Expressing time without verbs: non-verbal copula constructions in Southern Bantu and beyond
Short description
This project examines non-verbal predication, focusing on how tense and aspect can be marked on nouns. Centered on Xhosa, it analyzes meanings, structure, and historical development of constructions with nounclass-specific copulas lacking a verb. The study compares these patterns across Bantu languages and uses new interview data and a growing spoken Xhosa corpus to uncover the pattern of these cross-linguistically rare constructions.
Background
This project delves into the fascinating world of non-verbal predication in language, exploring the possibility of marking tense and aspect – typically the domain of verbs – on nominals and other parts of speech. At the core of this study is Xhosa, a Bantu language spoken in South Africa. We aim to uncover the meanings, structural properties, and historical evolution of predicative constructions in Xhosa, where the copula is uniquely noun-class specific and non-verbal:
yayi-li-gqwetha l-am
SM.PST.IPFV.9-COP.5-5.lawyer 5-POSS.1SG
‘It was my lawyer.’
This construction is exceptionally rare cross-linguistically, as it adds tense-aspect information, such as the past imperfective in this example, to the noun without a verbal linking verb like ‘be’. Our analysis will compare this construction to other copula uses within Xhosa and across other (Southern) Bantu languages and beyond.
Goal
The project is structured into four work packages, each designed to systematically address our research questions in a linear and at the same time intertwined manner. Despite being a relatively large language, Xhosa's grammar remains under-described in many areas. Our project will enrich the research base for Xhosa and other South African languages, while also building capacity in linguistic analysis. We will rely on new data from interviews conducted across the country, complemented by additions to a unique corpus of spoken Xhosa developed in previous projects.