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The Subcategorization of Derived Verbs in Kifipa

Received: 16 February 2022     Accepted: 10 March 2022     Published: 29 March 2022
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Abstract

This paper aims at investigating Subcategorizations of derived verbs in Kifipa. Kifipa is a Bantu language spoken in south-west Tanzania by the people denoted to as Wafipa. Wafipa live in a bigger area between Lake Rukwa and Lake Tanganyika. Currently, the area is located in Rukwa region. Verbs are subcategorized differently in different languages. In isolating languages, verb subcategorization is a syntactic study while in Bantu languages verb subcategorization is a morphosyntactic study. In some languages derivation does not affect the subcategorization of verbs except passive while in other languages especially Bantu, derivation (verb extension) alters the subcategorization of basic verbs. The paper focuses on three morpho-syntactic aspects of derived verbs in Kifipa. The paper is guided by the theory known as Government and Binding theory and Burzio’s Generalization Principle in particular. Burzio’s generalization is the work of a linguist known as Luigi Burzio in 1986. Burzio's generalization deals with the organization of verb harmony, and how these verbs behave towards their arguments. In his theory, Burzio came up with a general classification of verbs. Qualitative approach and explanatory research design were employed in the analysis and presentation of data. A sample of six respondents from Matai and Singiwe villages were selected using snowball sampling technique on the basis of age and language ability. Data were collected through sentence questionnaires, grammaticality judgements and extraction from written materials. The findings reveal that Kifipa has three subcategories of derived verbs including the verbs which allow only a single argument, the verbs which allow the occurrence of two or three arguments and lastly the super transitive verbs which allow the occurrence of more than three arguments which is a result of the co-occurrence of two or more extension suffixes. Extension affixes in Kifipa affects the subcategory as they increase the number of arguments these extensions are applicative and causative verb extensions. On the other hand, extensions such as passive, reciprocal, stative and reflexive decrease the number of arguments while extension such as intensive does not affect the arguments of the verb.

Published in International Journal of Literature and Arts (Volume 10, Issue 2)
DOI 10.11648/j.ijla.20221002.14
Page(s) 91-100
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2022. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Verb Subcategorization, Derived Verbs, Passive Verb, Applicative Verb, Causative Verb, Reciprocal Verb, Stative Verb, Reflexive Verb

References
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[3] Botne, R. (2003). To Die Cross Language: Toward a Typology of Achievement Verbs. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing.
[4] Bresnan, J., & Moshi, L. (1990). Object asymmetries in comparative Bantu syntax. Linguistic inquiry. 21 (3), 147-185.
[5] Burton-Robert, N. (2011). Analysing Sentences. An Introduction to English Syntax (3rd ed.). British: British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data.
[6] Burzio, L. (1986). Italian syntax: A Government-Binding approach. Dordrecht: D. Reidel Publishing Company.
[7] Carnie, A. (2006). Syntax: A Generative Introduction (2nd ed.). Oxford: Blackwell Publishing.
[8] Chomsky, N. (1981). Lectures on Government and Binding: The Pisa Lecture (5th ed.). Dordrecht: Foris Publications.
[9] Chomsky, N. (1988). Generative Grammar. Studies in English Linguistics and Literature. Dordrecht: Foris Publications.
[10] Cocchi, G. (2008). “Bantu Verbal Extensions: A Cartographic Approach Studies in Linguistics. Canada: Canadian Academy.
[11] Friesen, L. (2002). Valence Change and Oroko Verb Morphology (Mbonge Dialect): MA Thesis. Dakota: University of North Dakota.
[12] Fromkin, V., Rodman, R., & Hyams, N. (2011). An Introduction to Language (9th ed.). Wadsworth: Michael Rosenberg.
[13] Grzegorz, C. (2003). Acquiring verb subcategorization from Spanish corpora. MA Thesis. Barcelona: University of Barcelona.
[14] Haegeman, L. (1994). Introduction to Government and Binding Theory (2nd ed.). Oxford: Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
[15] Hammadi, O. I. & Ab Aziz, M. J. (2012). Grammatical Relation Extraction in Arabic Language. Journal of Computer Science. Vol. 8 (6): 891-898.
[16] Katamba, F. & Stonham, J. (2006). Morphology (2nd ed.). New York: Palgrave Macmillan Ltd.
[17] Luhende, P. J. (2018). Lexical-Semantic and Morpho-Syntactic Properties of English Loanwords in Sukuma: PhD. Thesis. Stellenbosch: Stellenbosch University.
[18] Mdee, J. (2019). Patterns of Swahili Verbal Derivatives: An Analysis of their Formation. Dar es Salaam: The Open University of Tanzania.
[19] Mutaka, P., & Tamanji, P. (2000). An Introduction to African Linguistics. Munich: Lincom Europa.
[20] Rugemalira, J. M. (1993). Runyambo verb extension and constraints on predicate structure: Berkeley. University of California.
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    Glad Cromwel, Lea Mpobela. (2022). The Subcategorization of Derived Verbs in Kifipa. International Journal of Literature and Arts, 10(2), 91-100. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijla.20221002.14

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    Glad Cromwel; Lea Mpobela. The Subcategorization of Derived Verbs in Kifipa. Int. J. Lit. Arts 2022, 10(2), 91-100. doi: 10.11648/j.ijla.20221002.14

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    AMA Style

    Glad Cromwel, Lea Mpobela. The Subcategorization of Derived Verbs in Kifipa. Int J Lit Arts. 2022;10(2):91-100. doi: 10.11648/j.ijla.20221002.14

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  • @article{10.11648/j.ijla.20221002.14,
      author = {Glad Cromwel and Lea Mpobela},
      title = {The Subcategorization of Derived Verbs in Kifipa},
      journal = {International Journal of Literature and Arts},
      volume = {10},
      number = {2},
      pages = {91-100},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ijla.20221002.14},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijla.20221002.14},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijla.20221002.14},
      abstract = {This paper aims at investigating Subcategorizations of derived verbs in Kifipa. Kifipa is a Bantu language spoken in south-west Tanzania by the people denoted to as Wafipa. Wafipa live in a bigger area between Lake Rukwa and Lake Tanganyika. Currently, the area is located in Rukwa region. Verbs are subcategorized differently in different languages. In isolating languages, verb subcategorization is a syntactic study while in Bantu languages verb subcategorization is a morphosyntactic study. In some languages derivation does not affect the subcategorization of verbs except passive while in other languages especially Bantu, derivation (verb extension) alters the subcategorization of basic verbs. The paper focuses on three morpho-syntactic aspects of derived verbs in Kifipa. The paper is guided by the theory known as Government and Binding theory and Burzio’s Generalization Principle in particular. Burzio’s generalization is the work of a linguist known as Luigi Burzio in 1986. Burzio's generalization deals with the organization of verb harmony, and how these verbs behave towards their arguments. In his theory, Burzio came up with a general classification of verbs. Qualitative approach and explanatory research design were employed in the analysis and presentation of data. A sample of six respondents from Matai and Singiwe villages were selected using snowball sampling technique on the basis of age and language ability. Data were collected through sentence questionnaires, grammaticality judgements and extraction from written materials. The findings reveal that Kifipa has three subcategories of derived verbs including the verbs which allow only a single argument, the verbs which allow the occurrence of two or three arguments and lastly the super transitive verbs which allow the occurrence of more than three arguments which is a result of the co-occurrence of two or more extension suffixes. Extension affixes in Kifipa affects the subcategory as they increase the number of arguments these extensions are applicative and causative verb extensions. On the other hand, extensions such as passive, reciprocal, stative and reflexive decrease the number of arguments while extension such as intensive does not affect the arguments of the verb.},
     year = {2022}
    }
    

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    JO  - International Journal of Literature and Arts
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    AB  - This paper aims at investigating Subcategorizations of derived verbs in Kifipa. Kifipa is a Bantu language spoken in south-west Tanzania by the people denoted to as Wafipa. Wafipa live in a bigger area between Lake Rukwa and Lake Tanganyika. Currently, the area is located in Rukwa region. Verbs are subcategorized differently in different languages. In isolating languages, verb subcategorization is a syntactic study while in Bantu languages verb subcategorization is a morphosyntactic study. In some languages derivation does not affect the subcategorization of verbs except passive while in other languages especially Bantu, derivation (verb extension) alters the subcategorization of basic verbs. The paper focuses on three morpho-syntactic aspects of derived verbs in Kifipa. The paper is guided by the theory known as Government and Binding theory and Burzio’s Generalization Principle in particular. Burzio’s generalization is the work of a linguist known as Luigi Burzio in 1986. Burzio's generalization deals with the organization of verb harmony, and how these verbs behave towards their arguments. In his theory, Burzio came up with a general classification of verbs. Qualitative approach and explanatory research design were employed in the analysis and presentation of data. A sample of six respondents from Matai and Singiwe villages were selected using snowball sampling technique on the basis of age and language ability. Data were collected through sentence questionnaires, grammaticality judgements and extraction from written materials. The findings reveal that Kifipa has three subcategories of derived verbs including the verbs which allow only a single argument, the verbs which allow the occurrence of two or three arguments and lastly the super transitive verbs which allow the occurrence of more than three arguments which is a result of the co-occurrence of two or more extension suffixes. Extension affixes in Kifipa affects the subcategory as they increase the number of arguments these extensions are applicative and causative verb extensions. On the other hand, extensions such as passive, reciprocal, stative and reflexive decrease the number of arguments while extension such as intensive does not affect the arguments of the verb.
    VL  - 10
    IS  - 2
    ER  - 

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Author Information
  • Department of Language and Linguistics, St Augustine University of Tanzania, Mwanza, Tanzania

  • Department of Language and Linguistics, St Augustine University of Tanzania, Mwanza, Tanzania

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