Diminutive Noun Class in Bantu Languages: Is Kiswahili Deviant?
Corresponding Author(s) : Rodrick Gregory Ndomba
Journal of Humanities & Social Science (JHSS),
Vol. 11 No. 2, (2022)
Abstract
Noun class prefixes ki-/vi- and ka-/tu- found in Bantu diminutives are widespread despite claims that these affixes are missing in Kiswahili. This study was qualitative, employing data from Kiswahili native speakers, selected literary works of art written in Kiswahili by Kiswahili speakers, and Kiswahili chat messages from WhatsApp forums of Kiswahili speakers. The study reveals that Kiswahili speakers use ka- and tu- affixes in addition to ki-/vi- to form diminutives. These affixes may attach to noun stems as in ka-toto/tu-toto ‘tiny child/tiny children’; or may attach to prefixed stems as pre-prefixes as in ki-m-nazi ‘small/short coconut tree’ and vi-mi-nazi ‘small/short coconut trees. The study findings also reveal that the noun class prefixes trigger agreement on modifiers and verb complexes regardless of their forms as prefixes or pre-prefixes as observed in ki-toto ki-moja ki-zuri ‘one pretty little girl’; or in ka-dada ka-na-miliki-gari ‘pretty little girl owning a car’ where the ki- and ka- on the subject noun stems (-toto and -dada) re-surface as subject markers (SMs) on the modifiers -moja ‘one’ and -zuri ‘pretty’; and on the verb complex -na-miliki ‘owning’. These facts provide strong support for arguing that Kiswahili projects special diminutive affixes in class 12/13 that triggers agreement on other modifiers.
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- Abdulaziz, M. H. 1971. Tanzania National Language Policy and the Rise of Swahili Political Culture. In W. H. Whiteley (Ed.), Language Use and Social Change. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
- Ashton, E. O. 1947. Swahili Grammar. London: Longman Group Limited.
- Carstens, V. 1991. TheMorphology and Syntax of Determiner Phrases in Kiswahili. PhD dissertation, Los Angels, University of California.
- Carstens, V. 1993. on Nominal Morphology and Dp Structure. In S. A. Mchombo (Ed.), Theoretical Aspects of Bantu Grammar (Pp. 151–180). Stanford: CSLI Publishers.
- Carstens, V. 2008. The Structure of DPs: DP in Bantu and Romance. In C. De Cat & D. Catherine (Eds.),TheBantu-Romance Connection: A Comparative Investigation of Verbal Agreement, DPs and Information Structure Volume 131) (Pp. 131–166). Amsterdam: John Benjamins B.V.
- Claudi, U. 1997. Some Thoughts on the Origin of Of Gender Marking, or Wings Were Not Developed for Flying. In R. Herbert (Ed.), African Linguistics at the Crossroads: Papers from Kwaluseni (Pp. 63–74). Cologne: Koppe.
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- Crisma, P., L.Marten&R. Sybesma. 2011. The Point of Bantu, Chinese and Romance Nominal Classification. Rivista Di Linguistica, 32(2): 251–299.
- Déchaine, R. M., R.Girard, C.Mudzingwa&M. Wiltschko. 2014. The Internal Syntax of Shona Class Prefixes. Language Sciences, 43: 18–46. https: //doi.org/10.1016/j.langsci.2013.10.008.
- Fortune, G. 1984. Shona Grammatical Constructions (Vol.1) (3rd Ed.). Harare: Mercury Press.
- Guthrie, M. A. 1948. The Classification of the Bantu Languages. New York: Oxford University Press.
- Guthrie, M. A. 1967. Comparative Bantu: an Introduction To the Comparative Linguistics and Pre-History of the Bantu. Farnborough: Gregg Press Ltd.
- Habwe, J.&Karanja, P. 2012. Misingi Ya Sarufi Wa Kiswahili. Nairobi: Phoenix Publishers.
- Katamba, F. 2003. Bantu Nominal Morphology. In D. Nurse & G. Philippson (Eds.),TheBantu Languages (Pp. 103–120). London: Routledge Taylor & Francis Group.
- Kezilahabi, E. 2011. Mzingile. Nairobi: Vide Muwa Publishers Limited.
- Khamis, A. M. 2009. Stadi Za Lugha: Sarufi 1. Dar es Salaam: Taasisi Ya Uchunguzi Wa Kiswahili, Chuo Kikuu Cha Dar es Salaam.
- Kihore, Y. M., D. P. B.Massamba&Y. P. Msanjila. 2012. Sarufi Na Maumbo Ya Kiswahili Sanifu (Samakisa): Sekondari Na Vyuo. Dar es Salaam: Taasisi ya Uchunguzi wa Kiswahili, Chuo Kikuu cha Dar es Salaam.
- Maho, J. 1999. A Comparative Study of Bantu Noun Classes. In Orientalia Et Africana Gothoburgensia. Retrieved from http: //www.african.gu.se/research/diss_bantu.html.
- Mazrui, A. 1981. Kilio Cha Haki. Nairobi: Longhorn Publisher (K) Limited.
- Mohamed, S. A. 1990. Kivuli Kinaishi. Nairobi: Oxford University Press.
- Mohamed, S. A. 2003. Amezidi. Nairobi: East African Educational Publishers.
- Mung’ong’o, C. . 1977. Mirathi Ya Hatari. Dar es Salaam: Mkuki Na Nyota.
- Myers, S. 1987. Tone and the Structure of Words in Shona. U. Mass Amherst, Phd Dissertation.
- Schadeberg, T. C. 1992. A Sketch of Swahili Morphology (3rd Ed.). Köln: Koppe.
- Schadeberg, T. C. 2001. Number in Swahili Grammar. Swahili Forum Viii, 68: 7–16.
- Schadeberg, T. C. 2003. Derivation. in D. Nurse & G. Philippson (Eds.), TheBantu Languages (Pp. 71–89). London: Routledge Taylor & Francis Group. Shafi, A. 2005. Kuli. Nairobi: Longhorn Publisher (K) Limited.
- Shafi, A. 2014. Vuta N’kuvute. Dar es Salaam: Mkuki Na Nyota. United Republic of Tanzania (URT). 2014. Education and Training Policy. Dar es Salaam: MOEVT. Welmers, W. E. 1973. African Language Structures. Los Angels: University of California Press.
References
Abdulaziz, M. H. 1971. Tanzania National Language Policy and the Rise of Swahili Political Culture. In W. H. Whiteley (Ed.), Language Use and Social Change. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Ashton, E. O. 1947. Swahili Grammar. London: Longman Group Limited.
Carstens, V. 1991. TheMorphology and Syntax of Determiner Phrases in Kiswahili. PhD dissertation, Los Angels, University of California.
Carstens, V. 1993. on Nominal Morphology and Dp Structure. In S. A. Mchombo (Ed.), Theoretical Aspects of Bantu Grammar (Pp. 151–180). Stanford: CSLI Publishers.
Carstens, V. 2008. The Structure of DPs: DP in Bantu and Romance. In C. De Cat & D. Catherine (Eds.),TheBantu-Romance Connection: A Comparative Investigation of Verbal Agreement, DPs and Information Structure Volume 131) (Pp. 131–166). Amsterdam: John Benjamins B.V.
Claudi, U. 1997. Some Thoughts on the Origin of Of Gender Marking, or Wings Were Not Developed for Flying. In R. Herbert (Ed.), African Linguistics at the Crossroads: Papers from Kwaluseni (Pp. 63–74). Cologne: Koppe.
Contini-Morava, E. 1999. Noun Class as Number in Swahili. In E. Contini-Morava & Y. Tobin (Eds.), Between Grammars and the Lexicon (Pp. 3–29). Amsterdam: Benjamins. Corbett, G. 1991. Gender. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Creissels, D., G. J.Dimmendaal, Z.Frajzyngier&C. König. 2008. Africa as a Morphosyntactic Area. In B. Heine & D. Nurse (Eds.),ALinguistic Geography of Africa (Pp. 86–150). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Crisma, P., L.Marten&R. Sybesma. 2011. The Point of Bantu, Chinese and Romance Nominal Classification. Rivista Di Linguistica, 32(2): 251–299.
Déchaine, R. M., R.Girard, C.Mudzingwa&M. Wiltschko. 2014. The Internal Syntax of Shona Class Prefixes. Language Sciences, 43: 18–46. https: //doi.org/10.1016/j.langsci.2013.10.008.
Fortune, G. 1984. Shona Grammatical Constructions (Vol.1) (3rd Ed.). Harare: Mercury Press.
Guthrie, M. A. 1948. The Classification of the Bantu Languages. New York: Oxford University Press.
Guthrie, M. A. 1967. Comparative Bantu: an Introduction To the Comparative Linguistics and Pre-History of the Bantu. Farnborough: Gregg Press Ltd.
Habwe, J.&Karanja, P. 2012. Misingi Ya Sarufi Wa Kiswahili. Nairobi: Phoenix Publishers.
Katamba, F. 2003. Bantu Nominal Morphology. In D. Nurse & G. Philippson (Eds.),TheBantu Languages (Pp. 103–120). London: Routledge Taylor & Francis Group.
Kezilahabi, E. 2011. Mzingile. Nairobi: Vide Muwa Publishers Limited.
Khamis, A. M. 2009. Stadi Za Lugha: Sarufi 1. Dar es Salaam: Taasisi Ya Uchunguzi Wa Kiswahili, Chuo Kikuu Cha Dar es Salaam.
Kihore, Y. M., D. P. B.Massamba&Y. P. Msanjila. 2012. Sarufi Na Maumbo Ya Kiswahili Sanifu (Samakisa): Sekondari Na Vyuo. Dar es Salaam: Taasisi ya Uchunguzi wa Kiswahili, Chuo Kikuu cha Dar es Salaam.
Maho, J. 1999. A Comparative Study of Bantu Noun Classes. In Orientalia Et Africana Gothoburgensia. Retrieved from http: //www.african.gu.se/research/diss_bantu.html.
Mazrui, A. 1981. Kilio Cha Haki. Nairobi: Longhorn Publisher (K) Limited.
Mohamed, S. A. 1990. Kivuli Kinaishi. Nairobi: Oxford University Press.
Mohamed, S. A. 2003. Amezidi. Nairobi: East African Educational Publishers.
Mung’ong’o, C. . 1977. Mirathi Ya Hatari. Dar es Salaam: Mkuki Na Nyota.
Myers, S. 1987. Tone and the Structure of Words in Shona. U. Mass Amherst, Phd Dissertation.
Schadeberg, T. C. 1992. A Sketch of Swahili Morphology (3rd Ed.). Köln: Koppe.
Schadeberg, T. C. 2001. Number in Swahili Grammar. Swahili Forum Viii, 68: 7–16.
Schadeberg, T. C. 2003. Derivation. in D. Nurse & G. Philippson (Eds.), TheBantu Languages (Pp. 71–89). London: Routledge Taylor & Francis Group. Shafi, A. 2005. Kuli. Nairobi: Longhorn Publisher (K) Limited.
Shafi, A. 2014. Vuta N’kuvute. Dar es Salaam: Mkuki Na Nyota. United Republic of Tanzania (URT). 2014. Education and Training Policy. Dar es Salaam: MOEVT. Welmers, W. E. 1973. African Language Structures. Los Angels: University of California Press.