will cite
I
seen any evidence for a stem-initial accent in this language or any mention of
how exactly it is supposed to be manifested.^ If we can dismiss the Luganda
claim, then stem-initial accent becomes a Western areal feature and
penultimate accent remains an Eastern areal feature within Bantu. In fact, the
arguments for stem-initial accent extend well into non-Bantu Benue-Congo and
maybe so-called Kwa, since some of Paulian's arguments hold in languages
such as Gokana, l]o, Tiv, and so forth.
What are these arguments?
Let
me
mention one, which
will
pinpoint the
many, if not most or all West African languages where the
generalization can be tested, there are severe restrictions on the distribution of
consonants and vowels within a stem. Typically, a full range of consonants
appears in stem-initial position, with a more restricted class of consonants
appearing in other positions. Paulian shows that a stem in Kukuya can have
one of the following shapes in (12a):
problem.
In
(12) a.
b.
c.
CV. CVV, CVCV, CVVCV, CVCVCV
C = any of 30+ consonants
second and third C = /P, T, K, m, n, 1/ only
first
Similarly, there are at
in
(13a) can be
(13) a.
b.
filled,
most two consonant positions of the Gokana stem shapes
and (13c) (Hyman 1985):
respectively, as in (13b)
CV, CVV, CVC, CVCV, CVVCV
first C = /p. t, ky, kp, b, d, g^. gb, f,
s, v. z,
I,
B/ (plus nasality)
Hyman: Accent
second
c.
C=
/B, D,
G/
in
Bantu:
An
Appraisal
121
(plus nasality)
Should we therefore conclude that there is a stem-initial accent that
the fuller distribution of consonants in stem-initial position?
is
licensing
Returning to Bantu, Bennett (1978) reconstructs positions of stress
Proto-Bantu on the basis of vowel distributions such as in (14):
stem-initial vowel:
i,
e,
b.
prefixes, verb extensions:
i,
e, o,
c.
verb-final suffix:
i,
e,
d.
deverbal
u, d
(14) a.
final suffix (?):
e,
e,
u, o, d,
in
a
a
a
(o?)
Bennett notes that the full range of 7 historical vowels is found only on the first
vowel of the root, as in (14a), while prefixal vowels and non-final suffixal vowels
(e.g., verb extensions) can only be one of the four given in (14b). He gives the
four verb-final suffixes in (14c), to which we can add the derivational final
vowels in (14d) which derive deverbal adjectives and nouns, respectively,
suggesting that a final vowel morpheme could be any of six or perhaps all
seven proto vowels. Now it turns out that noun prefixes and verb extensions
(14b) show an absence of tonal opposition. As Bennett puts it: 'A single
hypothesis which would account for the loss of height contrasts, of the i-u
contrast, and of tonal contrast in certain positions, is postulation of a stressaccent, placed on the first syllable of each nominal or verbal stem, with
secondary prominence on certain suffixes, which may originally have been
enclitics' (pp. 6-7).
The argumentation is a familiar one: one should find fuller distributions of
consonants, vowels and tones under accent, and reduced distributions of the
same under lack of accent. Although Bennett is reconstructing stress-accent at
the Proto-Bantu level, his observations hold for many of the present-day
languages, for example, in Luganda, where we could therefore also propose
However, this would
metrically strong stem-initial and final-vowel positions.
raise a problem, since there are at least five arguments that the second stem
mora is accented:
1)
in (15a) and the noun form in (15b), a suffixal
second mora of the stem, if the first stem mora is
Stevick 1969; Hyman, Katamba and Walusimbi 1987):
As seen
(floating)
toneless
(15)
H tone
(cf.
in
the verb form
links to the
a.
a-a-
b.
ki-[
[
-^
gul-il-il-a
kyange ->
sumuluzo
a-
ki-
[
[
gul-fl-il-a
sumuluzo kyange
ยฎ
The
floating
H
is
attracted to accent
'he
on the second
mora.'*
who
bribes*
'my key'
1
22
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences
1
9:2 (Fall
1
989)
2) Fusion or imbrication of the -He ending takes place with a preceding [I]
as in (16a,b): the preceding [I] is deleted and through regular sound change
*ViC develops into a surface geminate, here [dd]. In (16c), on the other hand,
the preceding [I] does not delete, because it occurs within the accented second
mora:
(16)
a.
a-ko^I-il-e
b.
a-linv]l-il-e
-> a-koo-il-e
-> a-lim-i-il-e
-> ^-ko-dde
-> a-lim-T-dde
c.
a-kol-ll-e
-^ a-kol-i-e
-> a-koz-e
Instead, the
3)
In
lengthened
(1
of -He
drops
in
(16c)
and there
is
'he
a change
of the
for'
preceding
[I]
again by regular mle.
into [z],
-a in
[I]
has uprooted'
has cultivated
'he has worked'
'he
stem-stem verb reduplications, the final vowel of the stem is
it is in second mora position, as in (17a).
Compare the short final
if
7b,c).
(17) a.
Here, the accent
ku-
[
lim-a
is
causing lengthening.
-*
ku-
[
lim-aa-lim-a
'to cultivate'
->
ku-
[
lijm-a-liim-a
'to
spy'
->
ku-
[
lim-jl-a-lim-il-a
'to
cultivate for'
4) As seen in (18a), the final [I] of a verb labiodentalizes to [v], as do other
consonants, before the -u adjectivizing final vowel. As seen in (18b), this
process is blocked if the [u] is the second stem vowel, i.e., if it is accented.
(18) a.
Hyman: Accent in Bantu: An Appraisal
123
Luganda shows the same distributions as Bennett points out
and if am correct about the second mora accent, then this
Luganda has an accent on the first, second, AND final stem moras...
However,
if
for Proto-Bantu,
means that
which makes
Be
Western
this
for
as
I
a
it
lot
of accents.
may,
I
think
it
is
important to point out the disparity between
which shows these distributional effects vs. Eastern
penultimate accent which does not. That is, if all of this is accent, we have to
ask why the penultimate accent does not license a fuller range of consonants
and vowels, as its Western counterpart does.^ The inevitable question is
whether these two accents are really comparable or, to put things slightly
differently, whether a (Bantu) language could not have both such accents, i.e.,
stem-initial accent to get the Paulian effects, but penultimate accent to get e.g.,
vowel lengthening or tonal modifications and so forth? Returning to Chizigula,
Kenstowicz (1986) and Kisseberth (1989) argue for a primary penultimate
accent and a second stem-initial accent, though all the evidence presented is
stem-initial accent,
tonal.
We thus have seen different kinds of accent: penultimate accent, which
can be realized as stress, vowel-length and/or tone vs. positions within a stem
which can have effects on phonological distributions or rules, as tried to show
from Luganda. Of course, one might wonder whether stem positions need be
identified via metrical structure, i.e., as accented. One interesting case for the
metrical approach comes from Kikuria, described by Odden (1987). As seen in
(20), perfective verb forms place a H tone on the fourth vowel of the stem:^
I
(20) a.
124
A H
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
tone could be placed as
in (21a) on a single vowel located with respect to
edge of a ___domain. Or In (21b), one could place a H
on the last odd- or even-numbered V counting either from the left or the right.
Alternatively, in (21c), one could find a H on every odd- or even numbered V,
counting from the left or the right.
Since the maximal, bounded metrical
constituent ever proposed is the ternary one mentioned in (21 d), one could
count assign a H to the first, last, or every third vowel, counting either from the
left or the right. In Kikuria, the 4th vowel position is still not a possible outcome,
since in a stem that has at least 7 vowels, the 4th position would represent the
head of the middle ternary constitute. While Odden (1987) demonstrates that a
separate H tone may be assigned to the stem-initial vowel, giving a pattern of
first and fourth vowel H tone in some verb forms, his examples make it clear that
the 7th vowel is not ever targeted by this tone assignment process. Thus, even
we conceive of the first three vowels that are skipped over in (20) to put a H on
the 4th vowel as an invisible initial ternary consitituent, we must explain why the
7th vowel does not acquire a H, when there is a 7th vowel.
its
relation to the
left
or right
if
At least two rather complicated metrical accounts are possible, as
in (22), using Halle and Vergnaud's (1987) system.^
schematized
(22) a.
b.
Hyman: Accent in Bantu: An
125
Appraisal
evaluating the metrical approach, it should be noted that the analyses
awkwardly handle the final rising tone that is obtained when the
verb stem contains fewer than four vowels. An example involving a stem with
Odden
only three vowels, n-tuuri 'I have picked', was seen in (20a).
(1987:324) also gives the infinitive form ko-bari 'to count', with a two-vowel
stem, where the 4th vowel tone pattern again surfaces as a rising contour on the
In
in
(22) only
The
(22a) leads potentially to the right result for a twocontra current practice, that the entire single foot is
extrametrical. The word tree would thus not be contructable, and an assigned
suffixal H would not be able to link.
(22a) would, on other hand, incorrectly
place a H on the final vowel of three-vowel stems. The analysis in (22b) can be
made to work if we assume that the obligatory cola must not be shorter than four
vowels. This would then result in 'ghost' vowels occurring to the right of two-
final
vowel. 8
vowel stem,
if
solution
in
we assume,
of two V slots floating after ko-bara is not
no evidence for the cola in verb tenses not
tone (and in other forms classes).
and three-vowel stems. The spectre
appealing
โespecially
exhibiting
a
if
fourth vowel
there
H
is
metrical phonologist to explore exactly what
one were to accept either foot extrametricality,
as in (22a) or the cola, as in (22b) and, where possible, constrain the apparatus.
What metrical theory should not be allowed to do is target an arbitrary integer,
such as 4th vowel from the edge, as is suggested by Kikuria. One wonders also
how or whether the metrical framework might deal with Cheng and Kisseberth's
(1979) account of Makua. As seen in (23),
In
short,
it
behooves the
patterns are logically possible
(23) a.
b.
if
u-l6kotanih-a
'to
pick up'
u-tetemelel-a
'to
tremble
at'
u-l6kotanihac-a
'to
pick
up
pi.*
'to
use
u-kakam^liher-a
(*u-l6kotanih|c-a;
c.
u-kakam^liherac-a
(*-a)
(*-a)
sth. to strength sth.'
*u-kakamaliher-a)
'to
use
sth. to strength sth.
pi.'
u-l6kotaniherac-a
'to pick up pi. for/with'
(*u-kakamalih|rac-a; *u-l6kot^nih|rac-a)
This Bantu language places a H tone on the 1st and 3rd vowels of the stem, but
not on the Sth (or 7th etc.)^. Here we must find a way to get a binary foot
construction process to stop arbitrarily after it has constructed n number of
^o
in this case, after it has constructed two binary left-headed constituents.
feet
and
cola
As in (22b), we can group each pair of binary feet into a (headed?)
then construct an unbounded left-headed word constituent out of these colas.
The first cola alone would be the locus of H tone assignment. In this case, each
โ
head-of-foot receives a H tone, perhaps because each H is assigned by a
separate rule (Odden 1988). The Makua data thus raise the question of
whether alternating H tones of this sort, as has been claimed by Pulleyblank
)
126
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
(1983) for Kimatuumbi and Goldsmith and Sabimana (1984) for Kirundi, are
necessarily the reflex of an alternating accent system.
We thus arrive at the last kind of accent claimed for Bantu: RHYTHMIC
accent, said to occur when H tones are assigned to alternating vowels.
Consider the infinitive paradigm of Kirundi in (24).
ku-sab-a
(24) a.
'to
ask
for*
ku-baz-a
'to
ask (question)'
b.
ku-bi-sab-a
ku-bf-baz-a
c.
ku-bi-mu-sab-a
ku-bi-mu-baz-a
d.
ku-bi-mu-ku-sab-ir-a
ku-bi-mu-ku-bar-iz-a
ku-ha-bi-mu-ku-sab-ir-a ku-ha-bi-mu-ku-bar-iz-a
(24e = 'to ask him for them for you there'
e.
-bi-
'them'
(cl.
-mu- 'him/her'
-ku- 'you sg.'
8)
(cl.
1)
-ha- 'there'
(cl.
16)
These and other materials
collected with the late Pierre-Claver Ndayisenga
confirm the findings of Goldsmith and Sabimana (1984) for Kirundi, and similar
findings for nearly identical Kinyarwanda by Kimenyi (1988) and Rialland
(1988),
who
all
see motivation
for
accents of
some
sort.
The forms in (24a) show the infinitive without any object prefix. In the left
hand column there is no surface H tone, while there is one on the verb root
-baz- in the right hand column.''
We appropriately conclude that the root -sabis underlyingly toneless, while -baz- has an underlying H tone. In (24b), the
object prefix -bi- has been added. Since there is no H tone with the verlj root
^
-sab-,
we conclude
that the object prefix
is
also toneless.
In
the form to the
right,
has come to be realized on the object prefix. Kimenyi (1976,
1988) accounts for this by a rule of tonal anticipation in Kinyarwanda, while
Goldsmith and Sabimana (1984) introduce a H pullback rule. Moving on to
(24c), where there are two object prefixes, both forms now have two H tones:
one on the first object prefix -bi-, one on the verb root -sab- or -baz-. Two
conclusions must be drawn.
First, as in neighboring languages such as
Luganda and Haya, a second object prefix necessarily comes in with its own H
tone; and second, the H tones distribute themselves so as to alternate, as
shown. This is confirmed in (24d) and (24e), where a third and a fourth object
prefix are introduced, and where the H's continue to appear on every other
the
H tone
of -baz-
vowel.
The approach taken in the literature has been to introduce accents and
moving H tones around to produce the alternating pattern. Goldsmith and
Sabimana (1984) construct binary strong-weak feet and a system of mles to
guarantee that H will wind up in the appropriate strong positions. In closely
rules
related
Kinyarwanda, Kimenyi (1988) constructs weak-strong
feet,
while
Rialland (1988) argues that metrical feet are superfluous, and opts instead for a
diacritic accent analysis. With all of the discussion of tone vs. accent in Bantu,
Hyman: Accent in Bantu: An
127
Appraisal
one would not be surprised to see an autoseg mental analysis in purely tonal
The fact that needs to be captured is that H tones alternate on the
surface in Kirundi, and at a non-surface level in Kinyarwanda, which obscures
the pattern by spreading each alternating H one vowel to the left (thereby
creating even numbered sequences of H tones on the surface). One could
either introduce binary feet to motivate the alternating H tones, or one could
simply let the tonology of the language produce the surface output, since we
have alluded to a different approach to the alternating H tones in Makua. The
problem is not unlike the one we face in Luganda. in that language, where a
word can have at most one pitch drop, have argued that this is a surface output
resulting from the tonology and not the expression of an accent (Hyman 1982).
terms.
I
What might a
purely tonal analysis of Kirundi look like?
possible approach which
(25) a.
can present only
I
Identification of underlying
in
Let
me
propose a
outline form in (25).
stem H tones:
nouns: prelinked or floating
i.
verbs: floating only
in the underlying representation (UR) level, one
there is a
rule applies within the macro-stemi2 subject to two conditions,
ii.
b.
ยฎ
If
as follows:
V2 RULE: Assign H to the second vowel following each left
stem bracket (left-to-right),
Condition 1 No two H tones on successive vowels (=OCP
ii.
effect or telescoped result of Meeussen's Rule),
Condition 2: No H on V2 of innermost stem if there is a
iii.
preceding H anywhere in the macrostem.
i.
:
@
in the stem does not get shifted around
is crucial is that an underlying
and copied into positions, but rather, serves only as a TRIGGER for the V2 oileโ
and then fails to surface (cf. Hyman 1989 for a similar claim made for Haya).
What
Consider the underlying representation
(26)
(26a).
ยฉ
a.
b.
in
[
ku-
[
ku
[
-
[
bibi
-
[
[
mu-
mu-
[
[
sabsab-
I
1
H
H
a
a
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
(=UR)
1o ask him
]
(=LR)
for
them'
In this form we have underlyingly a toneless verb root and at least one of the
two object markers is also toneless, as was concluded from (24b). Now, as was
observed in (24c), when there are two object markers, a H tone is realized on
both the first object marker and the verb root. The question is: where did the H
tone come from? Does it belong to bi- because it is followed by another OM, as
Or
in Haya? Or to mu- because it is preceded by another OM, as in Luganda?
maybe the presence of two OM's assigns a special H tone to the verb root or to
128
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
Massamba (1984) argues for Cirurl? This does not appear to
be an answerable question, but in any case misses the generalization
underlying the data in (24): as long as there is at least one
tone anywhere
in the macro-stem, we will get the expected alternating pattern.
An analysis
such as in (25b) thus streamlines the analysis and avoids hair-splitting issues
like: which morpheme does the
belong to? The surface output in (26b) is
obtained by applying the \/2 rule left to right, subject to condition 1.13 Let us
now justify the assumption that the underlying ยฎ's do not themselves actually
the last vowel, as
ยฎ
ยฎ
surface.
us note that there are verb forms with no surface H tones at all,
in (27), for which a feature combination
such as [+MC, +Fut, +Aff] itself serves as a distinct trigger for the toneless (all L)
First, let
e.g.,
the main clause future affirmatives
pattern.
(27) tu-zoo-sab-a
tu-zoo-baz-a
'we
will
tu-zoo-bi-sab-a
tu-zoo-bi-baz-a
tu-zoo-bi-mu-sab-a tu-zoo-bi-mu-baz-a
ask
for/ask'
(
-bi- 'them')
(
-mu-
'him')
etc.
Second, there are verb forms that show only a single surface H on the macrostem coming from a suffixal ยฉ, for example, the main clause negative present
habitual tense
in (28).
'we do not ask
(28) nti-tu-
[
sab-ai4
nti-tu-
[
baz-^
nti-tu-
[
bi-sab-a
nti-tu-
[
bi-b^z-a
nti-tu-
[
bi-mii-sab-a
nti-tu-
[
bi-mu-baz-a
nti-tu-
[
bi-mu-ku-sab-ir-a
nti-tu-
[
bi-mu-bar-iz-a
nti-tu-
[
ha-bi-mu-ku-sab-ir-a
nti-tu-
[
ha-bi-mu-bar-iz-a
cases where there
for/ask'
ยฎ
ยฎ tone, the
will trigger a single
suffixal
cases where there is a stem ยฎ, we
can assume either that the stem tone(s) are removed, as in the main clause
triggers a new application of the V2 mle
future affirmative
or that the suffixal
that wipes out the earlier application. In either interpretation, the way a single
V2 H tone is obtained is by having the suffixal tone assigned at a stage where
the inner stem brackets are no longer visible, as in (29).
In
application of the
V2
is
no stem
rule (see below).
โ
In
ยฎ
ยฎ
(29) a.
b.
ha
nti-tu-
[
nti-tu-
[ha
-
bi
-
-
bi
mu
-
-
ku
mu
-
-
sab
ku
-
- ir -
sab
a
(=UR)
]
- ir -
a
]
(=LR)
I
H
This contrasts with the alternating pattern, which results from the same process
operating at a stage where internal left stem brackets ARE visible. Recent work
may be an enclitic or
on Haya (Hyman 1989) suggests that the suffixal
ยฎ
Hyman: Accent in Bantu: An Appraisal
separate phonological word.
suffixal
@
in
have
(29) will
If
to
this
have
129
sketch of Kirundi has any substance to
this
same
it,
the
property.
โ
There is much more to be said about Kirundi and Kinyarwanda in fact,
monographs can and have been written on the subject.
want only to say two
things.
First, we have seen that the metrical approach deals clumsily with
Kikuria and Makua, and in fact, with most of what Odden (1988) calls
I
be
It is easy to imagine how metrical theory could
elaborated to count up to the 5th position (initial syllable extrametrical +
construction of cola), or, in mirror-image fashion, the 5th position from the end.
Other equally odd calculations are possible from the overly powerful metrical
model. The second point is that the accents that are built for alternating H tone
systems have no other purpose: like the penultimate accent, these accents
^there is nothing segmental that
exist for the sole purpose of placing H tones
corresponds to a strong vowel position vs. a weak one. For example, a similar
stem and prestem environment is involved in the dissimilatory process known
'predictable tone' in Bantu.
โ
as Dahl's Law, schematized
(30)
a.
c.
[
[
kV
[
in (30a).
kV
b.
[kV[kV[kV[kV
i
i
i
i
i
i
g
k
g
g
g
k
kV
[
kV
[
kV
[
kV
4-
^
4'
4*
g
k
g
k
However, in their survey
and Nurse (1982) found
of Dahl's
Law
in
a number of Kenyan languages, Davy
such as in (30b) and no evidence
multiple applications
any. ..convergence on an obligatory rule giving only alternating
174) as in (28c). In other words, there have been no segmental
correlates to the alternating H tones reported in Bantu. ''^ While this is not a
requirement, the crucial absence of a supporting segmental evidence of the sort
produced by Paulian for Kukuya, for instance, leads me to think that direct
assignment of H tone is just as good as systems with metrical heads.
[quote]
outputs'
'of
(p.
The
we are left with is one with a proliferation of accents and a
metrical structures that do not coincide within the same
thus appears that if (metrical) accent is the proper conception of
situation
proliferation
language.
It
of
phenomena have surveyed in this paper, these accents in Bantu
are very different from one another, may be totally independent from each other
in the same language, and are usually set up for the purpose of a single rule or
generalization. This raises the question of whether we are dealing with a single
phenomenon or, as believe, with a number of different, but potentially related
the kinds of
I
I
ones.
130
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
NOTES
paper attempt both to synthesize some of the major contributions
area as well as present some of my own findings, particularly from
Luganda, which have been able to research with Dr. Francis Katamba, thanks
to a National Science Foundation grant #BNS89-96111.
would like to thank
Patrick Bennett and Douglas Pulleyblank for helpful comments, agreements
and disagreements on this paper.
^In this
I
in this
I
I
2| have added
'headed' in parentheses, since metrical structure may be
used not only for accent, but for also for the purpose of nonconcatenative
morphology (McCarthy and Prince 1986, 1987). While Hammond (1989) shows
that so-called parsing feet may be required for stress purposes as well, there is
no stress without a stress foot, which is headed, as required by (lb).
3The last three syllables of the following Luganda verb forms are in every
respect homophonous, despite the fact that they have a different stem structure:
i)
ii)
a-kusika
a-ku-sika
'he respects'
'he pulls you'
(stem = [kusika]; preceding a- is subject prefix)
(stem = [sika]; preceding -ku- is object prefix)
is to identify the first mora of the stem as invisible
as proposed for Tonga by Pulleyblank (1986). As seen in
(15b), however, this would require us to say that it is still invisible at the point
where the possessive pronoun is added (as an enclitic) to the noun and in fact
that the noun class prefix ki- is not available for linking the free H tone. Even if
one were to overcome this difficulty, the other arguments for a second mora
stem accent would still need to be addressed.
'*An
alternative
('extraprosodic')
โ
^Another prediction of final accent would be that there should also be a
range of CONSONANTS in the last mora of the stem. As far as know, this is
Instead, restrictions on Bantu consonants follow a different
not borne out.
have determined both from synchronic Luganda and
pattern. For example,
from Guthrie's and Meussen's reconstructions, that the two consonants of CVC
and CVVC verb roots show interesting restrictions involving nasality. Virtually
missing from the reconstmctions are the following patterns: 1) *bVm, *bVVm,
*dVn, *dVVn (and mirror-image); 2) *mVn, *mVVn (and mirror image); and 3)
*NVNC. The one exception to the first restriction (CI voiced stops do not
cooccur with a homorganic C2 nasal) is *bumu 'belly', which has a restricted
has anything to do with
It is doubtful that any of this
distribution in Bantu.
accent, but rather is reminiscent of various OCP effects on roots (McCarthy
fuller
I
I
1986).
Hyman: Accent in Bantu: An Appraisal
131
^These tone patterns may be modified by later rules; see Odden (1987).
Note the final rising tone on trimoraic stems such as n- [ tuuri] in {20a). This
presumably is the result of inserting an additional V to be the fourth mora
(creating a LH rising tone on the surface).
^More analyses are possible, if one admits ternary feet. Thus, one could
have left-headed ternary feet, which are gathered up into a left-headed word. If
the first ternary foot is extrametrical, the fourth vowel will be the head of the word
tree and hence receive the one H tone of the construction.
^Presumably there will not be any single vowel stems, since a Bantu verb
has at least one vowel to which a final vowel morpheme (usually -a or -e) is
added.
root
9|t
rule.
in
should be noted that each
Hence these stems
actually
H tone doubles onto the next vowel by a later
have H on their 1st, 2nd, 3rd AND 4th vowels
most cases.
^OThe alternative positing of a single TERNARY foot constructed at the
beginning of the stem, whose edges are marked with H tone is not terribly
attractive, nor is it desirable to identify the second vowel as the head of a binary
constituent with L tone assigned to it.
1^ Though irrelevant for our discussion, the verb base -baz- actually
consists of the root -bar- followed by the causative suffix -/-.
^2The macro-stem consists of the verb stem plus all preceding object
markers in Kirundi. Its relevance to tonology has been noted by a number of
Bantuists, most recently by Mutaka (in preparation), who argues for a macrostem cycle on the basis of both the tonal and non-tonal phonology of Kinande.
^Of course, given what we have said about a second mora accent in
Luganda, we may wish to see the V2 position as a position of accent. Note,
however, that nothing depends on this except for the alternating H pattern. In
addition, if we started with diacritic accents (i.e. asterisks) instead of ยฎ's, we
would have to decide where to place the asterisk in the input string in (25a), an
issue which was suggested to be unresolvable.
i^This final
H
is
not realized prepausally.
"^At the conference David
alternating property
not line
in
Odden
up with tone assignment
in
Law may have this
any case, the alternating pattern does
indicated that Dahl's
Kikuria, but that in
any way.
132
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
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Larry M. and Francis X. Katamba. To appear. Final vowel shortening
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ยซ
Tuki Gaps
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Hyman,
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34
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Studies
in
Volume
19,
the Linguistic Sciences
Number
2, Fail
1989
LA SELECTION MORPHOPHONOLOGIQUE
DES CLASSES EN KPOKOLO*
Claude Timmons & Christian Dunn
In Kpokolo, as in other Kru languages (and the majority of
languages from the Niger-Congo family), nominals are grouped into
classes.
The aim of this article is to show that, except for the
semantic class of humans, all other nominal classes are defined
The
according to a set of nonarbitrary phonological criteria.
hypothesis argued for in this article, namely that nominal classes are
determined by phonological criteria, is illustrated by three
morphosyntactic processes: 1) pronominalization; 2) adjective/noun
agreement; 3) possessive pronoun/noun agreement. Our analysis is
presented in the framework of Kaye, Lowenstamm & Vergnaud 1985,
where the facts of Kpokolo find a natural and straightforward
explanation.
0.
Introduction
Dans cet article, nous pr6sentons une analyse de la s6lection des classes
en kpokolo (une langue kru parl6e dans le canton de Kpokolo en Cote-d'lvoire).
Plus sp6cifiquement, nous montrons que cette langue possยงde un systdme de
classement des nominaux qui, bien que bas6 en partie sur des criteres
semantiques du type 'humainV'non humain', est avant tout conditionnยง par des
facteurs phonologiques.''
Dans la section 1 nous
L'article est organist de la fagon suivante.
presentons les donn6es et les diff6rents tests qui permettent de regrouper
celles-ci en quatre classes. Dans la section 2, le probl6me de la selection des
classes en kpokolo est pos6 et discute de maniยงre informelle. Dans la section
3, nous presentons le cadre th6orique adopte, c'est-a-dire, celui developpe
dans Kaye, Lowenstamm & Vergnaud (1985). Enfin, dans la section 4, nous
proposons une analyse de la selection des classes en kpokolo basee sur les
notions presentees dans la section pr6c6dente.
,
136
1
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
Les donndes
.
1.1
Systdme vocalique du kpokolo
Le kpokolo possdde un systeme vocalique de surface qui comprend 13
- ATR
:7 voyelles r6tract6es (
)2 et 6 voyelles avanc6es ( [ + ATR
).
En outre, la presence de voyelles centrales est k signaler.
s'agit, en effet,
d'un fait assez peu courant dans les langues kru, et qui presente un certain
interet dans I'analyse de la selection des classes que nous suggerons dans la
section 4. Pour situer le lecteur, la voyelle transcrite par le signe I ] represente
une voyelle haute retract6e d'arri6re non arrondie. La voyelle correspondante
+ ATR est representee par le [ 4 ]. La voyelle represent6e par le chiffre 3 est
un schwa [ - ATR ]. La version [ + ATR ] de cette voyelle est transcrite par [ ยง ].
Par convention, nous representons les voyelles [ - ATR ] par des capitales et les
voyelles + ATR par des minuscules. Par exemple, le [ I ] represente le iota,
c'est-a-dire, le [
relach6. Le [ E repr6sente le ยฃ ], c'est-^-dire le son que Ton
retrouve par exemple dans le mot frangais p[e]re, etc. En (1 ), nous presentons
voyelles
[
]
]
II
[
[
]
[
]
i
le
]
]
[
systeme vocalique du kpokolo.
(1)
Systeme vocalique de surface du kpokolo
Timmons
& Dunn:
sepuye
Selection morphophonologique des classes en kpokolo
1
37
138
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
Selection des formes pronominales
(3)
Pronom
(a)
classe
O
toi
yu
o
kUkwEi....O
i
cifi
O
i
classe
kOtaj
aj
sikpeie
i....a
dagbele
vaka
i..a
i
/
a
E
i
j
j
il/le'
sOi
'enfant
il/le'
b'oi
'coq
il/le'
lUi
'chef
il/le'
kotuj
/
a
kokoti
elle/la'
'chapeau
il/le'
j
j3IIi
'bouc
il/le'
trEj
U
/
il/le'
'pied
il/le'
'chanson
'chemise
E
E
E
E
i
/
'bras
classe
gelej
/
E
elle/la'
elle/la'
/
'pore
il/le'
'singe
il/le'
labac
il/le'
'serpent
il/le'
Examples d'emploi
yu
i
j
*
wOlU
'laver'
du p6re de I'enfant etc.)
du rat du cafard etc.)
lave un enfant' (en parlant du bouc
de la tortue etc.)
du singe etc.)
lave un enfant' (en parlant du serpent
lave un enfant' (en parlant
lave un enfant' (en parlant
'il
j
suJet
'il
'il
j
Pronom
'il
(ii)
wOlU O
wOiU U
wOlU a
wOlU E
U
U
U
U
/
'chaussure..el!e/la'
wOlU yu
wOlU yu
wOlU yu
yr3bl
yrSbl
yrSbl
yrSbl
classe
'p6re
(i)
i
objet direct
/
'main
(b)
U
/
\
a;
O wOlU
O
sujet
j,
j,
j,
j,
j,
j,
j,
yr3bl s (nom propre)
'Rabat
'Rabet
'Rabet
'Rabet
โขโข
wOlU
(en parlant du chien
le/la lave*
(en parlant
le/la lave'
pronom
objet
de I'enfant etc.)
de la chemise du petit pot
etc.)
(en parlant du boucj, du chapeau
du poisson
(en parlant de I'automobile
le/la lave'
le/la lave'
โข>
j,
j,
j.
j,
j,
etc.)
j,
j,
j,
etc.)
un autre processus morphosyntaxique celui de
On voit qu'un adjectif qui modifie un nom
appartenant ci la classe / O / prend comme derni6re voyelle un [ O ]; de meme,
le modifieur d'un nom appartenant k la classe / U / prend comme derni6re
voyelle un U ], etc.
Nous pr6sentons en
I'accordS entre
[
le
nom
(4)
et I'adjectif.
,
Timmons
(4)
& Dunn:
Accord
classe
/
adjectif
/
Sdlection morphophonologique des classes en kpokolo
/
nom
139
140
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
marqueur de genre dont la forme au singulier est [ a ], alors que les
appartenant au genre masculin prennent le marqueur [ o ].
(6)
Accord en genre en
a.
b.
italien
Questa ragazza 6
'Cette
fille
noms
alta
est grande'
Questa ragazzQ e
altQ
'Ce gargon est grand'
c.
Questa automobile d
bella
'Cette automobile est belle'
d.
Questfl ristorante e famosa
'Ce restaurant est repute'
dans
on rend compte des diff^rentes formes
le ph6nom6ne d'accord en
genre. Le marqueur de genre n'apparait pas toujours sur le nom, bien qu'un
genre lui soit tout de meme assign^ (of. c. automobile = genre f6minin / d.
En effet, le genre est une propriete
ristorante = genre masculin).
morphologique inherente au nom. Un nom qui ne serait pas marqu6 pour un
genre en italien serait rejete parce qu'il ne repondrait pas k cette propriety
universelle de la classification nominale.
Ainsi,
les
phrases de
(6),
prises par les determinants et les adjectifs par
La question maintenant est de deteminer les facteurs qui permettent
nom k une classe donn6e en kpokolo; de d6finir,en quelque
sorte, les criteres linguistiques retenus dans le classement des nominaux dans
d'assigner chaque
cette langue.
On notera sans peine que les noms appartenant k la classe / O / se
regroupent sur la base d'une propri6t6 semantique commune. En effet, la
pluparl des noms qui entrent dans cette classe refdrent aux etres humains.
Ainsi, a partir du sens du nom, on peut pr6dire le marqueur de classe qui lui
sera associ6. Notons cependant que certains noms denotant des animes
etroitement associ6s k I'activitd de I'homme entrent 6galement dans cette
classe. Ainsi, les animaux familiers comme le chat sepuye ou le chien gweye
de meme que les animaux rituels comme le coq kUkwE\on\ partie de la classe
humain.
Pour ce qui est des autres classes, est impossible de relever un crit6re
s6mantique qui puisse relier les nominaux entre eux. En effet, quel trait pourrait
relierdes noms comme larmes, poll, terre, chanson, sauce, chemise, rat, etc.,
qui appartiennent tous a la classe / U / ? De meme, pour la classe / a /, on ne
crapaud, ragout,
voit pas tres bien quel trait pourrait relier des noms comme
il
:
:
Timmons
genou,
classe
tortue,
/
E
& Dunn:
riz,
Selection morphophonologique des classes en kpokolo
La
calegon, main, etc.
meme
impossibilite s'observe pour
141
la
/.
La seule considdration qui puisse etre retenue dans la selection de ces
classes est celle de la 'ressemblance phonologique' qui existe entre les
dernieres voyelles des noms appartenant a une meme classe. Notre premiere
tache sera done de definir de fagon plus explicite ce que nous entendons par
'ressemblance phonologique", de fagon a rendre compte des differentes
restrictions qu'on observe en finale de nominaux dans la distribution des
voyelles en kpokolo. En effet, on remarque que les noms appartenant a la
classe / U / ne presentent comme voyelle finale que des voyelles arrondies,
alors que les noms appartenant k la classe / E / n'ont en finale que des voyelles
d'avant. Les noms de la classe / a / ne prennent en finale qu'un
a ou sa
forme harmonisee [ e ].^
[
Enfin, les
noms appartenant k
la
classe
/
O
/
]
acceptent n'importe quelle
a noter qu'aucun nom en
kpokolo ne se termine par une voyelle centrale. Etant donn6 que Ton veut
prefer ici a la voyelle finale du nom une fonction morphologique de classement,
serait interessant de faire decouler ces contraintes de notre definition formelle
des classes phonologiques et de leur mode de selection. Le tableau (7)
recapitule les facteurs semantique et phonologique qui priment dans le
classement des nominaux en kpokolo.
voyelle peripherique en finale.
il
(7)
Tableau
recapitulatif
Par
ailleurs,
il
est
142
3.
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
Cadre th^orique
Pour
definir la notion de 'ressemblance phonologique', nous utilisons la
des representations phonologiques d6veloppยงe dans Kaye,
Lowenstamm & Vergnaud (1985)7 En particulier, nous montrons que la notion
de 'tete d'expression' joue un role determinant dans le systeme de classe en
theorie
kpokolo.
Dans Kaye, Lowenstamm & Vergnaud (1985; desormais KLV), on fait
I'hypothese que tous les systemes vocaliques peuvent etre dยงriv6s de trois
elements I, U et A. Les elements eux-memes sont indivisibles, lis sont d6finis
en fonction d'une theorie de la marque comme I'ensemble des matrices de
traits ne comportant qu'une seule valeur marquee.
:
Elements vocaliques de base
(8)
I
=
-
arrondi
+ arrondi
-
-
arriere
+ arriere
+ arriere
+ haut
U =
+ haut
A =
-
arrondi
haut
-
ATR
-ATR
ATR
-
bas
-
bas
bas
Pour chacune de ces matrices, le trait dont la valeur est marqu6e est
KLV designent ce trait comme 6tant le trait "chaud" de r6lement.
Chaque element est represents sur une ligne etiquette du trait chaud qui le
souligne.
caracterise.
Ainsi,
U
est represents sur la ligne Arrondie,
I,
sur
la ligne ArriSre,
L'ensemble de lignes horizontales est entrecoupS par des lignes verticales
L'intersection
reliant les elements k une ou plusieurs positions du squelette.
etc.
d'une ligne verticale et horizontale, sur laquelle n'apparait aucun element, est
remplie par la voyelle froide: c'est-ci-dire, une matrice n'ayant aucun trait
chaud.
(9)
Voyelle froide^
-
arrondi
+ arriere
Y
Dans
=
+ haut
-
ATR
-
bas
certains systSmes, les lignes peuvent etre fusionnSes. C'est le cas
Entre autres
les lignes Arrondie et ArriSre sont fusionnSes.
en kpokolo ou
Timmons
& Dunn:
Selection morphophonologique des classes en kpokolo
143
le parametre de la fusion des lignes pr6dit qu'aucune voyelle arrondie
d'avant ne pourra apparaitro dans ce systeme.
choses,
Suivant ce qui vient d'etre dit, le systeme vocalique du kpokolo est
represente comme en (10a), ou de fagon 6quivalente comme en (10b), suivant
ia notation parenthetique.
(10) Representation phonologique du kpokolo
(a)
Structure interne des
segments vocaliques
element ATR
I
I
I
j
I
j
โ u-Iโ Uโ yโ vโ Yโ Yโ A-A -A โ โ Aโ โ Yโ Aโ A โ Yโ A-
Arrlere/An-ondiโ
Iโ Uโ Y โ Iโ uโ Yโ Yโ
Y
Y
Haut
X
[I]
(b)
I
xxxx xxxxxxxx
[Ul[a][E][0]
[I]
[3][i][u][e][o]
[i]
[e]
Notation parenthetique
(
V
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
[U]
[O]
[I]
[E]
[a]
[i]
[3]
[*1
[u]
[0]
[i]
[e]
[6]
En (10a et b). r6l6ment soulign6 agit comme tete de I'expression
phonologique. 9 La notion de tete d'une expression est utilisee dans le calcul
matriciel et permet de d6river la forme phon6tique des expressions
phonologiques. Une expression consiste en une tete et un operateur. Par
convention, la tete est soulign6e et plac6e ^ la droite de I'op^rateurJO Le calcul
d'une expression consiste a assigner la valeur du trait chaud de I'op^rateur au
meme trait de la tete, ainsi, I'expression ( A โข ) dont la tete est U se calcule
U
144
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
comme
en
(1 1)
ou
la
valeur du
trait
chaud de rop6rateur se substitue k
celle
de
la tete.
(11) Calcul matriciel
4.
arrondi
+ arrondi
arriere
+ arriere
+ arriere
haut
+ haut
-
ATR
-
ATR
ATR
bas
-
bas
bas
U
O
+ arrondi
haut
Analyse
Nous sommes maintenant en mesure de definir formellement la
'ressemblance phonologique' qui determine I'appartenance k une classe, de
meme que les classes elles-memes en kpokolo. Sur la base de ce que Ton
vient de presenter, on peut affirmer qu'il existe trois classes phonologiques qui
correspondent aux primitifs de la th6orie des 6lements de KLV, c'est-^-dire, I, U,
A.
Un nom se terminant par une voyelle dont la tete est un de ces trois
elements appartiendra a la classe correspondante. Ainsi, la selection de la
classe en kpokolo est fonction de I'identitd de la tete de la derni6re voyelle du
nom avec celle du marqueur de classe (de la classe elle-meme) (cf. 12 & la
page suivante).
Le marqueur d'accord peut ยงtre different du marqueur de classe.
Ceci
marque d'accord peut int^grer d'autres informations
morphemiques que la seule appartenance k une classe donn^e. Ainsi, les
nominaux appartenant k la classe / 1 / ont pour marqueur d'accord singulier la
voyelle / E /, mais comme marqueur d'accord pluriel la voyelle I ]. D'ailleurs,
s'explique par
le fait
que
la
[
de fagon g^n^raie, le pluriel s'exprime par la substitution de la dernidre voyelle
de I'adjectif, du pronom, du possessif, et meme du nom pour certaines classes
par la voyelle
I ].
y a done en ce qui a trait a la formation du pluriel une
neutralisation phonologique de la repartition des classes. Nous avons pour les
marqueurs d' accord / O / et / E /, une distribution analogue, ainsi que pour les
marqueurs d'accord / U / et / 1 /. Par consequent la repartition des marqueurs
d'accord que
on observe pour le singulier n'op^re pas identiquement pour le
pluriel.
Nous pr6sentons, en (13), la fagon dont le kpokolo forme le pluriel
reguiier des noms. On notera que la classe s6mantique / humain / et la classe
phonologique / 1 / forme leur pluriel par I'ajout du suffixe / -a / au radical du nom.
[
I'
II
Timmons
& Dunn:
(12) Selection
Selection morphophonologique des classes en kpokolo
des classes phonologiques en kpokoloi^
Norn
145
146
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
Le glide s'interposant entre
le suffixe et le radical est conditionnd par la tete de
voyelle finale du radical et a pour fonction d'eviter une sequence de deux
voyelles contiguยงs.
la
(13) Formation
classe
/
pluriel regulier
des noms
humain /=Vnom...v + a
Singulier
to
du
Pluriel
classe
/
U /=Vnom...(v->0) +
Singulier
Pluriel
I
Timmons
(14)
& Dunn:
Accord
classe
yuwej
pluriel adjectif /
humain
/
Selection morphophonologique des classes en kpokolo
nom
classe
/
k3dl
'grands enfants'
'grands'
d3dl,
'enfants'
kUkwI
k3dl
b'l
i
i
'grands coqs'
i
sepuyewe
k3dl
j
'grands chats'
i
/
U
/
kSdl 'grands harpes'
'grands'
j
'harpes'
'grands'
'coqs'
147
'pieds'
kSdl 'grands pieds'
'grands'
f3fl
kSdl
j
i
i
'grands
i
poils'
'chats'
'grands'
'polls'
'grands'
cifi
kSdl
ketl
kSdl 'grandes chemises'
'grandes'
i
classe
kOtI
'grands chefs'
i
/
A
classe
/
kSdl
i
'mains'
i
'grandes mains'
kokotlyg
'grands'
kSdl
'gr. chaussures*
'chaussures' 'grandes'
sikpeli
\
i
dagbeli
kSdl
i
j
i
'chemises'
'grands'
'chefs'
i
'gr.
'chapeaux'
'grands'
vSklj
kSdl
'boucs'
'grands'
i
I /
kSdl
j
i
'grands pores'
'pores'
'grands'
gleye
kSdlj
j
lOwEya
'grands singes'
'grands'
'singes'
chapeaux'
/
kSdl
j
'elephants'
j
'grands elephants'
'grands'
kSdl 'gr. chlmpanzes'
'chlmpanzes' 'grands'
gwEyai
'grands boucs'
i
Nous pouvons par le fait meme expliquer pourquol une voyelle non
s'agit de poser, pour les
p6rlpherique ne peut apparaitre en finale de mot.
nominaux en kpokolo, un syst6me de classe fond6 sur les considerations
phonologiques exprimees cl-dessus, de meme qu'une condition generate de
classement faisant appel k la notion de tete.''^ De plus, une condition
sp6clfique de classement dolt etre pos6e pour rendre compte de la classe
II
'humain'i3
(1
(cf.
15
a-b).
5) Conditions sur le
(a)
classement des nominaux en kpokolo
classement g6n6ral:
Vnom...tetedeV
crit6re
finale
=
phonologique
{I,
U,A}
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
148
(b)
classement specifique:
nom
5.
critere
=
s6mantique
'humain'
Conclusion
Nous avons vu que le kpokolo imposait aux membres de la cat6gorie
+ N ] un critere g6n6ral de classement faisant appel k la notion de 'tete
d'une expression' telle que developpee dans Kaye, Lowenstamm & Vergnaud
(1985). Nous avons pu constater egalement que les facteurs phonologiques
retenus pour le classement n'6taient pas arbitraires, mais correspondaient
plutot a ce qui definit, dans une theorie particulaire, la base de tous les
systemes vocaliques, c'est-^-dire les 6lยงments I, U, A Ceci nous a permis de
rendre compte d'une contralnte sur la distribution des voyeiles centrales dans
[
.
les
noms.
NOTES
*Cette recherche a et6 rendue possible grace aux subventions du CRSH
#411-85-0012 du Canada et du FCAR # 87-EQ-2681 du Qu6bec. De plus
Christian Dunn a benefici6 d'une bourse doctorale du CRSH # 452-88-1683 du
Canada. Toutes les informations presentees sur le kpokolo sont bas6es sur
des seances que nous avons menees avec informateur durant I'hiver 1989 au
Groupe de Recherche en Linguistique Africaniste de UQAM. Nous tenons a
remercier notre informateur Gustave Rabet Dagbo pour son aide prยงcieuse,
I'
ainsi qu'lsabelle
HaTk pour avoir revu
et corrige cet article.
Nous remercions
deux r6viseurs anonymes de la revue Studies
Sciences, pour leurs critiques et commentaires judicieux.
egalement
les
in the Linguistic
^La repartition des classes dans les langues du groupe Kru varie
legerement d'une langue a I'autre. Voir Dawson (1975) pour le tepo, Marchese
(1979) pour le proto-kru, Kaye (1981) et Vogler (1987) pour le vata.
'Advanced Tongue Root '; projection de la racine dยฉ la
permet de distinguer, entre autres, les voyeiles [ e ]. o ] de [ 6 ],
respectivement. Voir Kaye, Lowenstamm & Vergnaud (1985) pour les
]
[ 3
details de leurs propositions concernant le statut special de I'^lement ATR.
2
ATR, en anglais
langue.
Ce
trait
:
[
3 Dans ce qui suit, nous ne transcrivons pas les tons puisqu'ils ne sont
aucunement pertinents au probleme aborde. Par ailleurs, I'apostrophe indique
rimplosion lorsqu'elle suit I'occlusive labiale voisee [ b ]. Les groupes [ ng ] et [
nj ] representent respectivement les occlusives nasales v6laires et palatales.
Timmons
& Dunn:
Selection morphophonologique des classes en kpokolo
149
Les groupes
voisees
/
gb ] et [ kp ] transcrivent des occlusives velaires labialisees
[
non-voisees. Enfin, [ j ] est une occlusive palatale.
faut remarquer que la presence du nom antecedent dans la phrase
pas requise. Comme Kaye (1981)
a note, le choix de la forme
pronominale est d'ordre phonologique en vata (comme c'est le cas en kpokolo),
mais les contextes dans lesquels ce pronom apparait ne le sont pas. La
pronominalisation est un processus morphosyntaxique en kpokolo tout comme
en frangais. Pour une etude detaillee de la pronominalisation en vata (langue
kru), voir Kaye (1981).
^
II
n'est
I'
5
Voir Neil
I'accord,
de
Elliot
(1981) pour une caracterisation du
meme que Dunn & Timmons
phenomene de
(en preparation).
^En kpokolo, comme dans la plupart des dialectes bete, le mot
existe
phonologique est soumis a une harmonie lexicale + ATR ]. En outre,
en kpokolo une harmonie d'arrondissement declenchee par les voyelles hautes
arrondies (i.e. u ] et [ U ]). Concernant les contraintes de cooccurrence entre
VI et V2, les lecteurs sont convies a consulter, une fois de plus, Kaye,
il
[
[
Lowenstamm & Vergnaud
(1985).
^Nous verrons que la notion de 'segment', telle qu'elle etait consideree en
phonologie generative classique (cf. Chomsky & Halle (1968)), c'est-a-dire
comme le resultat d'un faisceau de traits realises simultanement, est fort
dans les theories particulaires (cf. entre autres, Anderson & Jones
Schane (1984), Kaye, Lowenstamm & Vergnaud (1985), Goldsmith
Ewen & van der Hulst (1985)).
differente
(1974),
(1985),
^Cette caracterisation de la voyelle froide est d'une importance cruciale en
En effet, aucun nominal ne se termine par une voyelle centrale (i.e. [ \
4 et 3 ]). Toutes ces voyelles ont comme tete d'expression la voyelle froide, on
dira done que I'expression est constituee d'une tete 'vide'. En d'autres termes,
kpokolo.
,
tous les nominaux en kpokolo doivent se terminer par une voyelle dont la 'tete
est pleine" (cf. 10 a et b). Cette specification en soi n'a rien d'etonnant, si Ton
considere, en morphologie, que la tete d'un 'mot' doit etre egalement 'pleine'
Nous verrons a la section
(cf. Williams (1981) et Di Sciullo & Williams (1987)).
4 que nous predisons effectivement avec notre analyse la non-occurrence en
finale
des
trois voyelles centrales [1,4,3].
9Une expression constitute de deux voyelles froides (v) est ac6phale,
puisque la voyelle froide a un statut d'el6ment d' identity au sens
mathematique du termeโdans le calcul matriciel. L'6lement ATR, en sa qualite
โ
d'opยงrateur externe, ne peut jamais agir
comme
tete d'expression.
.
150
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
lOLe calcul matriciel de Kaye, Lowenstamm & Vergnaud (1985) est
quelque peu similaire a celui presente dans Bach & Wheeler (1980) pour les
Grammaires de Montague.
11
faut distinguer la voyelle [ ยง ] derivee par le processus d'harmonie ATR
des autres voyelles centrales. En effet, la selection des classes nominales doit
s'effectuer avant le renversement du rapport tete/operateur provoque par
['assignation de I'element ATR harmonique tel que stipule par la theorie du
charme. (Concernant la theorie du charme et le mecanisme d'inversion du
rapport tete/operateur, voir Kaye, Lowenstamm & Vergnaud 1985.)
II
1211
va sans
dire
une reference ^ une
'tete plelne* (i.e.
[
I,
U ou A
]).
i^Sauvageot (1965) a remarqud ^galement qu'il existait des langues ou
une double repartition du lexique des nominaux pouvait ยงtre relev^e: 'I'une
etant fondee sur des crit6res formels, I'autre sur des criteres s6mantiques'.
Entre autres,
a note qu'en wolof, comme dans la plupart des langues de la
famille Niger-Congo, une redistribution du stock nominal, basee non plus sur la
forme du classificateur, mais sur un critere s6mantique du type 'humainV'non
humain' s'operait au niveau du systeme pronominal. Sauvageot reserve le
terme de 'classe' aux faits reposant sur le crit6re formel et le terme de 'genre' k
ceux fondes sur le critere s6mantique. La mยงme distinction terminologique
pourrait etre employee pour le cas du kpokolo.
il
BIBLIOGRAPHIE
Anderson,
1974. Three Theses Concerning Phonological
J. M. & C. Jones.
Representations. Journal of Linguistics 10. 1-26.
Bach, E. & D. Wheeler. 1980. Montague phonology. University of
Massachusetts, MA. MS
Chomsky, Noam, & Morris Halle. 1968. The sound pattern of English. New
York: Harper & Row.
DAWSON,
K.
1975.
L'accord vocalique en t6po.
S6rie H. 8.
Di SciULLO, A. M. & E. Williams.
Annales de
I'Universitd
d'Abidjan.
1987. On the definition of word. S.J. Keyser
Cambridge. MA: The MIT Press.
Dunn, C. & C. Timmons. (en pr6paration). Euphonic agreement. UQAM.
Elliot, W. Neil. 1981. Grammatical Number. Th6se de Ph. D. The City
University of New York. NY.
EWEN, C. & H. van der Hulst. 1985. Single-valued features and nonlinear
analysis of vowel harmony. Linguistics in the Netherlands 1985. H.
Bennis & F. Beukema (eds.), 39-48. Dordrecht: Foris.
(ed.).
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& Dunn:
Selection morphophonologique des classes en kpokolo
151
J. 1985. Vowel harmony in Khalkha Mongolian, Yaka, Finnish and
Hungarian. Phonology Yearbook 2. C.J. Ewen & J. M. Anderson (eds.),
253-275. Cambridge, MA: Cambridge University Press.
KAYE, J. D. 1981. La selection des formes pronominales en vata. Revue
quebecoise de linguistique. 11.117-134.
KAYE, J. D., Lowenstamm J., & J.-R Vergnaud. 1985. The internal structure of
Phonology
phonological elements: a theory of charm and government
Yearbook 2. C. Ewen & J. Anderson (eds), 305-328. Cambridge, MA:
Goldsmith,
.
Cambridge University Press.
1967. La classification nominale dans les langues negroG.
africaines. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique. Paris.
Marchese, L 1979. Atlas linguistique kru. Institut de linguistique appliquee
Manessy,
LXXIII.
R.C.I.
Description synchronique d'un dialecte wolof:
University d'Abidjan.
SAUVAGEOT.S.
1965.
du Dyolof. Memoire
le
parler
F.A.N 73. Dakar.
Schane, S.A. 1984. The fundamentals of particle phonology. Phonology
Yearbook 1. C.J. Ewen & J. M. Anderson (eds.), 129-155. Cambridge,
MA: Cambridge
VOGLER,
P.
1987.
Strasbourg
3.
Strasbourg.
Williams, E. 1981.
I.
University Press.
Le parler vata.
Strasbourg:
On
Travaux de
I'lnstitut
the notions 'lexically related'
Linguistic inquiry 12.245-274.
d'Ethnologie de
Universite des sciences
humaines de
and 'head
of
a word'.
IV
Lexicography
&
Historical Linguistics
Mohammed
Trends
in
Oromo
lexicon
Ali
and lexicography
Robert botne
Reconstruction of
a grammaticalized
auxiliary in
Bantu
Cynthia Robb Clamons
Modification of the gender system
in
the Wollegan dialect of
Oromo
studies
in
Volume
19,
the Linguistic Sciences
Number
1989
2, Fall
TRENDS
IN
OROMO LEXICON AND LEXICOGRAPHY
Mohammed
University of
AN
Warsaw
This paper presents an overview of trends in Oromo lexicon
and lexicography and to suggest an alternative approach to this
subject. The study focuses attention first on the assessment of past
lexical works and review of recent developments. Second, proposals
developing
for
Oromo
lexicography, particularly the creation of
new
presented at some length. Future areas of lexical
work, as a passing comment, are discussed, and illustrations are
provided to support the analysis.
lexical items, are
1
Past Lexical Works
The earliest lexical works on Oromo are those of Father Ludwig Krapf's
Vocabulary of the Galla Language in 1842 and of Karl Tutschek's Lexikon der
Galla- Sprache in 1844. Then we have Viterbo's Grammatica e dizionaho delta
lingua oromonica in 1892.
m 1913 provides interesting
Grammatical information especially part of
sentences are not supplied. The major short-
Foot's Galla-English, English-Galla Dictionary
collections of basic vocabulary.
speech
coming
is
given.
Illustrative
of Foot's dictionary is
its
inadequate transcription system.
Anonymous, Vocabulaire Frangais, Oromo, Abyssin, in 1928 contains
good collections of basic vocabulary. Transcription of consonants is generally
adequate except that there is no differentiation between voiced stop d and
implosive stop dh, and between voiceless labial stop p and ejective labial stop
Gemination is fairly well marked, but vowel length is not. There is a small
grammatical note given in the introduction including numeral and possessive
and personal pronouns.
ph.
Da
Thiene's Dizionario della lingua galla
works on Oromo lexicography.
It
is
a
result of
is
one
over
of the
fifty
most important
years of work (1881-
156
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
among
the Eastern Oromo as a missionary. As such, this dictionary
an Eastern Oromo dialect. The dictionary is divided into two parts;
Oromo-ltalian and Italian-Oromo. Elaborate grammatical notes are provided.
Transcription of consonants and gemination is fairly adequate while that of
vowel length is comparatively poor.
Along with the entries grammatical
information, particularly part of speech, and illustrative sentences are provided.
Inflectional information is given but not in a systematic manner.
Da Thiene's
dictionary is a large storehouse of Oromo lexicon.
1938)
reflects
Arenzano's Grammatica delta lingua galla (1940) gives very interesting
collections of basic vocabulary of Italian-Oromo and Oromo-ltalian.
The
consonants and marking of gemination is satisfactory. Whereas
vowel length is inadequate.
Grammatical information, along with the
transcription of
that of
entries, is practically absent.
1.1
Recent Developments
To begin with, we have Father Venturino's Dizionario Borana-ltalian,
published in 1973.
In the introduction a very brief phonological and
grammatical explanation is given. The transcription of consonants and notation
of gemination is good while that of vowel length is inadequate. Grammatical
information such as part of speech and illustrative sentences are sporadic.
Father Venturino also published in 1976 Dizionario Italiano-Borana, using the
same system of transcription as the one above.
Gragg's Oromo Dictionary (Oromo-English) appeared in 1982. This
is a result of systematic, accurate and scholarly work.
It is based on
the Western Oromo dialect. It contains about 3000 main entries, and along with
sub-entries the number exceeds well over 6000. This is quite a formidable
supply of lexicon for an inflectional language like Oromo. This dictionary gives
found the
a very informative introduction. Regarding lexical organization,
citation of verbs based on the first person singular present to be more practical
than the one based on third person singular present. The difference between
the two approaches is slight: verbs end in -addh for first person and -ta for third
person. In any case, found the former approach most helpful in identifying the
root.
Along with the entries, elaborate grammatical information is provided in
three areas: part of speech, inflectional information and syntactical information.
The systematic index, among other functions, helps one to get easy access to
lexical items for a given subject matter, e.g., ___location, size-quantity, movement,
body parts, shape-color. As such, it has a very important practical use. Gragg's
dictionary is a milestone in the development of Oromo lexicography.
dictionary
I
I
Father Jaammoo's Kuussaa Sagalee Oromoo (1987) is the first Oromodictionary on record. The author Is a native speaker of Western Oromo
Oromo
hence
script.
this dictionary reflects his dialect.
Entries
are
listed
The
dictionary
is
written
in
Ethiopic
according to the order of Ethiopic syllabary.
Ali:
Trends
Grammatical information,
in
Oromo Lexicon and Lexicography
157
speech, is absent. Inflectional
sentences are provided in a sporadic
manner. Synonyms are rarely given. In spite of these weaknesses, however,
Jaammoo's work constitutes a great contribution to the development of Oromo
information
particularly part of
inadequate.
is
Illustrative
lexicography.
Heine's Monnuyo, an Oromo dialect (1980) contains a small vocabulary of
English-Oromo. Transcription system is accurate so also is the system of lexical
organization. Grammatical information is limited to part of speech. Heine's The
Waata dialect of Oromo (1981) contains a small vocabulary of English-Oromo.
The presentation of the vocabulary is based on the same pattern as the one
above.
Owens
(1985)
in
A Grammar
his
of Harar
Oromo
gives a small but
interesting collections of basic vocabulary in Oromo-English.
The system
of
accurate, as is the method of lexical organization. Adequate
grammatical Information, especially part of speech and inflectional data, is
transcription
is
provided.
Stroomer's Comparative Study of tt)e Ttiree Southerri Oromo Dialects of
(1987) gives very elaborate vocabulary of Barana, Orma and Waata
The transcription
dialects. The vocabulary is prepared in Oromo-English.
system and lexical organization is accurate. Grammatical information on parts
of speech, inflectional information and limited illustrative sentences are
Kenya
provided.
Stroomer's book
is
a
significant lexical
work on Oromo.
Maanifestoo Paartii Kommonistii {Manifesto of ttie Communist Party)
translated by Kuwwee Kumsaa in 1976 contains a very small vocabulary
regarding technical terms in social sciences. There is still a considerable
number of new words in the text which are not covered by the glossary. The text
It is a very interesting attempt to resolve the
is written in the Ethiopic script.
problems
of neologisms.
Oromtittii, a publication of the Union of Oromo Women in Europe in its
1986 issue, provides a very small collection of vocabulary in Oromo-EnglishArabic of technical terms in the text. There still remains a substantial number of
new words in the text which are not included in the glossary. Regardless of the
represents a very good beginning.
small size of the vocabulary,
it
Gamta'a Oromo-English Dictionary
lexicography.
1.2
Overall
Gamta
is
(in
press)
will
further enrich
a native Oromo speaker and a professional
Oromo
linguist.
assessment
The objectives regarding the works on Oromo lexicon varies from one
scholar to another. To start with, Krapf(1842), and Foot (1913) published their
158
Studies iA the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
dictionaries witli
a view
to facilitate
communication with the indigenous Oromo
people.
The second group, such as Viterbo (1892), Anonymous (1928), Da Thiene
Arenzano (1940), Venturino (1973 and 1976), was basically motivated
by the desire to extend the effort of Evangelization to the Oromo people. The
third group, consisting of the owrks of Heine (1980 and 1981), Owens (1985),
Stroomer (1987), was driven by the need to explain concepts and basic
vocabulary used in their respective studies of Oromo grammatical structure of
given dialects.
The fourth group, comprising mainly Kumsaa (1976) and
Oromtlttii (1986), aimed at providing their readers with the meanings of new
words used in their texts. In contrast, the last group, consisting of Tutschek
(1844), Gragg (1982). Jaamoo (1987), Gamta (forthcoming), aimed at producing
purely scholarly work on Oromo lexicography.
(1939),
On
the whole, the works of the above mentioned scholars, despite the
in scholarly objectives and the level of descriptive adequacy, helped
a great deal to develop Oromo lexicography. Nevertheless, there was no
deliberate effort made to extend the use of various systems of word formation
with a view to develop Oromo lexicon for technical and scientific purposes. This
differences
paper aims
2.
to
fill
this gap.
Proposals for developing Oromo lexicography
In view of the foregoing, an attempt will be made to show the existence in
the language of various ways of developing Oromo lexicon. An attempt is also
made here to create an awareness of the existence of productive forms for
developing Oromo lexicon by providing illustrative sentences.
The methods
used for analysis include derivation, composition and borrowing.
2.1
Derivation
The forms given here
section
is
to
exist in the
make these forms
Oromo
familiar
and
language. The purpose in this
show the wide range of their
to
application.
2.1.1
Passive adjectives
Passive adjectives are formed by suffixing -aa, -tuu, which give the
These forms are very productive (Owens 1987,
equivalent of English -able.
Gragg 1982). Thus, we have:
arrarfam-
banambeekamdabram-
be
be
be
be
reconciled
araarfamaa-
reconcilable
opened
known
banamtuubeekamtuudabramtuu-
openable
knowable
passable
passed
Ali:
harkifamjaalatame.g.
Trends
in
Oromo Lexicon and Lexicography
harkifamaajaalatamaa-
be stretched
be liked
159
stretchable
likable
Shuraabni diimaan kan at! naaf bitte harkifamaa.
red sweater which you bought me is stretchable."
The
ganda keennyatti hedduu jaalatamaa.
Inni
our village, he
'In
Compound
2.1.2
is
very
likable."
adjectives
There are certain variations regarding the affixes for compound adjective
formations between Harar and Wellegga Oromo. In the latter case, we have
-qabeessa
'having',
-laafeessa 'weak
-dhabeessa 'lacking in', -guddeessa 'abounding in',
and many others (Gragg 1976:182).
Compound
in',
adjectives are well developed
use
Wellegga Oromo. These forms are in current
We note a lot of these forms
in
the days of Onesimus Nesib.
his Gall Spelling-Book (1894).
at least since
particularly in
In
'lacking
contrast,
in'
in
Oromo we
-qabduu 'having' and -dhabduu
-qabduu and -dhabduu are equivalent
respectively (Ali 1987:9). In fact, the forms -qabduu
Harar
or 'not having'.
to English -/u/and -less,
The
have:
suffixes
and -dhabduu are not very familiar in Harar Oromo except in certain technical
usages. But, the most common forms and those in current use are the related
forms such as -qabeennya and -dhabeennya which are equivalent to English fulness and -lessness respectively.
At any rate, the purpose here
familiar for developing technical
to
is
and
make
the forms -qabduu and -dhabduu
words. These forms are very
scientific
Hence, we have:
productive.
abdii
hope
bifa
color
abdiiqabduu
bifaqabduu
colorful
dhandhama
taste
dhandhamaqabduu
tasteful
horii
money
horiidhabduu
humna
power
humnadhabduu
moneyless
powerless
qaanyii
shame
qaanyiidhabduu
shameless
e.g.
hopeful
Hawwiituun shamiza bifaqabduu bitte.
'Hawwiituu bought a colorful shirt.'
Inni
bara shan
hojii
hinqabu kanaaf horiidhabduu tahe.
five years that is why he became moneyless.
'He has [had] no job for
160
2.1.3
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
hin- + passive adjectives
we have forms which are not commonly found in technical and
usage but exist in the language and are in current use. So, the
purpose here is to create awareness of the existence of these forms in the
language and popularize them for technical and scientific use. These forms are
quite productive and give interesting terms for technical and scientific
Here,
scientific
application.
The morpheme
hin- is a negation marker which is prefixed to verbs and
Passive adjectives with hin- correspond to English in-, im-, and unplus adjectives (cf. All 1987:3). Thus, we have:
adjectives.
invariable
hinjijjiramne
hinobsamne
intolerable
hindabramne impassable
hinqoodamne impartible
hinbeekamne unknown
hinfuramne
unsolvable
Karaan Qarsaa
e.g.
The
Rakkoon
This
2.1.4
fi
Girawaa jidduu
jiru
road from Qarsaa to Girawaa
is
tuni
is
ganatti karaa hindabramne.
impassable in the rainy season.'
waan hinfuramne.
an unsolvable problem.'
noun + -bailees
This form of derivation is in current use in the language. But,
does not
commonly occur in technical and scientific literature. Therefore, the aim here is
to make this productive form familiar and show its interesting applications.
it
The
-bailees
suffix
'make wrong'; -bailees
'wrongly'
1987:
(cf. Ali
6),
is
is
as
a causative verb form which means 'make bad',
equivalent to English mis- meaning 'badly' or
illustrated
below:
bifa
color
bifaballeesa
miscolor
gorsa
advice
gorsaballeesa
misadvise
maqaa
name
maqaaballeesa
misname
ulfina
esteem
ulfinaballeesa
misesteem
e.g.
Makiinaa tee diimaa hindibin, bifaballeesita.
'Do not paint your care red, you shall miscolor
Inni Ibsaa, Tulluu miti.
"He
is
Nama
Ibsaa and not Tulluu.
it.'
maqaaballeesita.
You misname
people.'
Ali:
2.1.5
Trends
in
Oromo Lexicon and Lexicography
161
verb + -tuu
This form is in current use in Oromo language. The idea here is to show
the possibility of extension of this form for obtaining a wide range of terms for
technical and scientific application.
Here, we can observe that very interesting series of terms can be
constructed by suffixing -tuu (agentive suffix) to verbs:
dib-
162
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
Nama biraa ulfeesuun ifulfeesu.
'Respecting other people is respecting oneself.'
2.2.1.2
lf(i)
+ postposition
Ali:
irra
Trends
in
Oromo Lexicon and Lexicography
163
164
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
2.2.3.3
Gargar + verb
Gargar means
baha
'apart' or 'separately'.
Thus,
we
have:
Ali:
dubbii
Trends
affairs
yeroo
time
dhiheesa supply
heera
regulation
e.g.
in
Oromo Lexicon and Lexicography
dubbil-alaa
external affairs
yeroogubbaa
dhihessajala
overtime
under supply
heerakeessaa
internal regulation
165
Ibsaan yeroogubbaa hojjata kanaaf saaqa hedduu argata.
is why he gets a lot of money."
'Ibsaa works overtime that
Bara kana dhihessajalaa kan bunaa qabna.
This year we have under supply of coffee.'
2.2.4.2
Noun
noun
-i-
We
use certain base forms which give us various compound words. They
'father', haala 'conditions', karaa 'way' or 'road', and sirna
'system', as in the following examples:
include:
abbaa
seera
law
qilleensa air
bishaan
sagalee
e.g.
water
sound
abbaaseeraa
lawyer
haalaqilleensaa
karaabishaani
sirnasagalee
climate
waterway
sound system
abbaaseeraa tahuu fedha.
wants to be a lawyer.'
Bilisaan
'Bilisaa
Haaliqilleensaa kan biyya keennyaa fayyaaf gaarii.
'The climate of our country
2.3
is
good
for health.'
Borrowing
It is observed that, out of a selected sample of 300 loanwords in Oromo,
nouns constitute about 95% and the rest are verbs. The sample contains
loanwords from Arabic and English. In Oromo, as in other languages, words
such as video, computer, plastic, satellite are borrowed directly. This is a
common
process that is observed in many other natural languages. In addition
such terms, there are loan translations. Interesting loan translations can be
obtained from German. Thus,
to
beekinsa afaani
166
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
e.g.
Argaayaan beekinsa ufaani barate.
'Aragaayaa studied
Mikiinaa isaaf
'He bought a
3
linguistics.*
qabaneesaa haaraya
new
bite.
radiator for his car."
Concluding remarks
the preceding survey, we attempted to present a general picture of the
Oromo lexicography. We have shown that there is a reasonably large
number of studies in Oromo lexicon, but most of them lack depth. These works,
however, do provide a solid basis upon which future studies can build. It is
along these lines that we have suggested certain ways to create new lexical
items so as to extend the dimensions of the Oromo lexicon. From the above
analysis, we note that the system of derivation gives very productive word
formations. Next comes the system of composition, i.e., the construction of
In
trends
in
compound words.
words
for scientific
Loan translation plays a
and technical uses.
significant role in creating
new
a large quantity of Oromo lexicon scattered in various books and
It is necessary to assemble them separately for each dialect.
This enables the maximum use of the existing stock of lexical resources. A
standard transcription system should be adopted to facilitate the wide use of
lexical works, primarily as reference material for meanings of words and for
correct spelling.
Grammatical information, to the extent possible, must be
expanded. Given the fact that Oromo is an inflectional language, expanded
description of this aspect of the language would help enlarge the range of its
There
is
literary materials.
lexicon. Illustrative sentences, aside from the syntactical information they carry,
should be designed to give examples on various contextual aspects of a given
lexical item.
Since inflectional processes
phenomena,
it
is
in
Oromo
morphophonemic
morphophonemic notes in the
be emphasized here that future
often involve
essential to provide sufficient
introductory parts of lexical works.
It
is
to
research effort to publish a Standard English-Oromo dictionary as well as
technical dictionaries of social and natural sciences would fill a serious gap in
Oromo
lexicography.
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Trends
in
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languages: Somali-Galla comparisons. Hamito-Semitica, ed. by J. & Th.
Bynon. The Hague-Paris: 321-330.
1975. The Verb in Cushitic. Studies in Hamito-Semitic. Krakow:
Universytet Jagiellonski.
1 984.
Review of Gene Gragg's Oromo dictionary Africa and Ubersee
.
VITERBO,
.
.
LXVII.
.
Studies
in
Volume
19,
the Linguistic Sciences
Number
2, Fall
1989
RECONSTRUCTION OF A
GRAMMATICALIZED AUXILIARY IN BANTU
Robert Botne
Indiana University
Bantu verbal formatives have frequently developed from grammaticalized auxiliary verbs, as exemplified in the future formative-fafrom -taka 'want'
study the author suggests that a
a sense of 'desire/ want', is the
source of future formatives in various other Bantu languages. In particular, he argues that the future formatives -ond>, -ndisya-, -zidza-,
and -lembe- found in four widely separated languages - Kimbundu
(H21), Kikonzo (J41), Chichewa (N31b) and Kimabiha (P25) - are
reflexes of such an auxiliary verb. The processes of grammaticalization, not always regular in these languages, have served to obscure
this common origin. If correct, the study points to a wide-spread use
of a 'desire/ want' + infinitive structure in Bantu, but one that may
employ a different form of the verb 'want' in different languages.
in Kiswahili.
In this
different auxiliary verb, also having
The Bantu languages, as even a cursory glance
of the different languages
tense formatives. Many, and perhaps
most, of these formatives have arisen from periphrastic constructions involving
an auxiliary verb followed by an infinitive. In fact, Givdn (1971 :146) claims that
(all?) Bantu modality prefixes arose from main verbs dominating sentential
complements, most of them independently after dispersal of the Proto-Bantu
speech community. The potential for this development was already present, he
indicates, display
a
rich variety of verbal
suggests (Giv6n 1969:198), 'in the reduced infinitival complement structure of
modal verbs, ...such as "want".' However, the common origins of many of the
formatives presently extant in the Bantu languages have been obscured as a
result of extensive phonological and/or morphological processes. This has led
some to state, as does Giv6n (1971 :156), that '...most of the modality prefixes
cannot be reconstructed back to Proto-Bantu.' Nevertheless, it is still possible to
reconstruct some earlier auxiliary roots and to indicate probable paths of
grammaticalization. This paper represents an initial phase of exploration in
170
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
reconstructing
some
of these auxiliaries, in effect trying to
linl<
together
some
of
the diverse forms that occur.
One ___domain
of
tense morphology that
involves future formatives.
one language
(1)
to another,
especially rich in diversity
to vary considerably from
is
These formatives seem
as the forms
tu-lembe-ku-tenda
in (1 )-(4) attest.
'we
will
make
(remote)'
Kimabiha (P25)
'we
will
make
(near)'
Kimbundu (H21)
'we
will (habitually)
'we
will
1P-FUT-INF-make
(2)
tu-ond>banga
1
(3)
ti-zi(dza)-panga
1
(4)
P-FUT-make
tru-ka-nd!sya-ko:la
1
make'
Chichewa (N31b)
P-FUTHAB-make
make
Kikonzo (J41)
(remote)'
P-T-FUT-make
These languages - Kimabiha
(P25),
Kimbundu (H21), Chichewa (N31b), and
Kikonzo (J41) (classified according to the Tervuren modification of Guthrie's
system; see map in appendix) - will constitute the core of the analysis. In
considering the future formatives in these four widely separated languages,
will argue that the source of the formatives can be found in two verbs both
having a sense of 'desire'.
I
1
.
Reanalyzing a root
in
Kimabiha (P25)
The source of the remote future formative in Kimabiha
because neither the full periphrastic form (5b) nor the verb
lost (Harries
(5)
is
readily apparent
itself (6)
has been
1940).
(a)
tu-lembe-ku-tenda
(b)
tu-lembela ku-tenda
'we
ku-lembela
(6)
'to
will
make
(remote)'
want'
examples is the underlying morphology of
answer is that the common Bantu
suffixes -el- and -a are attached to a root -lemb-. However, evidence from other
Bantu languages suggests that such an analysis is incorrect.
What
is
not so apparent from these
the verb stem.
The seemingly
self-evident
1
Botne: Reconstruction of a Grammaticalized Auxiliary in Bantu
One
1
7
important piece of evidence comes from languages that exinibit a
a verb in opposition to a transitive form, as in
reflexive (and intransitive) form of
(7)
and
(8).
Kipende (K52)
(7)
-di-felela
(a)
-felela
(b)
'wait in
hope; hope'
'hope; wait'
Kinande (J42)
(8)
-yi-tsutsa
(a)
-tsura
(b)
'be
covetous
'envy, covet
(intr)'
(tr)'
Other languages have a reflexive form, but seem to have lost the non-reflexive
counterpart (9-10).
In some cases the reflexivized form has assumed the
meaning and
transitivity of
the non-reflexive form.
Chiyao (P25)
(9)
-li-jila
'await
outcome
with confidence
(intr)'
Shitembo (J57)
(10)
-ci-fisha
'desire,
have need
of (tr?)'
we find the reflexivized form in one language, but the
a close neighbor, as illustrated below in the case of two
southern Zimbabwean languages and Setswana/Sesotho.
In
some
areal clusters
non-reflexive
(11)
in
(a)
-di-elezha
'covet'
(b)
-le-elezya
'desire strongly'
Ha (M63)
Chitonga (f^64)
'want'
Setswana (S31)
-eletsa
(12)
of these various data points strongly to a reflexivized form in
it is not
While the reflexive marker is listed by Harries (1940) as
unknown for Bantu languages to have (or have had) more than one form of this
prefix or for the vowel of the prefix to have become lowered. Holoholo (D28b,
Coupez 1955), for example, utilizes both -If- and -/- (note that the symbol I is
used here to represent a high close front vowel in a seven-vowel system, in
place of Guthrie's cedilla). And in the Chitonga example above (11b), we find
the reflexive with [e] rather than the more common [i]. Thus, rather than a root
of the form -lemb- for Kimabiha, the root of the verb 'want' would be -mbel-, with
a fossilized prefix le-. The composition of the stem, then, would be as in (13).
Comparison
Kimabiha.
(13)
-//'
,
-le
-
mbel - a
'want'
172
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
Evidence supporting a root of this form can be found in several languages.
While the Initial NC cluster may seem odd for a root, such intrusive nasals are
not uncommon in Bantu. For example, we find in Chinsenga (N41; Ranger
1928) -nkala 'be, sit, dwell', which in other languages has the root form -kala.
With respect to the general shape of this root, a similar future formative -be- is
found in Omyene (B11) as illustrated in (14).
(14)
zwe-be-jena
1 P-FUT-see
'we
will
see'
Though the
original periphrastic construction appears not to exist, this formative
derives from the verb -beta 'desire', which has undergone final
syllable deletion as did -lembela in Kimabiha. Several other languages also
have a cognate form of this verb 'desire', though it has not become grammaticalized as in Omyene and Kimabiha.
most
likely
(15)
-bil-am-a
'desire'
Chitonga (M64)
(16)
-bind-am-a
'desire'
Kikongo (HI 6)
(17)
-li-vel-a
'covet'
Umbundu
'desire ardently'
Sesotho (S33)
(18) -bel-a+bel-a
(R11)
Further evidence supporting a reflexivized stem in Kimabiha comes from
languages closer to the Kimabiha area. In Kimakua (P31) we find a cognate
form, though with a slight shift in meaning.
(19)
In
-li-pel-a
'expect, hope; await'
Chigogo (Gil), we also
find the
*mb>p
Kimakua (P31)
cognate verb 'want, covet', but without the
reflexive prefix.
(20)
-hil-a
What these data suggest
is
represents second degree aperture
reflexive/ intransitivizing prefix
-//-
p>h
Chigogo (G11)
'want, covet'
an
earlier root of the
form
-bil-
(where
[i]
a seven vowel system). In Kimabiha, the
was added, with subsequent lowering of the
in
vowel in the prefix (either specifically for this verb or through some process of
vowel harmony). The prefixless-verb seems to have been lost in Kimabiha,
rendering the current morphology opaque.
Botne: Reconstruction of a Grammaticalized Auxiliary in Bantu
2.
Reconstructing a root
in
1
73
Kimbundu (H21)
As in the case with Kimabiha, the source of the future formative is fairly
transparent.
Chatelain (1964:33) indicates that variant forms of the future
construction occur (occurred?) in different dialect areas. These forms (21)
represent a continuum of grammaticalization from a periphrastic construction to
a completely incorporated formative that has undergone significant phonological changes. The process reflected here resembles the process of clitic
reduction discussed by Hock (1986:87) in which consonants and/or vowels of
the cliticized element may become weakened and lost.
(21)
(b)
tu-anda ku-banga
tu-anda u-banga
(c)
tu-ando-banga
(d)
tu-ondo-banga
(a)
'we
will
make'
The form -anda-, as Chatelain suggests, is the grammatically shortened
form of the verb -andala 'want, desire'. Final syllable deletion of auxiliary verbs
is quite common in Bantu, being found not only in Kimabiha, but in languages
across the Bantu-speaking area, as the examples in (22) illustrate.
(22) (a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
Omyene(B11)
-be-
< -beta
'desire'
-bondo- < -bondela 'want; ask for'
Likuba (C27)
'want, desire; ask
< -taka
Kiswahili (G42) -ta'want'
< -saka
Ciluba (L31)
-sa-
for"
Final -a of the root and initial u- of the infinitive coalesce to form [d], with subsequent and idiosyncratic (i.e., peculiar to this construction) vowel harmony
serving to round and raise the first vowel of the auxiliary.
Having established -andala 'want, desire' as the source of the Kimbundu
we can turn to a consideration of the historical form of the root.
In nearby Nyaneka (R13) we find two dialectal variants of the verb 'desire'
-handa and -vandya. These are clearly cognates of Kimbundu -andala, and
indicate a root of the form -Cand. The [h-] and [v-] suggest an initial bilabial
consonant. Further support is found in Ngangela (K19) -yavala 'want (int)'. This
verb appears to have the structure -yi-a-val-a, where -yi- is the reflexive prefix.
Compare this form with a similar form recorded for Kikongo (HI 6; Maia 1961).
future formative,
(23) (a) di-a-vuna
-funa
(b)
'covet'
Kikongo (HI 6)
'want'
Chichewa (N31b)
174
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
Substantiating this evidence from closely related languages is Guthrie's
(1968-1972) comparative/historical work in which he posits a sound change
*b >
for Kimbundu.
Hence, we can tentatively reconstruct an earlier root
*-band-. The suffix -a/- appears to be an intransitivizer having a function similar
to the reflexive prefix noted earlier; compare it with the verb 'hide' in Sena (N44)
and 'spill' in Lwena (Luvale K14) illustrated below.
(24)
Lwena (K14)
(a) -mwang-a
(b)
(25)
'spill (tr.)'
-mwang-al-a
'spill (int.)'
Sena (N44)
(a)
-bis-a
'hide
(b)
-bis-al-a
'hide oneself
The reconstructed
(tr.)'
(int.)'
in Kimbundu bears a strong resemblance
discussed previously for Kimabiha. It appears both
probable and plausible that a single root can be reconstructed for these two
forms, the Kimbundu form having changed in vowel quality. Comparison of
forms in Kikongo (HI 6b), Chitonga (M64) and Umbundu (R11) that appear to be
cognate with Kimbundu -andala suggests an original mid, front vowel in the
root, eventually lowered to [a] in Kimbundu.
root *-band-
to the auxiliary root *-bil-
(26)
(a)
-bind-am-a
'desire'
Kikongo (HI 6b)
(b)
-bil-am-a
'desire'
Chitonga (M64)
(c)
-li-vel-a
'covet'
Umbundu
While a change of [i] or [e] to [a] might seem
be a regular phenomenon in Kimbundu, as
example, Guthrie (1967) reconstructs a root
neighboring language of Kikongo (HI 6) as
(R11)
unmotivated here,
it
does appear
other examples can be found.
*-ced-
'sift',
-sela.
In
which
is
to
For
realized in the
Kimbundo, however, the
root is -sala.
We
can conclude from this that the original root was of the form *-bil-, the
If this
in some languages most likely a later intrusive element.
reconstruction is correct, then the future formatives in Kimbundu and Kimabiha
would seem to derive from the same periphrastic construction incorporating
[n]
found
reflexes of this auxiliary verb
3.
Resurrecting a root
*-bil-.
in
Chichewa (N31b)
Reconstruction of a verbal root is much more difficult for Chichewa than for
Kimabiha or Kimbundu. Direct evidence of an original periphrastic
either
Botne: Reconstruction of a Grammaticalized Auxiliary in Bantu
construction does not exist, nor
175
there any trace of a verb comparable in form
However, there exists extensive circumstantial
evidence which, taken together, suggests an earlier periphrastic construction
formed from a verb meaning 'desire'.
is
to the future habitual formative.
in
his
grammar
habitual formative
in
a preceding vowel
in
(27)
Chichewa, Watkins (1939) indicates that the future
variety of Chichewa produces lengthening in
the verbal construction, as illustrated in (27a).
of
the
Kasungu
(a)
ni:ziremba
1S-FUT-write
(b)
nizidzarcmba
Though Watkins
lists
.
}
will
'I
only the
-:zi-
write (habitually)'
form, other varieties of
Chichewa
and -zidza- (27b). Final syllable deletion, as
noted in the preceding discussions of Kimabiha and Kimbundu, is a common
Bantu phenomenon in periphrastic constructions that have become grammaticalized. Given these two phenomena, we can hypothesize an earlier stage
exhibit
in
an alternation between
which the formative was
-zi-
of the
form -Vzidza-.
The form -Vzidza- can be further decomposed into four constituent
morphemes: -Vz-idz-a < -Vl-il-i-a. Supporting evidence for this analysis can be
found in neighboring eastern and southern languages.
-inlela
(28) (a)
-inl-el-a/
'want, covet'
Kimakua(P31)
Kimakonde (P23)
Chinsenga (N41)
/-li-il-il-a/
'covet'
(c)
-li-(i)lizya
/-li-il-il-T-a/
'want a
(d)
-di-elezha
/-di-el-el-i-a/
'covet'
lla
'want'
Setswana (S31)
-eletsa
(e)
We
I
-li-(i)lila
(b)
see
in
these
I
five
-el-el-I-a/
languages a
some sense
lot'
common
(M63)
root -i(n)l- /-el-
closely
some
instances (b to d) the
reflexive/intransitivizing prefix -//- /-di- appears, generally adding the sense of
'very much' as well as rendering the verb intransitive (i.e., wanting for oneself).
In the more southerly languages an -/-suffix has been introduced, which produces spirantization in the preceding consonant [I]. The eastern zone P
languages did not Insert this suffix, and consequently, the original [I] is still
apparent.
associated with
of
'want'.
In
The close similarity in form between the future habitual formative -VzidzaChichewa and, for example, -eletsa in Setswana, suggests an original
auxiliary verb 'want' for Chichewa similar to, and perhaps cognate with, the
Setswana -eletsa. However, there is one apparent problem with such an
in
176
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
according to Guthrie's hypothesized sound changes for Chichewa
but we see from the examples in (28) that the original *d occurs
analysis:
_
*d > z
/
before
[-il-],
The
appears
I
,
not
[-TI-].
resolution to this problem can be found in a rather odd rule that
have affected certain roots. In the very closely related dialect of
to
Marjanja (N31c), and in Chichewa (example 30 only),
environment for spirantization of alveolar stops.
(29)
*-yit-
(30) *-ged-
'name'
>
-csa
'measure'
>
-eza
we
find
a peculiar
This spirantization of the alveolar stops [t] and [d] occurs only when the initial
consonant has been deleted, i.e., when the root has become vowel initial.
Compare the cases above with instances in which the initial consonant remains
(31-32) and, itself, undergoes weakening.
(31) *-bid-
'boil'
>
-Rira
(32) *-ket-
'cut'
>
-tset-eka
We
have already established that the root of the future habitual formative
one stage, -Vz-. Given the nature of the rule outlined above,
we can surmise that the V of the root was a mid, front vowel. But we can go
further and posit an initial consonant as well. Guthrie has proposed a sound
change for Marjanja (N31c), Nyungwe (N43) and Sena (N44) that deletes an
initial *g in an environment immediately preceding [i] (but [g] remains before
other non-close vowels). Most other languages in the region have lost initial *g
in all environments. Hence, we can posit with some assurance an initial [g].
was
vowel-initial at
From these
we can now reconstruct an
a meaning 'want/desire'. While Chichewa itself
any trace of this verb, a verb of this form and general
circumstantial bits of evidence,
original root *-gid- having
appears to have lost
meaning does occur in Kikerebe
(33)
-ligira
/-li-gir-a/
(J24).
'covet, desire'
Recall that the sense of 'covet' derives from the presence of the intransitivizing/
//Thus, we have clear evidence of a root *-gid- meaning
'want/ desire'. In Chichewa, various phonological processes have conspired to
reflexivizing prefix
reduce the
.
original verbal
calization process
is
element
to
-z/-.
summarized below.
The general path
of this
grammati-
Botne: Reconstruction of a Grammaticalized Auxiliary in Bantu
(34)
*
1
77
-gid-id-T-a
V
id
id
T
a
initial
*g deletion
V
idz
iz
a
[d]
spirantization
V
:z
z
idz
vowel coalescence/loss
a
final syllable deletion (optional)
i
[-zi-]
apparently
Because the simple indicative remote future formative -dza
has the same form as the deleted final
a grammaticalization of -dza 'come'
syllable of the future habitual formative, the future habitual may have become
reinterpreted in some instances as habitual marker -zi- plus future marker -dza-.
โ
In
resurrecting a verbal root *-gid- as the source for the
habitual,
we have seen
that a
sequence
to obliterate the root itself, leaving only
Chichewa future
have combined
form. From both
of phonological rules
a trace
of the original
and external evidence we have been able
to reconstruct a plausible
scenario of grammaticalization that finds support in processes observed both in
Chichewa itself and in other Bantu languages. Let us turn now to a consideration of Kikonzo (J41), where the evidence is even less straightforward
internal
than
4.
in
the case of Chichewa.
Recreating a stem
We saw
in
Kikonzo (J41)
the remote future formative in Kikonzo is
in shape to the Chichewa future habitual.
However, the situation in Kikonzo is more complex and ambiguous than it is in
Chichewa. In order to appreciate the complexity of Kikonzo non-past forinitially
in
(4) that
-ndisya-, a formative very similar
178
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
matives,
it
These are
of
is
to examine present and near future constructions.
together with the remote future construction in (34-36) for ease
necessary
listed
comparison.
1
(36)
'we are making'
tru-ka-ko:la
(35)
P-T-make
(a)
tru-ka-ndi-ko:la
(b)
tru-ke-ndi-ko:la
(37) (a)
tru-ka-ndisya-ko:la
(b)
tru-ke-ndisya-ko:la
'we
will
make
(near)'
'we
will
make
(remote)'
While the data are open to various analytical interpretations, will suggest
from the outset that -ndisya-, regardless of how speakers might currently interpret it, derives from a single verbal unit, not two independent morphemes. The
primary reason for this position is that such an analysis places Kikonzo in what
appears to be a widespread group of languages that incorporated a verb 'want'
in a periphrastic future construction. As we will see, the evidence supports such
I
a claim.
Note that when the formative -ka- occurs with either -ndi- alone or with
is variable, realized either as [a] or [e]. Without one
of the future formatives, it is invariably [a]. This variation can also be observed
in the negative counterparts of the above constructions which do not incorporate the -ka- formative, but rather an -a-.
-ndisya- the vowel quality
'we are not making'
si-tru-li-ko:la
(38)
NEG-1 P-T-make
(39)
(a)
si-trw-a-ndi-ko:la
(b)
si-trw-e-ndi-ko:la
(a)
si-trw-a-ndisya-ko:la
ยป
(b)
si-trw-e-ndisya-ko:la
*
\
(40)
>
'we
will
not
make
(near)'
'we
will
not
make
(remote)'
There are three plausible explanations for this variation: 1) partial vowel
harmony in which the [a] is raised because of the following [i] (note that Kikonzo
has a seven vowel system in which [I] is the highest front vowel); 2) vowel
coalescence involving the [a] and an initial front vowel on -ndisya-; or 3) an
original formative -endisya- which has come to be reanalyzed as -a-/-e- plus
^
Botae: Reconstruction of a Grammaticalized Auxiliary in Bantu
179
-ndisya- by analogy with the -ka- plus -ndisya- affirmative paradigm. It is the
possibility that appears to provide the most satisfactory explanation.
First, the formative -a- may appear in another negative construction, as illustrated in (41), where it does not harmonize with the following high vowel. That
is, there is no variation in the vowel quality as noted for the future construction.
second
(41) si-trw-a-swTrTa
'we did not
hit
(long ago)'
NEG-IP-T-hit
Second, there exists a formative
[e], as in (42).
(42)
(a)
which coalesces with
-/-
-a-
and
is
realized as
'we have not worked'
si-trw-e-tra-ko:la
/si+tru+a+i+tra+kola/
(b)
si-i-tra-ko:la
'I
have not worked'
One
might suggest that the future constructions also incorporate this -/This, however, does not appear to be the case, since the future
constnjctions (39-40) manifest the [e] vowel in both the negative and affirmative
constructions, whereas the -/- formative illustrated in (42) appears only in the
negative forms of other constructions. Since this -/'- is linked with negation, it
formative.
seems
tions.
that
is
highly unlikely that it also would appear in affirmative future construcFurthermore, the future constructions exhibit a vowel alternation (-a- /-e-)
not found with this -/- formative.
Since it appears that the observed vowel alternation in the future
constructions depends on the presence of -ndi(sya)-, and given the nature of
the phonological change observed in (42), we can conclude that the form of the
future formative must have been -indisya-, the initial vowel coalescing with a
preceding [a] to form [e]. As the grammaticalization process has continued, the
presence of the initial vowel has become opaque; analogy with the simple
present construction (35) is producing a [ka] in all constructions.
Noting the number of similarities with Chichewa, we might suspect that
there was at one time an initial [g].
However, according to Guthrie's hypothesized sound changes, proto-Bantu *g became [y] in Kikonzo, not [0]. But
consider the reconstructed and current forms (43-44) of some nouns and verbs
in
Kinande (J42), a closely related
(43) (a)
(b)
(44)
variety.
>
>
eky-iyo
omw-ibi
'molar'
*-gibI
*-gid-/-gId-
>
-yiraZ-ylra
'act'
*-gego
'thief
180
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
What these data suggest
is
that
Kikonzo incorporated a change that involved
loss (and glide formation?) of *g just in that environment where [g] preceded [i],
i.e., *g
i.
>
But recall that we have encountered this rule before in the
/
discussion of Chichewa, where we saw that MaQanja (N31c), Nyungwe (N43)
and Sena (N44) all exhibited the same change. Given this motivated sound
Kikonzo was, at some earlier
Note that this is the same form
that we previously reconstructed for the Chichewa future habitual, and which
appeared in Kikerebe (J24) as -li-gir-a 'covet, desire'. We can surmise that the
Kikonzo root is cognate.
change,
I
propose that the future formative
in
stage, -gindisya-, deriving from a root *-gi(n)d-.
As we did in Chichewa, we can decompose the future formative into
constituent elements, and motivate the analysis both through internal and
The form -gindisya-, propose, originates in the structure
+ T + a/. The change of [I + I] to voiceless [c] (written as sy) is attested
elsewhere in the language. For example, the class 10 nominal prefix is esyon-,
which developed historically as illustrated in (45).
external evidence.
/-gind +
I
il
(45)
<
esyon-
e-zl-on-
<
i-li-on-
Given the viability of the change in Kikonzo, we may consider the source of the
formative -/'-. One possibility is that it was an extension of the radical, similar to
the case of 'want, desire'
(46) -loonzaa
MashI
in
[-loond-i-a]
possibility is that it was the
other central northern languages.
Another
in
(J53),
(47) (a)
io-kosol-i
(b)
tu-IUmbuk-I
(c)
tw-a-kinduk-i
(48) rhw-aa-gend-i-sunik-a
1P
T go
an
intensifier
perhaps.
'want, desire; seek'
final suffix of
the verbal unit, as exemplified
'we will save'
'we are speaking'
'we will cross (one day)'
Bobangi (C32)
'we are going to push'
Mashi (J53)
Mituku (D13)
Nyanga (D43)
push
One apparent problem
with such an analysis is the occurrence of the final -a- in
Kikonzo. If the original periphrastic construction was like that found in Mashi
(48), the occurrence of the final -a- must be explained. This turns out not to be a
problem because several languages in this area, Runyankore (J11) and
Kikaragwe (J21)
formative
in
for
example, exhibit what appears
to
be an intrusive -a-
the remote future construction, as comparison of different
1
Botne: Reconstruction of a Grammaticalized Auxiliary in Bantu
constructions from neighboring Runyankore (49)
(49b-d) in all but the affirmative indicative (49a).
(49)
(a)
tu-rya-ta:ya:ya
(b)
si-tu-ri-ta:ya:ya
'we
'we
(c)
o-ri-ta:ya:ya
'he
(d)
o-ta-ri-ta:ya:ya
'he
illustrate.
who
who
not
8
-ri-
Runyankore (J11)
will visit'
will
Note the simple
1
visit'
will visit...'
will
not
visit...'
Whatever the case, whether radical extension or final tense suffix, the -/formative appears to be a common suffix in the languages of this area, and
hence it is not surprising to find it in Kikonzo. Thus, a periphrastic construction
incorporating an auxiliary root *-gid- 'desire', presents a plausible analysis-and
one that reflects developments in other Bantu languages-of the origins of the
Kikonzo future formatives. The interesting thing about Kikonzo is that the
common
process of final syllable deletion of the grammaticalized auxiliary has
a completely new construction, the near future, and not just in a
reduced form of the simple future.
resulted
5.
in
Reconsidering the meanings of the reconstructed roots
It seems apparent that the futures in all four languages being considered
here developed from similar periphrastic constructions incorporating auxiliaries
meaning 'desire, want'. It is not clear, however, that both of these auxiliary roots
had this meaning in proto-Bantu. We reconstructed for the two coastal languages. Kimabiha and Kimbundu, an original root of the form *-bid-, which
evolved into -mbel- and -and-, respectively. In most instances this root seems
to be associated with a meaning of 'want, desire, covet', but in Kimakua (P31)
we find -lipela 'hope, expect; await'.
A similar situation exists for the two interior languages, Kikonzo and
Chichewa, for which we resurrected a root *-gid-.
Although these two
languages no longer include a verb derived from this root, in Kikerebe (J24) we
occurrence of the verb with this
general meaning. However, we also find the cognate form -lijila in Chiyao
(P21) (*g > I /
i.e).
But the meaning here is 'await outcome with confidence'.
The most probable direction of change is from 'await (expect?)' to 'desire, want'.
Thus, we might conclude that the roots *-bid- and *-gid- underwent a shift in
meaning in most languages to 'desire', subsequently becoming an auxiliary in
some languages and undergoing grammaticalization.
find -liglra 'covet, desire', substantiating the
182
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
Some
6.
implications and conclusions
This initial exploration of future formatives has interesting innplications for
Bantu historical work. We have seen that future formatives in four widely
separated languages each developed out of a 'desire + infinitive' periphrastic
construction. Coupled with our knowledge of languages such as Kiswahili that
also employ a 'desire' derived future formative {-ta- from -taka), we can
hypothesize a quite widespread use of this type of periphrastic construction for
future meaning. However, this reflects widespread occurrence of a syntactic
type which has incorporated different forms of a verb 'desire'. Thus, we can
suppose that the 'desire + infinitive' construction, as a future, was not part of
proto-Bantu, but appeared at a much later date, thereby supporting Givon's
(1971) claim that modal prefixes arose at a relatively late date from main-
verb/sentential-complement constructions.
We
have seen,
in addition, that
reflexive/ intransitivizing prefix
much
the
initial
the root of the verb 'desire' can take the
which renders the meaning 'desire very
the non-prefixed form is then lost, the underlying structure
particularly if phonological changes also affect either
consonant or vowel of the prefix.
(for oneself)'.
tends to
-//-,
If
become opaque,
Through extensive comparison and access
to, or reconstruction of,
are able to reconstruct roots that have become nearly
obliterated, such as those in Chichewa and Kikonzo.
However, in some
languages the grammaticalization process has proceeded so far that there is no
internal evidence remaining to support reconstruction. Still, comparison with
languages like Chichewa and Kikonzo provide us with plausible, albeit
circumstantial, support for proposing similar analyses.
Two examples will
illustrate this point. In Chigogo (Gil) we find the remote future formative oband a near future formative ->. Although there appears to be absolutely no
evidence in the language suggesting the origin of these formatives, the analysis
presented here suggests a viable one. Chigogo has a verb 'want' of the form
we
idiosyncratic changes,
-hila
(from -pila *p >
harmony
that
we
final syllable deletion,
evolved as
Assuming processes of vowel coalescence and vowel
Kimbundu, and creation of a new construction from
we can posit an original -hila + infinitive construction that
h).
noted
in (50).
(50) -hila ku-root
As we saw
in
>
-hllD-root
>
-Disroot (remote); -D-root (near)
Kimbundu, final -a of the auxiliary and coalesces with u- of
Bantu change) to produce the mid vowel [6\.
Subsequent loss of initial [h] and vowel harmony result in the observed
earlier in
the infinitive (a
common
Botne: Reconstruction of a Grammaticalized Auxiliary in Bantu
formative.
we observed in Kikonzo (section
produce a near future formative.
Similar to what
final syllable to
1
83
4) is the loss of the
In Kiyombe (H12b) a similar problem arises with the remote future -ela.
Here, however, we can note that the language underwent a sound change
*g >
(except after N). Thus, we can posit an original -gila + infinitive
construction; lowering of the vowel occurred in the shift from a seven to a five
vowel system.
While other explanations of the origins of the future formatives in these
languages are certainly possible, the scenario have presented here provides a
coherent overall picture of the development of future formatives in Bantu lanI
guages
that captures both similarities
and differences
in their realizations.
NOTES
thank Charles Bird as well as two anonymous reviewers
criticisms on the problems raised in this paper.
Their remarks have contributed to making this a better paper. Responsibility for
content and any errors naturally lies with me.
'
I
for
SLS
would
like to
for their
comments and
1
use these items from Kinande because the same are not available for
Kikonzo and because these two languages are extremely close, sharing
extensive vocabulary and many grammatical elements.
I
184
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
APPENDIX
Botne: Reconstruction of a Grammaticalized Auxiliary in Bantu
1
85
REFERENCES
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Pauline. 1961.
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African Linguistics 2:2.145-163.
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HOCK, Hans Henrich. 1986.
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Mouton
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HORTON,
A. E.
1949.
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Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa.
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Teisseres,
studies
in
Volume
19,
the Lingijistic Sciences
Number
2, Fall
1989
MODIFICATION OF THE GENDER SYSTEM
IN THE WOLLEGAN DIALECT OF OROMO
Cynthia Robb Clamons
University of Minnesota
Gender markings
Oromo language
the eastern and southern dialects of the
both a natural and a grammatical
In the western (Wollegan) dialect, gender
in
reflect
scheme.
marked
classification
distinctions are not
markings do appear, they
in
some
constructions.
Where gender
perceived natural gender of the
referent only.
In the analysis proposed in this paper, the
reconstructed paradigms are most similar to those found in presentday dialects of the east and south and the western dialect is taken to
have an historically simplified gender system. This analysis is
consistent with classification of Oromo as a T/K substratum language
and the recent history of the various dialect groups.
1.
reflect the
Introduction
This study compares gender markings in a number of dialects of the
language.
will argue that in some areas of the grammar of the dialect
of Wollega, for example, on demonstratives and possessive pronouns, the
feminine form has vanished and the masculine form has been generalized.
Further,
will also argue that in other areas of the grammar where the feminine
form has been retained, for example on the third person singular form of the
verb and some adjectives, the basis for assigning gender has changed.^
Oromo
I
I
Fleming and Bender (1976) classify Oromo on the Lowland branch of the
Cushitic group of the Afroasiatic family, a close relative of Bararetta and the
Konso languages, also related to the Somali and the Afar and Saho languages.
One of the characteristics of the Cushitic languages that they mention in arguing
the distinctness of the Omotic languages from the Cushitic group is the T/K
(feminine and masculine) gender marking of the Cushitic languages that is not
found
in
the Omotic languages.^
6
188
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences
1
9:2 (Fall
1
989)
her study of T/K languages, Bryan (1959) considers some languages
as well as Cushitic languages. She
concludes that all languages showing these distinctive gender markings share
at least one common ancestor, the T/K substratum. She further distinguishes
two underlying t forms within the Cushitic group, one from this T/K substratum,
*t, and another which she characterizes as Hamito-Semitic, HS t.
In her
In
that are not in the Cushitic subfamily
analysis, the
Oromo shows
the distinctive opposition between
*t
(feminine)
and
k (masculine) in the demonstratives, possessive pronouns and so forth. She
argues that the third person feminine verbal inflection (among others) is directly
from the HS t. She suggests further, that the HS t has merged with *t in the
feminine particularlzer and that the *t has been changed to c in the masculine
particularizer.3
2.
Evidence from Wollegan Oromo
In
the introduction to his folk literature collection, Cerulli (1922:11) points
Maccaa dialects show no difference between the masculine and
feminine possessive forms. This can be seen in (1) and (2) below. The data in
(1 a) and (2 a) are from my teacher, Abraham Oluma, of Wollega, in Maccaa, in
western Ethiopia.'* In his dialect the possessive form is keeti when modifying
haadha 'mother' and abba 'father.' The data in (1 b) and (2 b) are from my
teacher, Stephanos Madda, an Arussi from southeastern Ethiopia.^ The second
person possessive pronoun is tee when modifying the feminine haadha
'mother', but kee when modifying the masculine abba 'father.' This reflects the
T/K alternation referred to In the descriptions of the Cushitic and T/K substratum
languages.
out that the
Wollega
(1)
a.
kun haadha
this mother
'this is
(2)
a.
father
'this is
b.
your
your mother?'
kun abba
this
arussi
keeti?
keeti?
your
your father?'
tun
this
'this
b.
haadha
tee?
mother
your
is your mother?'
kun abba
this
father
'this is
kee?
your
your father?'
The other eastern and southern dialects that have been reported in the
show the same alternations as those found in the Arussi data. The
chart in (3) provides the possessive pronoun paradigm from a number of
literature
dialects.
Qamons: Modification of the Gender System
(3)
WEST
CENTRAL EAST
WOLLEGA ARUSSI HARAR
SOUTH
KENYA
KENYA
BOORAN MUNYO
WAATA
koo
masc: koo
tiyya
tiyya
tiyya
tan-ti
tf
kiyya
xiyya
kiyya
kan-ki
kfinki
kee
masc: kee
tee
te
(t^n)te
tan-te
tente
kee
xe(k^n) k6
kan-ke
kee
ishia
-sha
'my' fern:
'thy'
Wollegan Dialect of Oromo
in the
tern:
189
'her':
shee/see
isi
ISII
'his':
saa
is^
isa^sa^
isa
isa
keenya
teenna
tennya
teenna
xennya keenna
tan-teen
(ten)teena
keennd
kan-keen
(ken)keena
teess^n
teesani
t^n-teesan
(ten)teesani
'our*
fem:
masc: keenya
your* fem:
keesani
masc: keesani
'their':
saani
ISII
te^sani
keessan xeesani keesani
isaani
warra
isaani
-sa
kan-keeesan (ken)keesani
-saani
isaani
Also notice that the demonstrative 'this' in (1) and (2) shows no alternation
does in the Arussi. The absence of this alternation in the
Wollegan data can also be seen in other areas of the Wollegan grammar, e.g.,
'the other* in (4) and (5), 'which' in (6) and (7) and the relative form in (8) and
in
the Wollegan, but
(9):
WOLLEGA
(4) a.
muri
bread
cut
'cut
(5) a.
ARUSSI
daabboo kaan
other
IMP
muka
kaan
kamtu
which
'exactly
kamtu
which
'exactly
b.
FAM
haadha kee?
mother your
which is your mother?'
abba
kee?
your
your father?'
father
which
is
hapii
taan
muri
other cut IMP
the other bread!*
bread
'cut
muri
other
cut IMP
'cut the other tree!*
(7) a.
FAM
the other bread!"
tree
(6) a.
b.
FAM
muka
kaan muri
other cut IMP
*cutthe other tree!'
tree
tamtu
FAM
haadha tee?
mother your
which is your
mother?'
which
'exactly
kamtu
which
abba kee?
'exactly
which
father your
is
your father?'
190
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
ija
koo kamtu na dhukkuba
eye my REL
me hurts
'it is my eye that hurts'
(8) a.
(9) a.
fuhfiaan koo kamtu na
'it's
In all
dhukkuba
REL me
my
nose
my nose
b.
my REL me hurts
my eye that hurts'
is
funnaan kiyya kamtu na dhukkuba
my
nose
REL me hurts
'it's my nose that hurts'
b.
hurts
the instances considered thus
tiyya tamtu
eye
'It
that hurts'
has been generalized as
na dhukkuba
ija
far,
contend that the T/K alternation
in (10):
k<*t/k
(10)
those areas of the grammar where gender distinctions are
feminine form, and the k masculine form, derived in Bryan's
analysis from the T/K substratum, that gender distinctions have been obliterated
and the masculine k form generalized in the grammar of Wollega.
Again,
is in
it
marked by the
*t
However, there are other areas of the grammar in which the feminine form
marked with an alveolar stop in the Wollegan, as well as the other dialects.
These are derived from the HS t forms in Bryan's reconstruction. The verb is
marked for agreement with the feminine subject in (11) whereas in (12) there is
is
no overt marker.
Wollega
(11) a.
Arussi
obboleettiin
koo dhufte
obboleettiin
tiyya
dhufte
sister
my came F
sister
my
came F
'my sister came'
'my sister came'
(12) a.
obboleessi
koo dhufe
obboleessi
kiyya
my
brother
'my brother came'
brother
my came
'my brother came'
dhufe
came
This pattern of overt stop on the feminine marker and absence of a stop on
is also found in some adjective forms, as in (12) and (13),
where dheer- 'tall' is marked -tuu and -aa respectively.''
the masculine marker
,
Wollega
(13) a.
Arussi
dheertuu dha
PART NOM tall F COP
dubartittiin
woman
'the woman
(14) a.
namiccii
b.
'the
dheeraa dha
tall
M COP
dheertuu
b.
namiccii
person
dha
PART F NOM tall
woman is tall'
person
is tall'
person PART M NOM
Ihe man is tall'
namtittiin
dheeraa
F
COP
dha
PART M NOM tall M COP
'the
man
is tall'
1
Qamons: Modification of the Gender System
in the
Wollegan Dialect of Oromo
1
9
Notice that there is also an alternation between the forms of the
as can also be seen in (13) and (14). It is not, however, marked
by an alternation between the alveolar stop and the velar stop, as in (1)-(9), but
by an alternation between the alveolar stop and a palatal affricate. Notice that
both the patterns, that with an overt stop marking the feminine form alternating
with no overt marker on the masculine form and that with an overt stop marking
the feminine form alternating with the alveopalatal affricate marker on the
masculine form, are found in the Wollegan dialect, as well as in the other
These are the forms derived from HS t in Bryan's reconstruction.
dialects.
particularizer,
The assignment
of
nouns
to the feminine class in the Arussi
is
not
necessarily based on the perceived sex of the referent. In (4 b) and (5 b), for
example, hapii 'bread* and muka 'tree' are modified by feminine and masculine
In the eastern and
demonstratives taan and kaan 'the other*, respectively.
southern dialects, the basis for distinguishing gender is not only perceived sex
of the referent but also phonological shape of the noun or arbitrary lexical
classification.
Owens (1985:244 ff) discusses the factors involved in gender
assignment in the Harar dialect. This situation is extensible to the other dialects
considered in this study, except the Wollegan.
would like to suggest that in the eastern and southern dialects, there are
two rules of the two kinds proposed in Hutchinson (1985) for specification of the
anaphoric pronoun in Temne. To choose the correct gender marker:
I
(1
In
belief.
5)
you believe
this refers to
a female use the feminine form,
to
a
a.
If
b.
male, the masculine form,
If you believe this refers to an inanimate object, use the form
appropriate for its lexical class or phonological form.
if
(15 a) a grammatical form is chosen on the basis of nongrammatical
(15 b) wholly grammatical information is also invoked.
In
Gragg (1976) point out that the gender in the
based on a natural system; referents that are female are
Nordfeldt (1947:20ff) and
Wollegan dialect
is
referred to by feminine forms, those that are male, by masculine forms. But also
marked as feminine are names and adjectives that refer to objects that are
small, insignificant or that belong to certain semantic classes, e. g.,
names
of
The difference between assignment in this
flowers or astronomical objects.
dialect, as opposed to the other dialects can be seen in (16 a) and (16 b), the
Wollegan data does not show feminine agreement marked on the verb, but the
Arussi data does.
192
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
WOLLEGA
(16) a.
ARUSSI
koo na dhukkuba
chikilee
elbow
my me hurts
'my elbow hurts'
Wollega, the form
In
in
meaning 'my elbow
b.
na dhukkubdi
elbow
my me hurts F
'my elbow hurts'
chikilee tiyya
(16 a) would be the only form for the straightforward
The form in (16 b) may also be used in
Wollega, but only in talking of an Insignificant hurt. Similarly, in the Arussi
dialect, the feminine form may be used illiterally to signify such meaning. The
form in (13 b) may be used sarcastically, for instance, in referring to a man
thought to be worthless. In the Wollega dialect, the form in (13 b) has this
literal
pejorative
meaning
hurts.'
only.
In addition to the neutralization of the distinctions between the feminine
and masculine forms as in (10), would like to suggest that the gender system in
the Wollegan dialect has been simplified in another way. The Wollegan dialect
has but one rule similar to (15 a), but extended to (17). The rule in (15 b) has
been eliminated in this dialect.
I
(17)
If
you believe this refers to a female, or small, insignificant or
worthless referent use the feminine form, if to a male, the masculine
form.
It
appears from the data examined that it is nonlinguistic belief alone that
in determining gender, not purely grammatical information.
is
invoked
3.
Conclusion
The
have described here is consistent with linguists'
Lewis (1966) reconstructs the history of the Oromo over the past
several centuries. In his reconstmction, the Maccaa tribes moved into the areas
they presently occupy in southwestern Ethiopia from the Oromo cradleland in
the northern areas of present day Boraan. This means that these tribes moved
into a contact situation with speakers of Omotic languages, which do not have
Recall
the characteristic T/K gender system found in the Cushitic languages.
that it is in these cases that the masculine gender has been generalized in the
dialect of Wollega. As in many other areas of Ethiopia, the Oromo of Wollega
are also in an intimate contact situation with the Amhara, whose language is
Semitic. Although the data in Cooper and Carpenter (1976) and Cooper et al.
(1976) only begin a sketch of the sociolinguistic situation in Wollega, it is clear
that Oromo is an important second language for the now small group of
speakers of the Omotic language as mother tongue and also for the native
Amharic speakers, while Amharic is an important second language for the
native Oromo speakers.
situation that
expectations.
I
Qamons:
Modification of the Gender System in the Wollegan Dialect of
Oromo
1
93
Weinreich (1953:42-43) discusses a number of contact situations in wiiich
gramnnatical accommodation results in the disappearance of grammatical
categories and observes further that the assignment of gender tends to be
simplified to a semantic basis. Gumperz and Wilson (1971) report on a contact
situation in India. They describe modifications in the gender systems of Marathi
and Urdu as they are spoken in a village in which Kannada, Marathi and Urdu
have all been spoken for centuries. The loce; varieties of the Marathi and Urdu
show modifications with respect to the standard varieties that reflect changes
similar to those that have described in the Oromo of Wollega.
I
In standard Marathi most, but not all nouns denoting females (or males)
are feminine (or masculine), and while nouns denoting inanimate objects are
most often neuter, they may be masculine or feminine as well. In the variety of
Marathi that is discussed in the study, nouns denoting males are masculine,
nouns denoting females feminine and nouns denoting inanimate objects are
neuter. This forms an isomorphism with the Kannada gender system.
In summary,
have concluded that there have been two modifications in
First, in all areas of the grammar
the gender system in the Wollegan dialect.
where Bryan's reconstruction assumes an historically underlying *t/k, k is
generalized in the Wollegan dialect, as in (10). Secondly, where Bryan's
reconstruction assumes the underlying HS t, gender distinctions are still
I
marked in the Wollegan dialect, but the choice is based on a semantic
(17) and not on a grammatical rule as in (15 b).
rule
as
in
NOTES
U would like to thank Stephanos Madda and Abraham Oluma for their
generous and patient assistance in establishing the data for this study, and also
Larry Hutchinson and Rocky Miranda for their valuable suggestions and
encouragement.
2There is a noun stem alternation in Kefa where o and e alternate,
an earlier T/K alternation. Lionel Bender (personal communication)
has been involved more recently in reconstructions that suggest that these two
groups are in fact derived at a greater depth from common stock.
indicating
194
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
3The kind of analogical change that Bryan's analysis suggests appears to
be reflected at a later stage in the Harar dialect reported in Owens (1985:98)
where the negative particle exhibits an alternation between the x and h in:
tun
harree-miti
innii
donkey not
'this is not a donkey'
There
is
no alternation found
angafa xiyyaa-mihi
he
this
'he
in this
^These data are consistent
my
my elder
elder
is
not
negative form
with data in
not
brother'
in
the other dialects.
Gragg (1976,1980).
sjhese data are consistent with those reported
in
Andrzejewski (1972).
6The Harar data are from Owens (1985), the Boraan data from
Andrzejewski (1962) and Owens (1980 and 1982) and the Kenyan data from
Heine (1980 and 1981).
^Gene Gragg has pointed
emergence
of
end with this
Miranda (1975) discusses the
out that there are other forms that
phonological form that are not feminine.
such anomalous forms.
REFERENCES
ANDRZEJEWSKI,
B.
W. 1962. Ideas about warfare
African
fables.
Language Studies
in
Borana Galla
stories
and
111:116-136.
in Galla hymns in praise of Sheikh Hussein of
Language Studies 13:1-31.
Bender, Marvin Lionel, ed. 1976. The non-Semitic languages of Ethiopia.
1972.
.
Bale.
Allusive diction
African
East Lansing,
Michigan:
African
Studies Center,
Michigan State
University.
R. L. Cooper and C. A. Ferguson, eds. 1976. Language in
London: Oxford University Press.
Bryan, Margaret. A. 1959. The T/K languages: A new substratum. Africa
(London) XXIX:1-21.
CERULLi, Enrico. 1922. The folk literature of the Galla of southern Abyssinia.
Harvard African Studies 111:9-228.
Cooper, Richard L, and Susan Carpenter. 1976. Language in the market.
The non-Semitic languages of Ethiopia, ed. by M. L Bender, 244-255.
African Studies Center, Michigan State
East Lansing, Michigan:
,
J.
D.
Bowen,
Ethiopia.
University.
B. N. Singh and Abraha Ghermazion. 1976. Mother tongue and other
tongue in Kefa and Arusi. Language in Ethiopia. Language in Ethiopia,
ed. by M. L Bender, J. D. Bowen, R. L. Cooper and C. A. Ferguson, 213245. London: Oxford University Press.
,
Qamons: Modification of the Gender System in
the
Wollegan Dialect of Oromo
1
95
FLEMING, Harold C. and Marvin L. Bender. 1976. Non-Semitic languages.
Language in Ethiopia, ed. by M. L. Bender, J. D. Bowen, R. L. Cooper and
London: Oxford University Press.
1976. Oromo of vVellega. The non-Semitic languages of
Ethiopia, ed. by M. L. Bender, 167-195. East Lansing, Michigan: African
Studies Center, Michigan State University
1982. Oromo dictionary. East Lansing, Michigan: African Studies
Center, Michigan State University.
C. A. Ferguson, 34-58.
Gragg, Gene
B.
.
J. and Robert Wilson. 1971. Convergence and creolization: A
case from the Indo-Aryan/Dravidian border in India. Pidginization and
University
creolization of languages, ed. by Dell Hymes. Cambridge:
GUMPERZ, John
Press.
Heine, Bemd.
Kenya Vol
.
1980. Munyo, an Oromo dialect. Language and Dialect Atlas of
II, 141-171.
Berlin: Reimer Verlag.
The Waata
1981.
Kenya Vol
IV:7-71.
Oromo. Language and Dialect Atlas
Reimer Verlag.
dialect of
Berlin:
Hutchinson,
Larry G. 1985. Nonlinguistic belief in linguistics.
Pragmatics 9:109-136.
LEWIS, Herbert S. 1966. The origins of the Galla and Somali.
of
Journal of
Journal of
African History 7:1.27-46.
Indo-European gender: A study in semantic and
of Indo-European Studies. 3:199-215.
NORDFELDT, Martin. 1947. A Galla grammar. Le Monde Oriental. XXXI l-XXXV.
OWENS, Jonathon. 1980. Observations on tone in the Booran dialect of Oromo
MIRANDA, Rocky.
1975.
syntactic change.
The Journal
I
(Galla).
.
African
1982.
Case
Language Studies 17:141-196.
in the Booran Dialect of Oromo.
LXV -43-75.
1985. A grammar
Afrika
und Obersee
of Harar Oromo (Northeastern Ethiopia). Hamburg:
Helmut Buske Verlag.
Weinreich, Uriel. 1953. Languages in Contact. New York: Linguistic Circle of
.
New
York.
V
Appendices
to the
Proceedings
APPENDIX A
History of the Annual Conference on African Linguistics
APPENDIX B
Research and Publications in African Linguistics
by Students, Alumni, and Faculty of the University of Illinois,
1980-1990
Studies
in
Volume
19,
the
Linguistic
Number
Sciences
1989
2, Fall
Appendix A
HISTORY OF
THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON AFRICAN LINGUISTICS
Compiled by
M. Lionel Bender, SlUC
Ronald Schaeffer, SIUE
Russell Schuh, UCLA
ยป
200
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
Date
Apr. 6-8
Host Institution
Queens College &
1973
Graduate Center
Program/Proceedings
Program in SAL 4.2 /
Organizers
Amy Meyers
No Proceedings
of
CUNY. NYC. NY
5
Mar. 29-31
1
974
Stanford University
Stanford (Palo
(is<)
Alto),
William
Leben
Program
CA
in
SAL
William Leben,
5.1
/Ed.
SAL
Suppl. 5, 1974
6
7
Apr. 11-13
Ohio State University
1975
Columbus,
1976
University of Florida
PNP/Ed.: Robert
Robert K. Herbert
OH
Herbert.
Haig Der-Houssikian
Paul A. Kotey
&
K.
1975.
PNP/Eds.: Paul Kotey &
Haig Der-Houssikian.
1
976.
Proceedings of the
Seventh Conference on
African Linguistics
(Language and
Problems
Hornbeam
Press.
Columbia, SC.
Apr. 1-3
Linguistic
in Africa).
APPENfDDCA: History of AC AL
#
201
(
the Linguistic Sciences
Studies
in
Volume
19,
Number
2, Fall
1989
Appendix B
RESEARCH AND PUBLICATIONS
IN AFRICAN LINGUISTICS
BY STUDENTS, ALUMNI, AND FACULTY
OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS, 1980-1990
Compiled by
Issam M. Abu-Salim, University of Jordan
Laura J. Downing, University of Illinois
Since the creation of the African Language and Linguistics Program in the
of Linguistics in 1969, there has been a rigorous and on-going
research effort in all aspects of the study of African languages. The publications
and research of the Africanist students, alumni, and faculty listed below confirm
this effort and constitute a follow-up to the first listing (1970-1979) published in
Department
SLS
1
9:2 (Fall 1979).
STUDENT RESEARCH ON AFRICANIST TOPICS
Diop, Abdul Aziz
African Linguistics, Phonology, Sociolinguistics
a)
Specialization:
b)
Africanist publications/conference presentations:
1989. Language planning across political boundaries: A case study of Fula. Paper presented at
the 20th Annual Conference in African Linguistics, University of Illinois, Urbana, April 1989.
Downing, Laura
J.
a)
Specialization:
Phonology and Tonology (Eastern and Southern African
Bantu Languages
b)
Dissertation
Problems
title:
in Jita
Tonology (^990)
of this dissertation are, first, to present a detailed analysis of the tone systenn of
an Eastern Bantu language spoken in Tanzania and second, to motivate a theory of the
interaction of tone and accent in Bantu. As a background to a discussion fo the tone system,
The goals
Jita,
a romraic analysis
of syllable structure is
presented (the syllable
is
the tone-bearing unit of
204
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
with special attention to the processes of compensatory lengthening. Next, the tone
patterns of verbs, nouns, and noun-modifier phrases are analyzed, and it is shown that much
of the Jita tone system may b e accounted for by non-metrical rules, i.e., rules which refer to
the tonal properties only of immediately adjacent syllables. However, some tone patterns in
Jita are derived from long-distance tone-spread and (re)association rules.
argue that these
long-distance tone processes provide evidence for the interaction of tone and metrical
Jita),
I
prominence (accent)
in Jita, since metrical stmcture is the only phonological device which
allows long distance operations to be formulated so as to respect the Locality Principle.
Further, the interaction of tone and accent in Jita is shown to provide evidence against the
Ordering Hypothesis (Goldsmith 1982, Sietsema 1989) since non-metrical tone rules must
precede the assignment of accent in some constructions.
c)
Africanist publications/conference presentations:
1988a. Tone in Jita noun-modifier phrases. Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 18:1.25-60.
(Revised version of a paper presented at the 19th Annual Conference on African
Linguistics, Boston University, April 1988.)
1988b. Local and metrical tone shift in Zulu and Xhosa. Paper presented at the 1988 Annual
Meeting of the Linguistic Society of America, New Orleans, December 1988.
1989. Tone and intonation in Jita yes/no questions. Paper presented at the 20th Annual African
Linguistics Conference, University of Illinois, Urbana, April 1989.
1990.
Compensatory lenghthening and the representation of nasal-consonant (NC) clusters.
Paper presented at the 21st Annual African Linguistics Conference, University of Georgia,
Athens, April 1990.
Dunn, Andrea S.
a)
Specialization:
b)
Dissertation
African Linguistics, Pragmatics. Discourse, Swahili
title:
Discourse Markers
in
Swahili (1990)
The thesis explores the role of discourse markers in creating coherence in Swahili
discourse. Core meanings will be given for three mar)<ers in terms of hearer inferences about
speaker plans based on the context in which the particle occurs.
Current research besides
c)
my dissertation
topic
concerns the pragmatics
of
demonstratives.
Africanist publications/conference presentations:
1985.
1989.
Swahili language policy implementation in Tanzania:
Council. Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 15:1.
More on Swahili demonstratives.
Paper presented
at
The
role of the National Swahili
the 20th Annual Conference on
African Linguistics, Urbana, April 1989.
1990.
The pragmatics of the Swahili discourse marker BASI. Paper presented at the 21st Annual
African Linguistics Conference, University of Georgia, Athens, April 1990.
Evans, Dorothy Eaton
a)
Specialization:
Computational Linguistics, Phonology, and Kiswahlli
Appendix
b)
B: Research
Proposed
& Publications in African Linguistics
dissertation
title:
/
205
University of Illinois
A Phonological Rule Tester Comparing Two
Hierarchical Phonological Theories
The research envisaged here involves the development of an autosegmental phonological
mle tester on the Macintosh computer. The study will compare E. Sagey's (1986) feature
hierarchy and D. Archangeli & D. Pulleyblank's (1986) theory and hierarchy using data from
Swahili.
c)
Publications/conference presentations:
1989. Vowel alternations with the applied verbal extension in Swahili. Paper presented at the
20th Annual conference on African Linguistics, University of Illinois, Urbana, April 1989.
1990a. Underspecification, default and complement rules of Kiswahili tested in HyperCard. Paper
presented at the 21st Annual African Linguistics Conference, University of Georgia,
Athens, April 1990.
1990b.
The
contribution of African Linguistics to linguistic theory:
19:2 & 20:1. Associate Editor.
Proceedings
of the 20th
ACAL SLS
Kamwangamalu, Nkonko
African Linguistics, Code-mixing, Bantu syntax
a)
Specialization:
b)
Dissertation
c)
Africanist publications/conference presentations:
title:
1985a. Passivization
in
Theory and Method of Code-Mixing: A Cross-Linguistic
Study (^989)
Bantu: Implications for Relational Grammar. Paper presented at the
Linguistics, Yale University, March 1985.
1
6th
Annual Conference on African
1985b. Relativization in Bantu: A Relational Approach. Paper presented
America Linguistics Conference, Kansas State University, April 1985.
1985c.
Passivization in Bantu languages:
Linguistic
Implications for Relational
1985 Mid-
at the
Grammar. Studies
in
the
Sciences 15:1.109-133.
1986a. (with E. G. Bokamba.) The significance of code-mixing to linguistic theory: Evidence from
Bantu languages. Paper presented at the 17th Annual Conference on African Linguistics,
Indiana University, Bloomington, April 1986.
1986b. (with H. Obeidat.) Relativization in Bantu: A relational approach.
Mid-America Linguistics Conference, 120-132.
In
Papers from the 1985
1987a. The pragmatics of code-mixing with English: The case of African languages.
presented at the Conference on Pragmatics and Language Learning, University of
Urbana, April 1987.
Paper
Illinois,
1987b. French/vernacular code-mixing in Zaire: Implications for syntactic constraints. Papers
166-180.
from the 23rd Annual Regional Meeting of the Chicago Linguistic Society, Part
I,
206
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
1987c. (with E. G. Bokamba.) The significance of code-mixing to linguistic theory: Evidence from
Bantu languages. Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 17:2.21-43.
1987d. Code-mixing and modernization across cultures. In: ERIC Educational Document (A
Clearinghouse on Language and Linguistics), ED No. 284 441.
1988a. Phonology-syntax interface: Evidence from Ciluba. Paper presented at the 19th Annual
Conference on African Linguistics, Boston University, April 1988.
Linguistic Repertoire and Language 'Mixing' in Africa. Paper presented at the 6th PanAfrican Conference, Indiana State University, Terre Haute, April 1988.
1988b.
C-command' and the Phonology-Syntax
1988c.
interface in Ciluba.
Studies
in
the Linguistic
Sciences 18:2.87-109.
The pragmatics of code-mixing vi/ith English: The case of African languages revisited.
Paper presented at the Conference on Pragmatics and Language Learning, University of
Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, April 1989.
1989a.
Some
1989b.
morphosyntactic aspects
of
French/English-Bantu code-mixing:
evidence
for
universal constraints. Paper presented at the 25th Annual Regional Meeting of the
Chicago Linguistic Society, April 1989.
1989c. On constraints on grammars in contact: A Bantu perspective. Paper presented at the
20th Annual Conference in African Linguistics, University of Illinois, Urbana, April 1989.
1990. The problem of constraints on language 'mixing': An alternate approach. Paper presented
at the 21st Annual African Linguistics Conference, University of Georgia, Athens, April
1990.
Kapanga,
Mwamba
T.
African Linguistics, Sociolinguistics, Swahili
a)
Specialization:
b)
Dissertation
c)
Africanist publications/conference presentations:
1988.
title:
Language Variation and Change:
Shaba Swahili (1990)
A Case Study from
Non-native varieties and second language acquisition theory: A case study from Shaba
Paper presented at the 19th Annual Conference in African Linguistics, Boston
University, April 1988.
Swahili.
1989a. Shaba Swahili: Any evidence
Annual Conference
of pidginization/creolization?
of African Linguistics, University of Illinois,
Paper presented at the 20th
Urbana, April 1989.
(with M. Ngame.) Convergence and divergence in African-based pidgins and Creoles:
Kikongo and Swahili. Paper presented at the 20th Annual Conference of African
1989b.
Linguistics, University of
Illinois,
Urbana,
April 1989.
Mmusi, Sheila Onkaetse
a)
Specialization:
African Linguistics, Phonology
and Tonology
APPENDIX B: Research
b)
Dissertation
title:
& Publications in African Linguistics
An Autosegmental Analysis
/
University of Illinois
of Verbal Tone
in
207
Setswana
The thesis will provide an autosegmental analysis of the various tonal patterns verbs
assume in this language under different environments determined by grammatical aspects
such as tense, negation and so on.
am
I
also currently involved with research on some aspects of verbal tone in Lozi, a language
in Southern Africa, in the attempt to provide an autosegmental analysis of tone in this
spoken
language.
c)
Publications/conference presentations:
1989. (with C. Kisseberth.) The object marker and verbal tone in Setswana. Paper presented at
the 20th Annual Conference of African Linguistics, University of Illinois, Urbana, April 1989.
Grammatical high tone spread in Setswana - Implications for the syntactic-phonological
Paper presented at the 21st Annual African Linguistics Conference, University
1990.
interface.
of
Georgia, Athens, April 1990.
Ourso, Meterwa A.
a)
Specialization:
b) Dissertation
title:
African Linguistics, Phonology/morphology
Lama Phonology and Morphology
(1989)
This thesis will be an exploration in the segmental and the tonal alternations
verb morphology. Main focus on the interaction between:
the root final segment and suffix initial segment;
u)
the tone of the root and tone of the suffix.
Hi)
the aspectual suffix and the other components of the VP.
in
noun and
i)
I
am
also currently working
on a Lama-French-English word
list
with the aim of writing a trilingual
dictionary.
c)
Africanist publications/conference presentations:
1987a. Constraints on borrowing and nativization. Paper presented at the 18th Annual
Conference on African Linguistics, Universit6 du Qu6bec ^ Montr6al, April 1987.
1987b. (with E. Yu.) Noun class system in Lama. Paper presented at the 18th Annual
Conference on African Linguistics, Universit6 du Qu6bec ci Montr6al, April 1987.
1988a. (with M. Kenstowicz.) Tone in Lama. Paper presented
African Linguistics, Boston University, April 1988.
at
the 19th Annual Conference on
1988b. Tonal polarity in two Gur languages. (In collaboration with M. Kenstowicz and E. Nikiema.)
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 18:1.77-104.
1988c.
Root control, underspecification and
ATR harmony.
Studies
in
the Linguistic Sciences
18:2.
1989a. (with E. Yu.) The semantics of noun classes. Paper presented at the 20th Annual
Conference on African Linguistics, University of Illinois, Urbana, April 1989.
208
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
1989b. (with C. Ulrich.) Sonorant-Hardening in Lama. Paper presented at the 20th Annual
Conference on African Linguistics, University of Illinois, Urbana, April 1989.
(forthcoming.)
Phonological processes
in
the
noun class system
of
en Lama. Journal
of
Lama. Studies
in
African
Linguistics.
(forthcoming.) Crit6res
de
distribution
des
affixes
West
African Languages.
Treece, Rick.
a)
Specialization:
b) Dissertation
title:
Morphology, Kiswahili
Deverbal Nominals in Kiswahili:
Morphology and the Lexicon (1990)
Underspecification
Apart from the regular prefixed infinitive, Kiswahili exhibits a number of processes for
deriving nominals from verbs by affixation. The dissertation will provide a formal morphological
description of the most common of these processes (suffixation in -o, -/, -aji, -e, -a, etc.) as well
as show
how such nominals
specification, including
c)
fit into the larger Kiswahili noun system.
Various issues of
morpheme/meaning correspondence, will also be addressed.
lexical
Africanist publications/conference presentations:
1976.
Exercises for Book I. In Diop & Britten, eds. Dossiers P6dagogiques Documentaires.
Dakar: Centre de Recherche, Ecole Normale Sup6rieure, 29-47.
Peace Corps/Senegal Teacher's Manual
1977.
for
Volunteers Using the
CLAD
Method. Dakar:
PC/S.
A new description. Paper presented at the 1 7th
Annual Conference on African Linguistics, Indiana University, Btoomington, April 1986. (to
appear in Current Approaches to African Linguistics, vol.
Dordrecht: Foris.)
1986a. Kiswahili agreement for kinship terms:
.
1986b. What
1987.
is
a Bantu noun class? Studies
in
the Linguistic Sciences 16:1.149-166.
Swahili deverbal nominals and the spurious causative. Paper presented at the 18th
Annual Conference on African Linguistics, Universit6 du Qu6bec k Montr6al, April 1987.
The underlying representation
in Kiswahili.
Paper
presented at the 20th Annual Conference on African Linguistics, University of
Urbana, April 1989.
Illinois,
1989.
of the class
1
substantive prefix
1990a. Underspecification and Kiswahili Phonemes. Paper presented at the 21st Annual African
Linguistics Conference, University of Georgia, Athens, April 1990.
1990b.
The
contribution of African Linguistics to linguistic theory:
19:2 & 20:1. Associate Editor.
Proceedings
ACAL SLS
Yu, Ella Ozier
a)
Specialization:
Morphology (Lama, Gur language
family).
Syntax
of the
20th
APPENDIX
b)
B: Research
Dissertation
title:
& Publications in African Linguistics
Theoretical Aspects of
/
University of Illinois
Noun Classes
in
Lama
(1
209
990)
The thesis presents a descriptive analysis of the noun class structure in Lama. Special
emphasis is placed on the semantics of class entities and morphology of the class suffixes.
an analysis of the treatment of how borrowings are incorporated into the class system
and possible analyses of agreement in left-dislocated coordinate stmctures are presented.
Also,
c)
Africanist publications/conference presentations:
1987.
The noun class system of Lama. Paper presented at the 18lh Annual Conference on
African Linguistics, Universit6 du Qu6bec k N/1ontr6al, April 1987.
Reconstoiction evidence for noun class splitting in Lama. Paper presented
Annual Conference on African Linguistics, Boston University, April 1988.
1988a.
at the 19th
1988b. Agreement in left dislocation of coordinate structures. Papers from the 24th Annual
Regional Meeting of the Chicago Linguistic Society. Part 2: Parasession on Agreement in
Grammatical Theory, 322-336.
1989.
2
(with M. Ourso.) The semantics of noun classes. Paper presented at the 20th Annual
Conference on African Linguistics, University of Illinois, Urbana, April 1989.
DOCTORATES
at the
IN
AFRICAN LINGUISTICS
University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign (1980-1989)
AND ALUMNI RESEARCH ON AFRICANIST TOPICS
Abasheikh,
Mohammad
I.
Ph. D. 1978
Dept. of European
Languages
King AtKJulaziz University
P.O. Box 9032
Jeddah 21413, SAUDI ARABIA
Africanist publications (1980Forthcoming, (with
In
C
A
Kisseberth.)
Progress, (with M. Abasheikh.)
):
Chimwiini dictionary.
A Grammar of
Chimwiini.
Abdul-Karim, Kamal W.
6435 Bothwell Road, P.O. Box 47
Reseda, CA 91335
a)
Dissertation
title:
Aspects of the Phonology of Lebanese Arabic
(1
980).
b) Africanist publications:
1980. (with t^. Kenstowicz.) Cyclic stress
10:2.55-76.
in
Levantine Arabic. Studies
in
the Linguistic Sciences
210
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
Abu-Salim, Issam M.
Associate Professor
Department of English
Yarnnouk University
JORDAN
Irbid,
a)
Areas of research
interest
and synopsis
of current researcfr.
Current approaches to phonological theory: metrical, lexical, autosegmentai, etc.; Arabic
phonology; Semitic phonology and morphology; Teaching English as a Foreign Language.
I
b)
am currently compiling
Dissertation
a syllable-based dictionary of Standard Arabic.
A
title:
Reanalysis of
Metrical
c)
Some Aspects
Approach
(1
of Arabic Phonology:
A
982).
Africanist publications:
1980.
1982.
Epenthesis and geminate consonants
Sciences 10:2.1-11.
and
Syllable structure
in
Studies
Palestinian Arabic.
Studies
syllabification in Palestinian Arabic.
in
the Linguistic
in
the Linguistic
Sciences 12:1.1-28.
1986. Vowel shortening
1987a. Vowel harmony
Palestinian Arabic:
in
in
Palestinian Arabic:
A
A
metrical perspective. Lingua 68:223-240.
metrical perspective.
Joumal
of Linguistics 23:1-
14.
1987b. Some aspects of the inflectional morphology of the verb
Jordan) 14:7.37-58.
1987d. The syllable structure of Arabic,
11:33:45-63.
(in
1988a. Consonant assimilation
An autosegmentai
In
Arabic:
Arabic)
Joumal
Syllable patterns in Standard Arabic:
for the Humanities,
A
of
Arabic
perspective. Lingua 74:45-66.
In
Arabic. Dirasat 15:3.
quantitative study.
in Arabic.
To appear
On the phionological status of /?/ in Classical Arabic.
University of Beimt.
Forthcoming.
(with H.
Academy
To appear
in
Arab
Kuwait University.
Forthcoming. Consonant assimilation processes
1987.
Dirasat (University of
Journal of the Jordan
1988b. Syllable structure constraints and the sonority hierarchy
Forthcoming.
in Tigrinya.
Abd-ed-Jawad.) Slips of the tongue
in
in
Forum
Linguisticum.
To appear in Abhath, American
Arabic and their theoretical implications.
Language Sciences 9:2.145-171.
1988.
(with H. Abd-el-Jawad.)
Sciences 18:2.1-22.
Syllable patterns in Levantine Arabic.
Studies
In
the Linguistic
1
Appendix B: Research
& Publications in African Linguistics
/
University of Illinois
21
Forthcoming, (with G. Haddad, translators.) Translation of Generative Phonology by M.
Kenstowicz and C. Kisseberth, Academic Press, 1980. To be published by Khartoum
International Institute for the Arabic Language.
Alghazo,
Mohammad
H.
P.O. Box 11
Alwahadneh
JORDAN
Ajioun,
Dissertation
Syncope and Epenthesis
Approach (1987).
title:
Bader, Yousef
in
Levantine Arabic:
A
Nonlinear
F.
Assistant Professor
Department of English
Yarmouk
IrtDid,
a)
University
JORDAN
Areas of research
interest
and synopsis
of current research:
Berber phonology and morphology; teaching of English to non-native speakers; English and
grammar and phonology; application of current phonological findings (e.g., OCP, etc.)
to Berber data, contrastive analysis between English and Arabic.
Arabic
b)
Dissertation
title:
Kabyle Berber Phonology and Morphology: Outstanding
/ssues (1984).
The study is a descriptive account of the most important phonological and morphological
processes operating in Kabyle Berber. It is conducted within the framework of modern
generative phonology with special emphasis on recent theories of syllable structure,
Specifically, the
autosegmental phonology, and lexical phonology and morphology.
problems of schwa, free and construct states, sandhi phenomena, and the nx)rphology of the
verb system are discussed.
c)
Africanist publications:
1983.
Vowel sandhi and syllable structure
13:1.1-17.
1985a.
1988.
Schwa
Is
in BertDer:
there case
Forthcoming.
devices.
in
A
in
Kabyle Berber. Studies
in
the Linguistic Sciences
non-linear analysis. Lingua 67:225-49.
Bertser?
Arab Journal
for the
Humanities (Kuwait University) 8:435-449.
Contrastive analysis and students' pertormance: English and Arabic connective
To appear in The Journal of the Faculty of Arts. King Saud University, Riyadh,
Saudi Arabia.
1985.
(with Michael Kenstowicz and Rachid Benkeddache.) The phonology of state in Kabyle
Berber. African Linguistics: Essays in Memory of M. W. K. Semikenke, ed. by D.
Goyvaerts, 319-334. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
212
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
1987. (with Michael Kenstowicz.) Syllables and case
in
Kabyle Berber. Lingua 73:279-299.
Cassimjee, Farida.
African Studies Center
University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801
a)
Dissertation
title:
An Autosegmental Analysis
of Vends Tonology (1987).
b) Africanist publications:
1989. (with C. W. Kisseberth.) Shingazidja nominal accent.
SLS
19:1.33-62.
Chishimba, Maurice M.
University of
School
of
Zambia
Education, Department of Education
P.O. Box 32379
Lusaka, ZAMBIA
Dissertation
title:
African Varieties of English: Text in Context
(1
984).
Dalgish, Gerard M.
Ph. D. 1976
Dept. of Foreign
Languages and
Linguistics
Dar-es-Salaam
Dar-es-Salaam, TANZANIA
University of
Africanist publications:
1982.
1987.
A
Dictionary of Africanisms. Westport, Conn.:
/-a/
reduction
phenomena:
Greenwood
Press.
and computer generalizations. Current Approaches
by D. Odden, 137-149. Dordrecht: Foris Publications.
Linguistic
to African Linguistics, vol. 4, ed.
Dram6, Mallaf^.
English Department, College of Education
King Saud University - Abha Branch
P.O. Box 157
Abha, SAUDI
ARABIA
Aspects of Mandingo Grammar (^9B^).
a)
Dissertation
b)
Africanist publications:
title:
1979. Aspects of complementation
in
Mandingo. Studies
in
the Linguistics Sciences 9:2.
3
Appendix B: Research
& Publications in African Linguistics
/
University of Illinois
21
1978. (with E. G. Bokamba.) Where do relative clauses come from in Mandingo? Papers from the
Fourteenth Regional Conference of the Chicago Linguistic Society, ed. by D. Farkas, W. M.
Jacobsen, & K. W. Todrys, 28-43.
Garber, Anne.
B.P. 40
Orodara,
BURKINA PASO
Dissertation
title:
A
Tonal Analysis of Senufo: Sucite Dialect {^9Q7).
Haddad, Ghassan
a)
Dissertation
F.
Problems and Issues
title:
Arabic
b)
{^
in
the Phonology of
Lebanese
984).
Africanist publications:
1980.
{with M. Kenstowicz.) A note on the parallels between the definite article and the relative
clause marker in Arabic. Studies in the Linguistte Sciences 10:2.141-148.
Forthcoming, (with I. Abu-Salim, translators.) Translation of Generative Phonology by M.
Kenstowicz and C. Kisseberth, Academic Press, 1980. To be published by Khartoum
International Institute for the Arabic Language.
Hamid, Abdel Halim.
Department
of
Arabic Language
Faculty of Arts
Omdunnan
Islamic University
P.O. Box 382
Omdurman, SUDAN
Dissertation
A
title:
Descriptive Analysis of
Sudanese
Colloquial Arabic
Phonology (^9&A).
Ka, Omar.
Assistant Professor of Linguistics and French
Department
of
Modern Languages and
University of Maryland
Wilkins
Linguistics
Baltimore County
Avenue
Catonsville,
a)
-
MD
21228
Areas of research
interest
and synopsis
of current research:
Phonology; language planning; structure of Wolof; non-linear phonology with respect to
Atlantic languages; language planning in francophone Africa.
West
.
214
b)
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
Dissertation
Wolof Phonology and Morphology:
Approach (1988).
title:
A Non-Linear
This dissertation provides a general analysis the phonology and morphology of Wolof, a
Atlantic language spoken in Senegambia, West Africa. The study examines and treats
various and salient phonological and morphological phenomena, including syllable stmcture,
vowel length, gemination and degemination, prenasalization, vowel harmony, vowel
coalescence, reduplication, prefixation, suffixation, and stress assignment, the latter within a
West
metrical framewort<.
c)
Africanist publications:
1981
La Derivation et
no. 77, 102 pp.
1982.
(with A. Diak), A. A. Diaw, M. Gufeye.) Terminologie grammaticale Wotof. Dakar: Centerfor
Applied Linguistics (C.L.A.D.), no. W. 19, 46 pp.
1985a. (with E. G.
la
composition en Wolof. Dakar: Center for Applied Linguistics (C.L.A.D.),
Bokamba & M.
Sarr.)
Aywaci Wolof. Champaign-Urbana:
University of
Illinois,
Center for African Studies.
1985b. Syllable stmcture and suffixation
90.
1987.
in
Wok>f.
Studies
in
the Linguistk; Sciences 15:1.61-
(with A. Dialo, A. A. Diaw, & M. Gudye.) Pour un enseignement 6l6mentaire en Wolof:
Progressions. Dakar: Center for Applied Linguistk:s (C.L.A.D.), no. W. 29, 102 pp.
In
progress. Wolof Phonology and Morphology:
In
progress.
In
progress, (with C.
Language Planning
W.
in
Francophone
Kisseberth.) Prosodk;
A
Non-Linear Approach.
Africa:
domains
Problems and Perspectives.
in
Wok}f vowel harmony.
Khalil, Aziz M.
Assistant Professor
Bethlehem Universrty
P. O. Box 666
Bethlehem, The West Bank
a)
Areas of research
(via Israel)
interest
and synopsis
of current research:
Interlanguage studies; contrastive linguistics.
am currently comparing native and non-native teachers' consistency in evaluating Arab
am also
EFL students' writing using both "holistic" and "analytic" evaluation methods.
studying problems encountered by Arab EFL students when they translate English passive
sentences and on Arab linguists' evaluatons of the translated sentences.
I
I
b)
Dissertation
title:
Communicative Error Evaluation: A Study of American
Native Speakers' Evaluations and Interpretations of
Deviant Utterances Written by Arab EFL Learners (1984).
This study deals with the question of intelligibility in communication with particular reference
Using data from written compositions by Arab EFL learners, the dissertation
to English.
.
APPENDIX
B: Research
& Publications in African Linguistics
/
University of Illinois
215
focuses on two aspects of this question; (1) an investigation of the differences between
judged intelligibility and naturalness, and (2) an analysis of the extent to which error type
(grammatical or semantic) and immediate linguistic context affect the intelligibility, naturalness,
and interpretability of deviant utterances. The discussion of these questions leads to the
articulation of a validation measure for judgments of intelligibility.
c)
Africanist publications/conference presentations:
1985a. Communicative error evaluation: native speakers' evaluation and interpretation of written
errors of Arab EFL learners. TESOL Quarterly 19,2: 335-351
(An earlier version of this
paper was presented at the Fourth Annual Linguistics Conference, University of Jordan,
.
April 1-3, 1985.)
1985b.
Interlingual
and
intralingual errors in
Arab freshman English compositions. Bethlehem
University Journal 4: 8-31
1987. (with Dr. Shukri Sanber.) A study of the relationship between attitudes and orientations of
Arab freshman students and their proficiency in English. Bethlehem University Journal 6:
74-99. (An earlier version of this paper was presented at the First Symposium on ELT at
the West Bank and Gaza Universities, Bethlehem University, March 13, 1987.)
To appear. A study
cohesion and coherence in Arab EFL college students* writing. System
(An earlier version of this paper was presented at the Fifth Annual
Linguistics Conference, Yarmouk University, Jordan, April 1-3, 1986.)
of
(March 1989.)
in English and Classical Arabic: formation, type and
Bethlehem University Journal 7 (August 1989).
To appear. The passive voice
function.
Kidda, Mairo.
Department
of
Languages and
Linguistics
University of Maiduguri
P.M.B. 1069
Maiduguri,
NIGERIA
Tangale Phonology:
a)
Dissertation
b)
Africanist publications:
title:
A
Deschptive Analysis
{^
985).
1987. (with M. Kenstowicz.) The Obligatory Contour Principle and Tangale phonology. Current
Approaches to African Linguistics, vol. 4, ed. by D. Odden, 223-238. Dordrecht: Foris
Publications.
Livnat, Michal A.
2600 Netherlands Avenue, #201
Riverdale, NY 10463
Dissertation
title:
Focus Constructions
in
Somali (1984).
216
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
Magura,
Benjamin.
106 Twickenham Drive, Northwood
P.O. Mount Pleasant
Harare,
ZIMBABWE
Dissertation
title:
Style and Meaning in African English: A Sociolinguistic
Analysis of South African and Zimbabwean English (1984).
Marshad, Hassan A.
Taif
College
of
Education
Ummal-guraa
SAUDI ARABIA
Taif,
Dissertation
title:
An Approach
to
Code
Elaboration
and
its
Application to
Swahili (^9QA).
Mochiwa, Zacharia S.M.
Idara ya Kiswahili
S.L.P. 35040
Dar-es-Salaam,
Dissertation
TANZANIA
title:
Depletion as Both a Syntactic
The Case of Swahili (1988).
and Semantic Phenomenon:
Odden, David A.
Assistant Professor
Department
of Linguistics
The Ohio State University
204 Cunz Hall of Languages
Columbus, OH 43210-1229
a)
Areas of research
interest
and synopsis
of current research:
Phonological theory and Bantu languages, especially tone.
am
on the interaction between syntactic structure and phonology, as well
am working on a t)00k on the phonology
tonology and prosodic structure.
and morphology of Kimatuumlji, and am working on comparative Bantu tonology.
I
currently working
as problems
b)
in
Dissertation
I
title:
Problems
in
Tone Assignment
in
Shona
(1981).
i
This study presents basic tonal data from the Karanga dialect of Shona, and analyzes tone
in an autosegmental framework. Complex stem tone alternations are analyzed in
terms of a series of floating tone melodies which are assigned to verbs according to
alternations
morphosyntactic construction.
7
.
APPENDIX
c)
B: Research
& Publications in African Linguistics
University of Illinois
/
21
Africanist publications:
What's
1976.
really
going on
Nupe?
in
Washington Working Papers
University of
in
Linguistics
2:86-89.
1979. (with Janice Jake.) Raising
1980a.
(with C.
Linguistic
in Kipsigis.
W. Kisseberlh.) Aspects
Sciences 10:1.125-140.
1980b. Associative tone
in
Shona. Journal
1981a. Assigned mle features
in
Shona.
of
Studies
Historical evidence
12:2.219-223.
A
1981d.
the Linguistic Sciences 9:2.131-157.
tone assignment
of Linguistic
NELS
XI, ed.
1981b. Evidence for the Elsewhere Condition
11:1.145-162.
1981c.
in
in
Kimatuumbi.
in
Research
1
Studies
J.
the
in
Pustejovsky, 235-248.
the Linguistic Sciences
Studies
for abstract phonological analyses.
in
:2.37-51
by V. Burke &
Shona.
Studies
in
African Linguistics
nonlinear approach to vowel length in Kimatuumbi. Pr6cis from the 12th Conference
Linguistics. Studies in African Linguistics, Supplement 8:99-103.
on African
Separating tone and accent: The case of Kimatuumbi. Proceedings of the First West
Coast Conference on Formal Linguistics, ed. by D. Flickinger, M. Macken, & N. Wiegand,
219-230.
1982a.
1982b. Tonal
phenomena
in
Kishambaa. Studies
in
Afrtean Linguistics 13:2.177-208.
1983a. Aspects of Didinga phonology and morphotogy. Nito-Saharan Language Studies, ed. by
M. L. Bender, 148-176. East Lansing, Ml: Michigan State University African Studies
Center.
1983b. Book notice reviewing
732.
1984a.
N.
T.
Toweett,
A Study
of Kalenjin Linguistics.
Stem tone assignment in Shona. Autosegmental Studies
Clements & J. Goldsmith, 255-280. Dordrecht: Foris.
1984b. Formal correlates of focusing
299.
in
Kimatuumbi.
Studies
in
in
Language 58:731-
Bantu Tonology, ed. by G.
African Linguistrcs 15:3.275-
1985a. An accentual approach to tone in Kimatuumbi. African Linguisttes: Studies in Memory
M. W. K. Semikenke, ed. by D. Goyvaerts. 345-419. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
Three dialects of Kipare. Current approaches
Dimmendaal, 257-280. Dordrecht: Foris.
1985b.
1985c.
to African Linguistics, vol. 3, ed.
of
by G.
Problems in the metrical representation of tone. Pr6cis from the 15lh Conference on
African Linguistics. Studies in African Linguistics, Supplement 9:254-257.
1985d. (with M. Odden.) Ordered reduplication
1986a. On the
383.
role of the obligatory
1986b. Review
of L.
in
Kihehe. Linguistic Inquiry 16:497-503.
contour principle
Hyman, A Theory
of
in
phonotogical theory. Language 62:353-
Phonotogical Weight. Language 62:669-673.
218
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
1987a.
Predicting tone
in Kikuria.
Odden, 311-326. Dordrecht:
1987b.
(editor).
Current Approaches to African Linguistics,
vol. 4, ed.
by D.
Foris.
Current Approaches to African Linguistics,
vol. 4.
Dordrecht: Foris Publications.
1987c. Kimatuumbi phrasal phonology. Phonology Yearbook 4:13-36.
1988a. Floating tones and contour tones
1988b. Review of D. Pulleyblank, Tone
In press.
in
in
Kenyang. Studies
in
African Linguistics 19:1-34.
Lexical Phonology. Journal of Linguistics 218-224.
Predictable tone systems in Bantu. Autosegmental Studies
van der Hulst & N. Smith. Dordrecht: Foris.
in
Pitch Accent Systems,
ed. by H.
In
Syntax, lexical rules and postlexical mles in Kimatuumbi. Proceedings of the Stanford
Conference on the Syntax-Phonology Connection, ed. by S. Inkelas and D. Zee.
press.
Rugege, Geoffrey.
ESL Program
Community College
709 Ashbrook Road
Director,
Fayettevllle Technical
Fayettevllle,
a)
NC
28314
Areas of research interest arid synopsis of current research:
Contrastive analysis/Error analysis in teaching ESL. Developing modules that could be
turned into computer software for searching errors in student writing.
b)
Dissertation
title:
Kinyarwanda Sentential Complementation (^984).
The study examines the semantics of complementizers in Kinyarwanda sentential
complements. The fact that complementizers have semantic content dictates a particular
analysis of Kinyanwanda complementation.
Stucky, Susan U.
Assistant Director
Institute for Research on Learning
2500 Hanover Street
Palo Alto, CA 94304
and
Affiliate
Researcher
CSLI, Dept. of Linguistics
Stanford University
Stanford,
a)
CA
94305-4115
Areas of research
interest
and synopsis
of current research:
Situated cognition, discourse stmcture and interface with syntax and semantics.
both thought and language are highly indexical (as has been argued and demonstrated at
how do they relate? My hypothesis (the null hypothesis) is that they relate
maximally efficiently, i.e., that the resulting mental structure from processing a sentence (if
If
length), then
APPENDIX B: Research
& Publications in African Linguistics
/
University of Illinois
219
successfully processed) is no more or less Indexical than the incoming sentence. Exploring
the consequences of this hypothesis for language use and learning is the primary focus of my
research these days.
b)
Dissertation
title:
\Nord Order Variation
Grammar Analysis
(1
Mal<ua:
in
981
A Phrase
Structure
).
This study provides the first formal description of aspects of the syntax of Makua using the
Generalized Phrase Structure Grammar framework. The work treats a number of central
aspects of Makua syntax, among them relative clauses and verb agreement, with special
reference to the order of constituents within the clause. The main theoretical issues
addressed include the relation of basic order to its formal embodiment in the theory as well as
a discussion of grammatical relations as defined by the interaction of the syntax and the
semantics.
c)
Africanist publications:
1976. Locatives as objects
1978.
in
Tshiluba. Studies
in
Locative phrases and alternative concord
9:1.107-119.
1978b. How a noun class system
Sciences 8:1.216-233.
may be
lost:
the Linguistic Sciences 6:2.174-202.
in
Tshiluba.
Studies
in
African Linguistics
Evidence from Kituba. Studies
Focus of contrast aspects in Makua: Syntactic and semantic evidence.
the Fifth Annual Meeting of the Berkeley Linguistics Society, 362-372.
1979a.
1979b. The interaction of tone and focus
1:2.189-98.
in
Makua. Journal
of African
in
the Linguistic
Proceedings of
Languages and
Linguistics
1979c. (with Kathryn Speed Hodges.) On the inadequacy of a grammatical relation referring
passive rule in Bantu. Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 9:2.91-99.
1980.
Free word order languages, free constituent order languages, and the gray area
between. Proceedings of the North East Linguistic Society XI, 364-376.
1982. Linearization ailes and typology. Proceedings of the First Annual
on Forma!
in
West Coast Conference
Linguistics.
1983. Verb phrase constituency and linear order in Makua. Order, Concord and Constituency,
ed. by G. Gazdar, E. H. Klein, & G. K. Pullum. Dordrecht: Foris.
1985. Order
in
Makua
Thayer, Linda
Dissertation
title:
Syntax.
New York:
Garland Press.
Inc.
J.
History of the Chari Languages Comparative Bongo-Bagirmi-Sara Segmental Phonology
with Evidence from Arabic Loan Words (1974).
A Reconstructed
220
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
Wahba, Waafa
A. B.
17,
Saada
street
El-Haam, Cairo
EGYPT
Wh-constructions
a)
Dissertation
b)
Africanist publications:
1980.
title:
in
Egyptian Arabic. (1984).
I
(with M. Kenstowicz.) Clitics and the double object construction
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 10:2.149-164.
in
Egyptian Arabic.
j
1983. (with M. Kenstowicz.) Wh-in-situ constmctions in Egyptian Arabic. Current Approaches to
African Linguistics, ed. by J. Kaye, et al., 261-282. Dordrecht: Foris.
Yokwe,
Eluzai.
University of
I
Juba
P.O. Box 82
Juba, SUDAN
|
a)
Dissertation
b)
Africanist publications:
1978. (with B.
3.
title:
L. Hall.)
Tlie
Bari
Tonal Gramniar of Ban {\^Q1).
\
Vowel Harmony.
CUNY Forum
Papers
In Linguistics
5-6:285-294.
FACULTY RESEARCH ON AFRICANIST TOPICS
Bokamba, Eyamba G.
i
Associate Professor
Department of Linguistics
707 S. f^^athews Avenue
University of
Urbana,
IL
,
Illinois
61801
j
a)
Areas of research
interest
and synopsis
of current researcti:
Bantu syntax; sociolinguistics (especially, multilingualism, language planning, code-switching,
language and literacy).
and
revision of a
am currently involved in two major projects. The first concerns the writing
Bantu syntax book manuscript initially written in 1981. The second project involves an
empirical investigation of the socio-psychology of the phenomena of code-switching and
code-mixing, using an introspectively based questionnaire as an instrument.
I
'
A
^
APPENDIX B Research
:
b)
& Publications in African Linguistics
/
University of Illinois
221
Africanist publications:
1980a. Verbal agreement as a non-cyclic rule in Bantu. Papers from the Sixteenth Regional
Meeting of the Chicago Linguistic Society, ed. by J. Kreiman & A. E. Ojeda, 10-29.
Revised and expanded version in African Linguistics: Essays in Memory of M. W. K.
Semikenke, ed. by Didier Goyvaerts, 9-54. Amsterdam: John Benjamins Pub. (1985).
1980b. Language and national development: Black English in America. Language and
Development: An International Perspective 1:6-9. Also in (ed.), Black English and the
Proceedings of the National Invitational
Education of Black Children and Youth:
Symposium of the King School, ed. by G. Smitherman, 278-288. Detroit, Ml: Arlo Press
(1981).
1981a. Language policies and national development in Sub-Saharan Africa: Issues for the 80s.
Proceedings of the 9th
Absolute Values and the Search for Peace of Mankind:
International Conference on the Unity of the Sciences. 421-450. New York: International
Cultural Foundation.
1981b. Language and national development
in the Linguistic Sciences 11:1.1-26.
1981c.
Ekolongonelo ya Lingala:
An
in
Sub-Saharan
Africa:
Introductory Textbook
Urbana: Center for African Studies, University of
A
progress report. Studies
and Grammar.
Mimeographed.
Illinois.
1982. The Africanization of English. The Other Tongue: English Across Cultures, ed. by Braj B.
Kachru, 77-98. Champaign, IL: University of Illinois Press.
1984a. Language and literacy in West Africa. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics 1983, ed. by
R. B. Kaplan, 40-75. Rowley, MA: Newbury House Publishers.
1984b. Review of R. L. Cooper, ed., Language Spread: Studies
1982. English World-Wide 5:2.275-96.
1984c. Language in African Culture and Society.
Sciences 14:2. Editor.
1984d. French colonial polcy
14:2.1-36.
1986.
in Africa
Education and development
in
and
its
Zaire.
Diffusion
and Social Change,
Special issue of Studies
legacies (part
The
in
I.)
Studies
Crisis in Zaire:
in
in
the Linguistic
the Linguistic Sciences
Myths and
Realities, ed.
by
Nzongola-Ntalaja, 191-218. Trenton, N.J.: Africa World Press, pp.
1987. Are there syntactic constraints on code-switching? Variation in Language: NWAV-15 at
Stanford, ed. by K. M. Denning, S. Inkelas, F. C. McNair-Knox and John R. Rtekford, 34-41.
Revised version in World Englishes 8:3.277-292 (1989).
1988.
Code-mixing, language variation and linguistic theory:
Lingua: International Review of Linguistics 76:21-62.
Evidence from Bantu languages.
of (the sociolinguistics of) English in West Africa. English Around the World:
Sociolinguistic Perspectives, ed. by J. Cheshire. London: Cambridge University Press.
To appear. Overview
African English. The Oxford Companion to the English Language, ed. by
.McArthur. London: Oxford University Press.
To appear.
T
1978. (with Mallaf6 Dram6.) Where do relative clauses come from in Mandingo? Papers from the
Fourteenth Regional Conference of the Chicago Linguistic Society, ed. by D. Farkas. W. M.
Jacobsen, & K. W. Todrys, 28-43.
222
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
1979.
1980.
(with Salikoko S. Mufwene.) Are there modal-auxiliaries in Lingala? Papers from the
Fifteenth Regional Meeting of the Chicago Linguistic Society, ed. by P. R. Clyne, W. F.
Hanks, & C. L. Hobauer, 244-255.
The consequences of the language policies of African States vis-eiLanguage and Linguistic Problems in Africa, ed. by P. A. Kotey & Ha. DerHoussikian, 35-53. Columbia, SC: Hornbeam Press. Reprinted in Reconsideration of
African Linguistic Policies, ed. by Kahombo Mateene & John Kalema, 43-66. Kampala,
Uganda: The OAU Inter-African Bureau of Languages.
(with Josiah S. Tlou.)
vis education.
1986a. (with
course
Omar Ka and Momodou
Sarr.)
AywaCiWolof.
Wolof (24 lessons)
LatxDratory, University of Illinois, UC.
for introductory
in
[A microcomputer-based, multi-media
diskettes and typeset]. Language Learning
1986b. (with Mwamba Kapanga and Zacharia Mochiwa.) Tujifunze Kiswahili. [A microcomputerbased, multi-media course for introductory Swahili (25 lessons) in diskettes and typeset].
Language Learning Laboratory, University of Illinois, UC.
1987.
(with Nkonko M. Kamwangamalu.) The significance of code-mixing to linguistic theory:
Evidence from Bantu languages. Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 17:2.21-43.
Cheng,
C. C.
Professor, Department of Linguistics
Language Learning Laboratory
Foreign Languages Building
Director,
G70
S. Mathews Avenue
University of Illinois
707
Urbana,
a)
IL
61801
Areas of research interest
Chinese
b)
Linguistics,
Computational Linguistics, Computer-Assisted Instruction
Africanist publications:
1980.
(with Charles Kisseberth.)
Sciences 10:1.15-44.
Ikorovere
Makua tonotogy
1981.
(with Charles Kisseberth.)
Sciences 11:1.181-202.
Ikorovere
Makua
1982a. (with Charles Kisseberth.)
Sciences 12:1.123-139.
(part 2).
tonology (pari
Tone-bearing nasals
in
3).
Makua.
Studies
in
the Linguistic
Studies
in
the Linguistic
in
the Linguistic
Studies
1982b. (with Charles Kisseberth.) High tone doubling in two Makua dialects. Proceedings from
the Twelfth Conference on African Linguistics, ed. by W. R. Leben. Studies in African
Linguistics,
Supplement
8:5-8.
.
APPENDIX B: Research
& Publications in African Linguistics
/
223
University of Illinois
Kenstowicz, Michael
Professor, Department of Linguistics
707
Mathews Avenue
S.
University of
Urbana,
a)
Illinois
61801
IL
Areas of research
interest.
Phonology, Syntax; African, Semitic, Slavic languages
b)
Africanist publications/conference presentations:
1980. Notes on Cairene Arabic syncope. Studies
A
1981a.
&
note on cyclic stress
H. Borer.
in
in
in
Semitic Linguistics, ed. by
J.
Aoun
Linguistics 3:21-31.
in
Palestinian Arabic:
Gemination and spirantization
1982.
the Linguistic Sciences 10:2.39-54.
Levantine Arabic. Studies
MIT Working Papers
1981b. Vowel harmony
465.
in
a suprasegmental analysis.
Studies
in Tigrinya.
in
Linguistics 19:449-
the Linguistic Sciences 12:1.106-
123.
three Arabic dialects.
Proceedings of the
1983.
Parametric variation and accent assignment
Chicago Linguistics Society 19:205-213.
1984.
The null-subject parameter in Modern Arabic dialects. Proceedings of the North East
Linguistics Society 14:207-219. (Revised version to appear in The Pro-Drop Parameter,
ed. by O. Jaeggli and K, Safir. Reidel, 1988.)
in
1986a. The phonology and syntax of wh-expressions in Tangale. Linguistic Studies in Memory
of Theodore M. Lightner (Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 15,2.), ed. by M. Kenstowicz,
79-92. (Revised version in Phonology Yearbook 4 (1987):229-241
1986b.
Notes on syllable stmcture
Linguistique
in
three
modern Arabic
dialects.
Revue Qu6becoise de
16:1.101-128.
1987. Tone and accent in Kizigua - a Bantu language. Certamen Phonologicum I, Proceedings
of the Cortona Phonology Conference, April 1987, ed. by P. M. Bertinetto & M. Loporcaro.
1980.
(with
Kama! Abdul-Karim.)
Cyclic stress
in
Levantine Arabic.
Studies
in
the Linguistic
Sciences 10:2.55-76.
1980. (with Ghassan Haddad.) A note on the parallels between the definite article and the relative
clause marker in Arabic. Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 10:2.141-148.
1980. (with Wafaa Wahba.) Clitics and the double object construction
in the Linguistic Sciences 10:2.149-164.
1983
1984.
in
Egyptian Arabic. Studies
Current Approaches to
(with Wafaa Wahba.) Wh-in-situ constmctions in Egyptian Arabic.
AfricanLinguistics,ed by J. Kayeetal, 261-282. Dordrecht: Foris.
(with
Omar
Linguistic
Irshied.)
Some
phonological mles of Bani-Hassan Arabic.
Sciences 14:2.109-148.
Studies
in
the
224
Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 19:2 (Fall 1989)
1985.
Yousef Bader and Rachid Benkeddache.) The phonology of state in Kabyle Berber.
Essays in memory of M. W. K. Semikenke, ed. by D. Goyvaerts, 319334. Amsterdam: John Benjamins
(with
African linguistics:
.
1986.
(with
Emmanuel Nikiema.) Tonology
Qu6bec Montreal, i
Universite du
1987.
(with Mairo Kidda.)
Approaches
1988.
(with
of
Moore.
The Obligatory Contour
to African Linguistics, vol. 4, ed.
Principle and Tangale phonology. Current
by D. Odden, 223-238. Dordrecht: Foris.
Emmanuel Nikiema and Metenwa
Studies
in
Internal report, Linguistique Africaniste,
ci
Ourso.)
the Linguistic Sciences 18:2.77-104.
Tonal polarity
in
two Gur languages.
To appear,
(with Charles Kisseberth.) Chizigula tonology: the word and beyond. The SyntaxPhonology Connection, ed. by Sharon Inkelas and Draga Zee. CSLI, Stanford.
Kim, Chin W.
Professor, Department of Linguistics
707
S.
Mathews Avenue
University of
Illinois
Urbana,IL 61801
a)
Areas of research
and synopsis
interest
of current research:
Phonetics, phonology, morphology, Korean and African linguistics,
stylistics.
am currently doing research in the phonology-syntax interface, the interrelation between
tone and intonation and the interrelation between language, literature and music.
I
b)
Africanist publications:
1971.
Papers
(ed. with Herbert Stahlke.)
Research,
in
African Linguistics. Edmonton,
Canada:
Linguistic
Inc.
1973.
Opposition and complement in Swahili phonology. Issues
Kachru et al, 409-417. Urtana, IL: University of Illinois Press.
1974.
A
note on tonal conjunction
in Efik.
Studies
in
in Linguistics,
ed. by Braj B.
the Linguistic Sciences 4:2.112-22.
Kisseberth, Charles W.
Professor, Department of Linguistics
707
S.
Mathews Avenue
University of
Illinois
Urbana,IL 61801
a)
Areas of research
interest
and synopsis
of current research:
Research on the tonal structure of Chizigula (Tanzania), Sesotho-Setswana-Northern Sotho
Africa), Tsonga (South Africa); research on the phonology/syntax interface (Chizigula,
Chimwiini, Bari, Kimatuumbi, Tsonga); documentation of inadequately described languages
(dictionaries, texts and grammars of Chimwiini, Makua, Kimatuumbi, Chizigula).
(South
& Publications in African Linguistics
Appendix B: Research
b)
/
University of Illinois
225
Africanist publications/conference presentations:
1981. Tone displacement
Digo Tonoiogy.
1984a.
in
Digo (Part
2).
Studies
Autosegmental Studies
in
the Linguistic Sciences 11:1. 73-120.
in
Bantu Tone, ed. by G. N. Clements &
J.
Goldsmith, 105-182. Dordrecht: Foris Publications.
To appear. Tone and accent
in
Chizigula.
Festshrift for E.
O.
J.
Westphal, ed. by D. Gowlett & S.
Satyo. University of Capetown.
In
progress.
In
Progress.
The Tonal Grammar of
Chizigula.
Makua Phonology and Morphology.
Ikorovere (Makua) tonoiogy (Part
1980a. (with C.-C. Cheng.)
Sciences 10:1.15-44.
(with D. Odden.) Aspects
Sciences 10:1.125-140.
1980b.
tone assignment
of
1980c. (with W. Wood.) Tone displacement
10:1.141-177.
1981.
in
1).
Studies
Ikorovere (Makua) tonoiogy (Part
(with C.-C. Cheng.)
Sciences 11:1.181-202.
in
Studies
Kimatuumbi. Studies
in
Digo (Part
1982a. (with C.-C. Cheng.) Tone-bearing nasals
12:1.123-139.
2).
3).
Makua. Studies
in
in
the Linguistic
the Linguistic
the Linguistic Sciences
Studies
in
in
in
the Linguistic
the Linguistic Sciences
1982b. (with C.-C. Cheng.) High tone doubling in two Makua dialects. Proceedings from the
Twelfth Conference on African Linguistics, ed. by W. R. Leben. Studies in African
Linguistics,
1984. (with
1985.
F.
Supplement
8:5-8.
Cassimjee.) Downstep
(with F. Cassimjee.)
in
Venda. Studies
Three cases
of
downstep
in
in
the Linguistic Sciences 14:1.1-29.
Venda. Studies
in
African Linguistics,
Supplement 9:45-48.
1989. (with M. Kenstowicz.) Chizigula tonoiogy: the word and beyond. The Syntax-Phonology
Connection, ed. by Sharon Inkelas and Draga Zee. CSLI, Stanford.
Forthcoming, (with
E.
Yokwe.) Bari tonoiogy.
Forthcoming, (with C.-C.
Cheng and
Forthcoming, (with M. Abasheikh.)
F.
A
Cassimjee.)
A Makua
Dictionary.
Chimwiini dictionary.
A Reference Grammar of Kimatuumbi.
In
progress, (with D. Odden.)
In
Progress, (with M. Abasheikh.)
A Grammar of Chimwiini.
1
Vol. 4:1
Vol.
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS-URBANA
3 0112 038150972