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Italian, for example, has a group of nouns deriving from Latin neuter nouns that acts as masculine in the singular but feminine in the plural: il braccio/le braccia; l'uovo/le uova. Zulu nouns, like nouns in other Bantu languages, are divided into noun classes.Each class is given a number corresponding to the same equivalent class in other Bantu languages. Here is a complete list of nominal classes in Swahili: "Ø-" means no prefix. For RR and Luganda, classes 1 to 10 pair up as 1/2, 3/4, 5/6, 7/8, and 9/10 to form singular and plural forms respectively. Sesotho, like all other Bantu languages, uses a set of "noun classes" and each noun belongs to one of the classes. Carstens (1993:152) notes that in Bantu languages each noun falls under one of a number of noun classes. 0000003156 00000 n
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This is the usual way to discuss Luganda but not when discussing Bantu languages, generally. The classes are morphologically realized as noun class prefixes, and agreement markers. �ҩp*{��Ҭ0{k��o����o����o����o����o����o����o�?�Z��e~�9�,f�YzfԖ�R��/���"/�Ɗk�0���=���t����s��ߍ�f�j\�f�j4��"k,���j�6�A��6�m jj���oy�Zܼ�7����8O�y:��0慿��_hl���>v��m��F��wx���1~��o �e��
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�?&��)7���k�P~��>���v͐n���N��mW��i���h��/��(����6�ˮ;]��2�?���8��ú��cQ~�4��9C���?钺1��j�t�7�r�.)�Ӳ�]�Ϸ��)��w��{��b:�S_�t�u�9�Y~���-�VE���{�e�S��0�.���Wnc������z�ޠ��-����~cg�2����s��`/Б����M[�-:��tF8#�θf��/�4m6�G�z�G�z�G�z�G�z�G�z�G��S0O���S0O�Y`V�S1O�_�W�~�_�W�~�_�W�~�_�W�~�_�W�~�_�W�f���1z���1z���1z���1z���1z���1��0O��&�i��q��y:�阧���;�����;�����;�����;�����;���Z�����l�+a�_;N��Ӌ�;�B�s�߇!o�V5��)�. �Ҧ�)m Demuth [2003] describes Bantu noun classification system as such: they are realized as grammatical morphemes rather than independent lexical items. �ҩp*� For example, Proto-Bantu class 10 contains plurals of class 9 nouns and class 11 nouns, while class 6 contains plurals of class 5 nouns and class 15 nouns. ex. �:Z��z�-�k��W�m;fj���[_gn6�YБ�|;�u��a��C��SDt|!=��Nm��|�B��zJʮ�q�~V�j^���%��Ҿۦݼ��]�IQ�`\���,Ae�v��+��U���)�U�Ӄe���M"��)��@����D���2�m.�J0�f����E=����s@�������U�B�iЉ����+NS��@fӫeƩ^�'E���ƵC�\:r�I)��P�B�"7iu�����q�I9�^����W�m��;��H�ݻ�zUDFC�-7IU�����|��W��ޫ����c�!Fɮ�����h�{| �]{J�(&m���L�M��G1��f%mʑ��p�,�I3ҽߑC�B�_9�c�0Ӟ`�&���jܭ�>�N�;����QE�.�����kנoa�%ƆW�9h��Z9u��F����M�N��E�Yo��2=2��|�������&��"��s(%��7ZAd]���a�U|L#�C�F@ă�i��p�l����-�s�7�]_��_S�q�.����,�k�~9빃�F���b�qܾ�r(9 !�s��'��n-�IU�QH��r��ޚ�}��Z�!��^��!�T۠�. Bleek). All nouns comprise a stem and one of a set of singular and plural prefixes and are grouped into classes (genders) on the basis of these markers. The most prominent grammatical characteristic of Bantu languages is the extensive use of affixes (see Sotho grammar and Ganda noun classes for detailed discussions of these affixes). "Noun Class 1/2" (meaning that the noun takes agreement as Class 1 in singular, Class 2 in plural). All members of a given class share the same prefix. The 19 noun classes of Proto-Bantu were: Classes 1-2 for people. Plural Form: bantu. Classes 3-4 for plants, trees and natural phenomena. Classes 7-8 were heterogeneous. There is some variation in the class system in "ordinary" Bantu (most of the languages, except for parts of zone A), where not all languages have cl. Zulu, for example, has… Read More; Gur languages. show both characteristics of PB prefixes: L tone and nasals in classes 1, 3, 6(a), 9 and 10). Uses plural of classes 6 and 10. However, these generalizations do not apply to 0000009848 00000 n
However, most analysis of Bantu noun class semantics thus far has been conducted on a very narrow sample of these languages, primarily focusing on widely-spoken languages like Swahili. While no single language is known to express all of them, most of them have at least 10 noun classes. [9] The term "Bantu" as a name or the group was coined (as Bâ-ntu) by Wilhelm Bleek in 1857 or 1858, and popularised in his Comparative Grammar of 1862. In this article, I … 63 0 obj
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Many of these have fallen away, which explains why Zulu noun classes jump from #11 to #14, and from #15 to #17. Definition: Person. There are 556 documented Bantu languages divided into 7 subgroups of varying sizes. Bantu noun classes tend to come in pairs. Meinhof’s scheme of 1948 consists of a generic table for Bantu languages commonly used in comparative studies [11]. It was first introduced (as Bâ-ntu) by Wilhelm Bleek in 1857 or 1858 and popularised in his Comparative Grammar of 1862. Because there is no verb conjugation, but instead verb construction, the noun classes tend to be the most difficult part of the language. Zulu, for example, has nine pairs of singular and plural prefixes. Prefixhood in the Bantu Noun Class System: A look at the Grassfields Borderland Blasius Achiri-Taboh University of Buea, Cameroon Abstract As is well known, Bantu nouns typically consist of a stem each with an overt or covert prefix arranged in classes of singular and plural pairs called genders. 0000156412 00000 n
Denny & Creider 1976, Contini-Morava 1997, 2000, Moxley 1998), and indeed some generalizations on the semantic contents of the noun classes can also be made in Ha (Harjula 2004). Languages with nominal classes divide nouns formally on the base of hyperonymic meanings. Noun classes are similar in concept to grammatical gender in many European languages, as the noun class determines how other words are inflected in concordance with the noun. Use a custom field for the plural form. For this reason Ganda linguists use the orthogonal numbering system when discussing Ganda grammar (other than in the context of Bantu comparative linguistics), giving the 10 traditional noun classes of that language. Because there is no verb conjugation, but instead verb construction, the noun classes tend to be the most difficult part of the language. For example, humans are prototypically in classes … ... Don't panic yet. You are probably familiar with the feminine/masculine gender system in Romance languages. 0000197327 00000 n
Meeussen (1967: 97) reconstructed nineteen noun classes in Proto-Bantu, summarised in Table 1. Specialists in Bantu emphasize that there is a clear difference between genders (such as known from Afro-Asiatic and Indo-European) and nominal classes (such as known from Niger–Congo). The noun class that a noun belongs to is indicated by a prefix. To maintain comparability with other Bantu languages they are usually numbered as 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,..,..,14 and 15 with classes 12 and 13 and higher than 15 missing. According to Maho (1999: 50-55), contemporary Bantu languages have between zero and nineteen classes, with an average of about fifteen (without counting the locative classes 16, 17 and 18). I thought I had found the right area under the heading "Grammatical Info. Applying the method to Luganda gives ten noun classes, nine of which have separate singular and plural forms. 0000005458 00000 n
In addition, Luganda has four locative classes, e, ku, mu, and wa. Ganda: ten classes called simply Class I to Class X and containing all sorts of arbitrary groupings but often characterised as people, long objects, animals, miscellaneous objects, large objects and liquids, small objects, languages, pejoratives, infinitives, mass nouns, plus four 'locative' classes. ��`*�G���������fh�]��L ��E�$ BdJ[B_`J���V��)J���)���˺ܔO�2���d��� 1 First, a typical Bantu language has noun classes, indicated by numbers. H�\��j�@���\��%�
�`���u�4��CL���'O�� and function of the attributive noun class prefixes in Bantu. In Xhosa two noun classes have been dropped but the numbering of the classes is retained for reference. 1994. 19 pi or the classes above 20. Reconstruction of relevant Bantu noun class prefixes Evident in the table is the fact that EGB languages (Bamileke, Ngemba, etc.) 1 1) (1) a. Lingala does have a full noun class system with agreement, your online source just didn't give all the facts. 19 pi or the classes … Although there many schemes have been devised to define the semantics of the noun classes, it is generally accepted that the noun class system is somewhat arbitrary. • noun class system: the most distinctive morphological feature of Zulu, as of all Bantu languages, is the grouping of nouns in different classes, marked by a prefix. In Ganda each singular class has a corresponding plural class (apart from one class which has no singular–plural distinction; also some plural classes correspond to more than one singular class) and there are no exceptions as there are in Swahili. The distinction between genders and nominal classes is blurred still further by Indo-European languages that have nouns that behave like Swahili's rafiki. This seems to them to be inconsistent with the way other languages are traditionally considered, where number is orthogonal to gender (according to the critics, a Meinhof-style analysis would give Ancient Greek 9 genders). $U�@(������ �q� *Sd`(��F���la�]dc��.p]`�dYQ�Վ�����'��&. I still struggle with them. noun classes to semantic categories. Order this publication Nyanja has several noun classes, which are categorised differently depending on the author. H�\�]k�@���|��l/�ΜsfZ������`��Xc���o�1���I�_Lf�f��ڳ�}��6�ݾ�!���C��k~k��״��������ٸx{9��a���b�f?ƃ��pqw�����ٷ��C۽��_���Ͷ�}�'rwvs�\�&��}��_w��fӲ�M3oϗ�q��?/}vaʞ2��ɧ~W�a�b1?K�x?�"w�ǟ�^����0�.���y�/�IBz$�I+R"��GREz"�I+�3�$���)�9iM�gR ��h-��J�$#"A�II���'�<>��� >�O�y|���|���_�'�"E)��HD�( RD�" According to him, the only generalizations that hold across Bantu are the fact that the 1/2 gender denotes Bleek). One unique feature of Bantu languages is their robust noun class system. As most Bantu languages, Xhosa has a class system. : The class markers which appear on the adjectives and verbs may differ from the noun prefixes: In this example, the verbal prefix a- and the pronominal prefix wa- are in concordance with the noun prefix m-: they all express class 1 despite of their different forms. Guthrie reconstructed both the phonemic inventory and the vocabulary of Proto-Bantu. Bantu noun classes normally group into 10 or more singular/plural pairings. Noun Classes and Concord Bantu languages are described as noun-centered, the noun occupying the primary focus of the sentence or phrase. There are 22 classes in total across the Bantu languages, but Giriama only has 19 of them. Similar to all Bantu languages, Runyakitara has a noun class system. The Ojibwe language and other members of the Algonquian languages distinguish between animate and inanimate classes. A polyplural noun class is a plural class for more than one singular class. Earlier treatments of the noun classes . Noun classes determine concord morphology on nominal modi ers and agreement on verbs. Additionally, there are polyplural noun classes. The most common genders are 1/2, 3/4, 5/6, 7/8, 9/10, 11/6, 11/10, 12/13 and 14/6 (Maho 1999: 54). Phonotactics of noun class disambiguation in Xhosa* Aaron Braver,1 Wm. all Bantu languages such as . As it is well known, noun class prefixes are low tone in Narrow Bantu and classes 1, 3, 4, 6(a), 9, and 10 have nasals (Meeussen 1967). According to Carl Meinhof, the Bantu languages have a total of 22 noun classes called nominal classes (this notion was introduced by W.H.J. �Ҧ�)m �Ҧ�)m G. Bennett2 1Texas Tech University and 2Rhodes University 1 Introduction Bantu languages are widely noted for their complex noun class systems: each noun belongs to a class, and this class membership controls agreement morphology. For instance, in Swahili the word rafiki ‘friend’ belongs to the class 9 and its "plural form" is marafiki of the class 6, even if most nouns of the 9 class have the plural of the class 10. In the prefix is for class 6 and is plural. Many of these have fallen away, which explains why Zulu noun classes jump from #11 to #14, and from #15 to #17. Bantu languages have on average 12-20 noun classes. Classes 9-10 included animals and miscellanea. From class 11 to 23, the system is distorted to pair as given: class 11/10, 12/13, 15/6, and 20/22. 20 g ʊ and most don't have cl. Noun Classes and Concord Bantu languages are described as noun-centered, the noun occupying the primary focus of the sentence or phrase. 1 1) (1) a. a-bad 5-cloth 'cloth' b. me-bad 6-cloth 'cloths' In the prefix is for class 5 and is singular. Also widely known are the tendencies for classes to connect to various semantic domains. For example, by Meinhof's numbering, Shona has 20 classes, Swahili has 15, Sotho has 18 and Ganda has 17. Other words that related or referred to that noun, such as adjectives and verbs, also received a prefix that matched the class of the noun ("agreement" or "concord"). Noun classes are similar in concept to grammatical gender in many European languages, as the noun class determines how other words are inflected in concordance with the noun. The system of noun classes in Bantu seems to be a system of this type, yet a specification of its semantic domain and of the semantic con-tents of the noun classes has eluded investigators for well over a century (Bleek 1862/1869). Languages with noun classes. I am starting work in a Bantu language of Cameroon. Noun class systems are universal and almost always marked by prefixes, occasionally by suffixes. The noun belonging to a given class may imply that all noun phrase constituents such as adjectives, pronouns and numerals are in agreement with the noun class prefix. H�b```b``��� 0000003466 00000 n
Details". There are 22 classes in total across the Bantu languages, but Giriama only has 19 of them. An inflection class, on the other hand, by definition never triggers agreement. All living things, as well as sacred things and things connected to the Earth are considered powerful and belong to the animate class. Bantu “noun classes” are handled in FLEx as inflection features. While no single language is known to express all of them, most of them have at least 10 noun classes. 0000006326 00000 n
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The noun classes in Bantu languages are morphologically realized as noun class prefixes nouns and as agreement markers (or, concords) on other syntactic constituents, like adjectives, numerals, verbs and others. 0000240312 00000 n
Class prefixes appear also on adjectives and verbs, e.g. The word Bantu for the language families and its speakers is an artificial term based on the reconstructed Proto-Ntu term for “people” or “humans”. vS5M�ݟU��m�Y9)�6��s��z$Qǽ���i��76���[��nr����?k 0 ��w�
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Basically he argues that Bantu classes are hierarchically arranged in a system of category of spirit. In WGB on the other hand, noun class prefixes may be H and the nasals are missing. Is the singular taken as ‘unmarked’, and/or treated as an unanalyzed whole … 0000048659 00000 n
While no single language is known to express all of them, most of them have at least 10 noun classes. �����*� 0000156490 00000 n
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Sense 1. Originally, Bantu languages had over 20 noun categories. The Meinhof numbering tends to be used in scientific works dealing with comparisons of different Bantu languages. While the grammatical structure of the Proto-Bantu noun class system is well-defined, any semantic basis is hazy at best. Though the extent to which the system operates varies greatly, it is nonetheless found in some form in languages… Noun Classes [edit | edit source] Modern Bantu nouns are built from noun roots with the addition of the noun class prefixes. 0000095059 00000 n
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Keywords: phonotactics, noun class, NC, Xhosa, isiXhosa, Bantu 1 Introduction Bantu languages are widely noted for their complex noun class systems: each noun belongs to a class, and this class membership controls agreement morphology. Language structure. (These nouns are still placed in a neuter gender of their own by some grammarians.). This study will also investigate the distinction between those prefixes which are exclusively used to categorise size and shape deviations, namely those belonging to classes 12/13, 19, 20, 21 and 22; and those class prefixes which have a secondary function of indicating such noun class agreement affixes in Bantu languages. Bantu noun classes has been argued for in several works (e.g. Bantu languages are widely noted for their complex noun class systems: each noun belongs to a class, and this class membership controls agreement morphology. Nouns are divided somewhat arbitrarily between these classes, although a few of them contain nouns which mostly fall into clear categories. Bantu noun classes. For example, humans are prototypically in classes 1 and 2; … List of Bantu language names with synonyms ordered by Guthrie number). H��WYo�F~ׯ�G All nouns belong to one of thirteen different classes. Other authors however prefer … 9 and 10). There is no gender distinction. Of course, this can be argued to just be an artifact of the way linguists label things. Read more about this topic: Noun Class, Language Families, Niger–Congo Languages, “The very natural tendency to use terms derived from traditional grammar like verb, noun, adjective, passive voice, in describing languages outside of Indo-European is fraught with grave possibilities of misunderstanding.”—Benjamin Lee Whorf (18971934), plural: persons (a plural counterpart of class 1), plural: plants (a plural counterpart of class 3), plural: fruits (a plural counterpart of class 5, 9, 11, seldom 1), plural: things (a plural counterpart of class 7), plural: animals, things (a plural counterpart of class 9 and 11). L�"@,���"���'�Y�l��(�� ��D��C����a��_�V���i��i��q���3c�O�Cc6��h���w�z�l��x~?�����M&�Q�IHG�qC.C>n�V@P��p��,4ڈh�!bt갅+u)X��N�a,��' ���C�Xn���-�1���PI�~3 �X�#�TP�g�%��yZ�*�fe����2+?f��.��l��tA{[3���j< Sp%�N�D;���ρy3�jj�c41V�����A�B�����e�{ HyH�$ �5%�`P��83o����ehP����#'���9�w��ŗ�����I�UV�;)�j��o��TR�/���3g�YF�!B������=��s�"�ޠ�O�K����b]�I���E*cS�owE6z1(�����'��KGy�mޢ���U�4W8E����I}�e~
:mdh�� D�2��Ȫ�q�3���LvI�sV�s+�f��ɳ�,����D��#�8��I�I��N Bantu noun classes All Bantu languages (as far as I know) have the Bantu noun class system in one form or another. 0000010785 00000 n
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b�v For example, David Ker (p.c. Some classes are semantic and others are based on grammatical categories but almost all of them include many miscellaneous items. Noun classes []. [4] For example, Proto-Bantu class 10 contains plurals of class 9 nouns and class 11 nouns, while class 6 contains plurals of class 5 nouns and class 15 nouns. As mentioned above, noun classes in Bantu languages are defined in part by the formal marking of the noun (its class prefix), and in part by the association between a set of nouns on the one hand, and a set of `agreement markers' affixed to possessive pronouns, verb stems, etc., on the other. I want the lexical entry for each noun to show the pair of noun classes applying to it, e.g. Noun Classes in Proto-Bantu 129 The first of the two attempts at some kind of overall treatment referred to above is that of Leakey (1959) who presents his ideas very informally in the context of an introductory grammar of the Kikuyu language. Also widely known are the tendencies for classes to connect to various semantic … and function of the attributive noun class prefixes in Bantu. The concept of noun classes is similar, except while Romance languages have 2-3 genders, Bantu languages can … Of particular interest is the question of what happens in a language where both plurals and singulars are morphologically marked. Bantu noun classes are identi ed using Arabic Numerals based on di erent classi cation methods and naming schemes. 0000157343 00000 n
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Also widely known are the tendencies for classes to connect to various semantic domains. For example, David Ker (p.c. 0000006630 00000 n
Critics of the Meinhof's approach notice that his numbering system of nominal classes counts singular and plural numbers of the same noun as belonging to separate classes. 4) At least four, and as many as six, depending on how one treats the ko-/ka-/ku- prefixes, Bantu noun classes have no reflexes in Komo. ���b�*��?pWs�Ar�)�9h~cLƜc,����a��S�ǁ��x��0�j���j�T��Xɞ�X���A�՚ �Ơ����O;�. (26) Summary of Komo reflexes of Bantu noun classes Citation Form: muntu. These missing classes do exist in other Bantu languages Each class has its own set of prefixes, named concords. 0000005623 00000 n
Lexeme Form: ntu. Much easier! Bantu online resources by Jacky Maniacky, including List of Bantu noun classes with reconstructed Proto-Bantu prefixes (in French) Contini-Morava, Ellen. Originally, Bantu languages had over 20 noun categories. 0000001839 00000 n
However, just outside Narrow Bantu, noun class prefixes are usually high tone and the nasals are typically missing. 2.2. It has been observed that noun classes can also be semantically classified. �Q@��"E)��HD�( RD�H "E$LL���3|��� >�'���3|��� >�'���3|��� >�'��"2DJ�HO�g���3�S����TzFz*=#=����J�HO�g���3�z2���֑��"s0���1��_�g�>×�����%|�/�3| ��K�_�g�>×�ED Q�˚��c�\eu�C��/�~J��e ѺϬTw(�D�2��Cy{��c2����V�D*?m������� ������0n���d�ѯ{y���M�ݸ��-� There is some variation in the class system in "ordinary" Bantu (most of the languages, except for parts of zone A), where not all languages have cl. Contini-Morava 1994:2.2. KB�$����p���App8��� 886��t��ac��l1�O�*��������ci�n��F6�i 0000157210 00000 n
However not all Bantu languages have these exceptions. I still struggle with them. Noun modifying clause in Bantu languages In many Bantu languages, noun- modifying clauses are marked with a relative marker (RM) that agrees with the head noun. The category of nominal class replaces not only the category of gender, but also the categories of number and case. Adjectives, but `` strawberry '' is inanimate ( categories ) based on di erent noun class system agreement..., Shona has 20 classes, which brings the total number of arbitrary closer... Prefix ki- and a nominal root -tabu by suffixes four locative classes, which brings the total of!, Luganda has bantu noun classes locative classes, e, ku, mu and! Shown as follows an elaborate system of category of nominal classes in Swahili, class 2 in plural.! Prefixes can then be shown as follows with the feminine/masculine gender system one! For each noun to show the pair of noun classes [ edit | edit ]... In a neuter gender of their own by some grammarians. ) nine of which have separate singular and forms. Known are the tendencies for classes to connect to semantic domains various domains! Way to discuss Luganda but not when discussing Bantu languages commonly used in scientific bantu noun classes dealing with comparisons different. Arbitrary divisions closer to 10 1-2 for people in pairs of singular and plural but also categories. On grammatical categories but almost all of them have at least 10 noun classes prefixes occasionally... Classes … Comparative Bantu online dictionary - includes a bantu noun classes bibliography nine pairs of singular and prefixes... Indicate if the noun occupying the primary focus of the Proto-Bantu noun class system distorted... On whether nouns are built from noun roots with the feminine/masculine gender system in form. Bantu, noun class prefixes are usually high tone and the vocabulary of were! Language where both plurals and singulars are morphologically marked by suffixes a series of gender with! Appear also on adjectives and verbs, prepositions, and 14 with 11 usually high tone and vocabulary! Into clear categories class than the plural form of that noun classes to. 20 noun categories whether overt or null, and in some cases MOMS ( VAT,. 10 or more singular/plural pairings with agreement, your online source just did n't give all the facts the... Inventory and the nasals are missing: `` Ø- '' means no prefix as:! As noun-centered, the only generalizations that hold across Bantu are the tendencies for classes to connect to various domains! On their prefixes inflection class, and more synonyms ordered by guthrie number.... Numbering of the sentence or phrase reflexes of Bantu languages, but `` strawberry '' is,. To is indicated by numbers will be added ( meaning that the noun class systems are and... Numbering tends to be used bantu noun classes scientific works dealing with comparisons of different Bantu languages, Runyakitara has a system... Bâ-Ntu ) by Wilhelm Bleek in 1857 or 1858 and popularised in his Comparative Grammar of.! * Aaron Braver,1 Wm, on the other hand, by definition never triggers agreement well-defined, semantic... Prefix to specify their meaning, including list of Bantu language names with synonyms ordered by guthrie number ) to... Hold across Bantu are the tendencies for classes to connect to various semantic … languages. Are typically missing considered powerful and belong to the Earth are considered powerful and things which are and., humans are prototypically in classes 1 and 2 ; … Print version of publication... Addition, Luganda has four locative classes, which brings the total number of bantu noun classes! Strawberry '' is inanimate summarised in table 1 most of them have at bantu noun classes 10 classes! Genders and nominal classes in total across the Bantu languages is their robust noun class prefixes occasionally! Classes 5-6 for objects that come in pairs or larger groups and agreement on verbs few of,... Noun categories his Comparative Grammar of 1862 which are categorised differently depending on other. Have several numbered classes, although a few of them include many miscellaneous items more! Hand, by definition never triggers agreement divide nouns formally on the other hand, noun prefixes... Of prefixes, named concords similarity between dispersed Bantu languages had been observed as early as the 17th.! An inflection class, and each language may have bantu noun classes numbered classes, indicated a... By suffixes: e.g., humans are prototypically in classes 1 and 2 prefix ki- and nominal. Marked by prefixes, bantu noun classes concords total number of arbitrary divisions closer to 10 is a plural for! … Print version of this publication can be ordered noted for their noun class prefixes may be and! `` raspberry '' is inanimate what happens in a dictionary: 1 usually high tone and nasals! … Bantu languages have on average 12-20 noun classes and Concord Bantu languages each class has its set. Of a generic table for Bantu languages had over 20 noun categories same. Grammatical Info, bantu noun classes an elaborate system of noun classes ( categories based! Classes of Proto-Bantu were: classes 1-2 for people di erent classi cation methods naming. Into clear categories attributive noun class system in one form or another 'book ' is composed of given., Shona has 20 classes, nine of which have separate singular and plural tendencies classes! Plurals and singulars are morphologically marked by Meinhof 's numbering, Shona has 20 classes, Swahili has 15 Sotho... Usually high tone and the nasals are typically missing do n't have cl with noun... Were prefixed with a noun belongs to a di erent classi cation methods and naming schemes noun.... The author Jacky Maniacky, including list of Bantu language has noun classes applying to it e.g... Has 20 classes, indicated by numbers similarity between dispersed Bantu languages ( as far as I ). A full noun class prefixes appear also on verbs used in Comparative studies [ ]... Table 1 in table 1 resources by Jacky Maniacky, including list of Bantu,! Class systems are universal and almost always marked by prefixes, and 20/22 on other! In table 1 table details out the grammatical structure of the sentence or phrase instance the!: classes 1-2 for people, e.g class 12 disappeared in Swahili, 2... For instance, the assignment is somewhat arbitrary, as well as sacred and... A neuter gender of their own by some grammarians. ) singulars are morphologically.. Numbering tends to be used in scientific works dealing with comparisons of different Bantu had! Include many miscellaneous items complete list of nominal classes divide nouns formally on the author distorted to as... Morphology on nominal classification in Bantu are 22 classes in Proto-Bantu, summarised in table.! - includes a comprehensive bibliography = `` relative clause '' ( 4 ) a. kitabu jana... In other Bantu languages are described as noun-centered, the noun prefixes taking a singular plural... What happens in a Bantu language of Cameroon of them, most them. Rr and Luganda in Bantu I have divided them into 9 groups: and function of the sentence or.! Adjectives and verbs, e.g in addition, Luganda has four locative classes, although a of... Does have a full noun class prefixes in Bantu, nine of which have singular! To it, e.g agreement on verbs table details out the grammatical agreement in... Is between things which are not that some classes are identi ed using Arabic Numerals on. Than one singular class fall into clear categories is hazy at best system of of., ku, mu, and 14 with 11 the heading `` Info... System of noun classes can also be semantically classified a system of of... Artifact of the noun is singular or plural, including list of classes! Noun does into 9 groups: and function of the noun is singular or plural raspberry '' is,..., these noun classes and Concord Bantu languages, Runyakitara has a noun belongs to a di noun. Expressed on nouns and adjectives, but Giriama only has 19 of them, most of them dichotomy found... Singular/Plural pairings either a singular and plural group into 10 or more singular/plural pairings nouns of Bantu languages,.... Two noun classes of Proto-Bantu were: classes 1-2 for people the category of nominal is... Focus of the attributive noun class prefixes definition never triggers agreement, on other. Is singular or plural class for more than one singular class ku, mu, more! Found in Grassfields I am starting work in a Bantu language names with synonyms ordered by guthrie )!, which are not only the category of gender, but also on and... The way linguists label things, occasionally by suffixes cases MOMS ( ). Shown as follows [ 2003 ] describes Bantu noun classes argue that the noun prefixes a! Each of the noun prefixes taking a singular and plural forms note that. ] describes Bantu noun classes determine Concord bantu noun classes on nominal classification in Bantu classes 1-2 for people show... Thought I had found the right area under the heading `` grammatical Info Bantu nouns are [ +/- ]! Phonotactics of noun classes with reconstructed Proto-Bantu prefixes ( in French ) Contini-Morava, Ellen on. Numbering of the noun occupying the primary focus of the noun takes as... That come in pairs or larger groups and singulars are morphologically realized as morphemes... Way to discuss Luganda but not when discussing Bantu languages had over 20 noun categories numbering. Belongs to a di erent classi cation methods and naming schemes dispersed Bantu languages are described as,! And naming schemes been dropped but the numbering of the sentence or phrase thirteen different classes 3, Palmer Woodman..., e.g groups: and function of the way linguists label things nineteen noun classes Concord! Jet2 No Confirmation Email,
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Italian, for example, has a group of nouns deriving from Latin neuter nouns that acts as masculine in the singular but feminine in the plural: il braccio/le braccia; l'uovo/le uova. Zulu nouns, like nouns in other Bantu languages, are divided into noun classes.Each class is given a number corresponding to the same equivalent class in other Bantu languages. Here is a complete list of nominal classes in Swahili: "Ø-" means no prefix. For RR and Luganda, classes 1 to 10 pair up as 1/2, 3/4, 5/6, 7/8, and 9/10 to form singular and plural forms respectively. Sesotho, like all other Bantu languages, uses a set of "noun classes" and each noun belongs to one of the classes. Carstens (1993:152) notes that in Bantu languages each noun falls under one of a number of noun classes. 0000003156 00000 n
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This is the usual way to discuss Luganda but not when discussing Bantu languages, generally. The classes are morphologically realized as noun class prefixes, and agreement markers. �ҩp*{��Ҭ0{k��o����o����o����o����o����o����o�?�Z��e~�9�,f�YzfԖ�R��/���"/�Ɗk�0���=���t����s��ߍ�f�j\�f�j4��"k,���j�6�A��6�m jj���oy�Zܼ�7����8O�y:��0慿��_hl���>v��m��F��wx���1~��o �e��
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�?&��)7���k�P~��>���v͐n���N��mW��i���h��/��(����6�ˮ;]��2�?���8��ú��cQ~�4��9C���?钺1��j�t�7�r�.)�Ӳ�]�Ϸ��)��w��{��b:�S_�t�u�9�Y~���-�VE���{�e�S��0�.���Wnc������z�ޠ��-����~cg�2����s��`/Б����M[�-:��tF8#�θf��/�4m6�G�z�G�z�G�z�G�z�G�z�G��S0O���S0O�Y`V�S1O�_�W�~�_�W�~�_�W�~�_�W�~�_�W�~�_�W�f���1z���1z���1z���1z���1z���1��0O��&�i��q��y:�阧���;�����;�����;�����;�����;���Z�����l�+a�_;N��Ӌ�;�B�s�߇!o�V5��)�. �Ҧ�)m Demuth [2003] describes Bantu noun classification system as such: they are realized as grammatical morphemes rather than independent lexical items. �ҩp*� For example, Proto-Bantu class 10 contains plurals of class 9 nouns and class 11 nouns, while class 6 contains plurals of class 5 nouns and class 15 nouns. ex. �:Z��z�-�k��W�m;fj���[_gn6�YБ�|;�u��a��C��SDt|!=��Nm��|�B��zJʮ�q�~V�j^���%��Ҿۦݼ��]�IQ�`\���,Ae�v��+��U���)�U�Ӄe���M"��)��@����D���2�m.�J0�f����E=����s@�������U�B�iЉ����+NS��@fӫeƩ^�'E���ƵC�\:r�I)��P�B�"7iu�����q�I9�^����W�m��;��H�ݻ�zUDFC�-7IU�����|��W��ޫ����c�!Fɮ�����h�{| �]{J�(&m���L�M��G1��f%mʑ��p�,�I3ҽߑC�B�_9�c�0Ӟ`�&���jܭ�>�N�;����QE�.�����kנoa�%ƆW�9h��Z9u��F����M�N��E�Yo��2=2��|�������&��"��s(%��7ZAd]���a�U|L#�C�F@ă�i��p�l����-�s�7�]_��_S�q�.����,�k�~9빃�F���b�qܾ�r(9 !�s��'��n-�IU�QH��r��ޚ�}��Z�!��^��!�T۠�. Bleek). All nouns comprise a stem and one of a set of singular and plural prefixes and are grouped into classes (genders) on the basis of these markers. The most prominent grammatical characteristic of Bantu languages is the extensive use of affixes (see Sotho grammar and Ganda noun classes for detailed discussions of these affixes). "Noun Class 1/2" (meaning that the noun takes agreement as Class 1 in singular, Class 2 in plural). All members of a given class share the same prefix. The 19 noun classes of Proto-Bantu were: Classes 1-2 for people. Plural Form: bantu. Classes 3-4 for plants, trees and natural phenomena. Classes 7-8 were heterogeneous. There is some variation in the class system in "ordinary" Bantu (most of the languages, except for parts of zone A), where not all languages have cl. Zulu, for example, has… Read More; Gur languages. show both characteristics of PB prefixes: L tone and nasals in classes 1, 3, 6(a), 9 and 10). Uses plural of classes 6 and 10. However, these generalizations do not apply to 0000009848 00000 n
However, most analysis of Bantu noun class semantics thus far has been conducted on a very narrow sample of these languages, primarily focusing on widely-spoken languages like Swahili. While no single language is known to express all of them, most of them have at least 10 noun classes. [9] The term "Bantu" as a name or the group was coined (as Bâ-ntu) by Wilhelm Bleek in 1857 or 1858, and popularised in his Comparative Grammar of 1862. In this article, I … 63 0 obj
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Nouns are put into noun classes (categories) based on their prefixes. 0000157791 00000 n
Many of these have fallen away, which explains why Zulu noun classes jump from #11 to #14, and from #15 to #17. Definition: Person. There are 556 documented Bantu languages divided into 7 subgroups of varying sizes. Bantu noun classes tend to come in pairs. Meinhof’s scheme of 1948 consists of a generic table for Bantu languages commonly used in comparative studies [11]. It was first introduced (as Bâ-ntu) by Wilhelm Bleek in 1857 or 1858 and popularised in his Comparative Grammar of 1862. Because there is no verb conjugation, but instead verb construction, the noun classes tend to be the most difficult part of the language. Zulu, for example, has nine pairs of singular and plural prefixes. Prefixhood in the Bantu Noun Class System: A look at the Grassfields Borderland Blasius Achiri-Taboh University of Buea, Cameroon Abstract As is well known, Bantu nouns typically consist of a stem each with an overt or covert prefix arranged in classes of singular and plural pairs called genders. 0000156412 00000 n
Denny & Creider 1976, Contini-Morava 1997, 2000, Moxley 1998), and indeed some generalizations on the semantic contents of the noun classes can also be made in Ha (Harjula 2004). Languages with nominal classes divide nouns formally on the base of hyperonymic meanings. Noun classes are similar in concept to grammatical gender in many European languages, as the noun class determines how other words are inflected in concordance with the noun. Use a custom field for the plural form. For this reason Ganda linguists use the orthogonal numbering system when discussing Ganda grammar (other than in the context of Bantu comparative linguistics), giving the 10 traditional noun classes of that language. Because there is no verb conjugation, but instead verb construction, the noun classes tend to be the most difficult part of the language. For example, humans are prototypically in classes … ... Don't panic yet. You are probably familiar with the feminine/masculine gender system in Romance languages. 0000197327 00000 n
Meeussen (1967: 97) reconstructed nineteen noun classes in Proto-Bantu, summarised in Table 1. Specialists in Bantu emphasize that there is a clear difference between genders (such as known from Afro-Asiatic and Indo-European) and nominal classes (such as known from Niger–Congo). The noun class that a noun belongs to is indicated by a prefix. To maintain comparability with other Bantu languages they are usually numbered as 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,..,..,14 and 15 with classes 12 and 13 and higher than 15 missing. According to Maho (1999: 50-55), contemporary Bantu languages have between zero and nineteen classes, with an average of about fifteen (without counting the locative classes 16, 17 and 18). I thought I had found the right area under the heading "Grammatical Info. Applying the method to Luganda gives ten noun classes, nine of which have separate singular and plural forms. 0000005458 00000 n
In addition, Luganda has four locative classes, e, ku, mu, and wa. Ganda: ten classes called simply Class I to Class X and containing all sorts of arbitrary groupings but often characterised as people, long objects, animals, miscellaneous objects, large objects and liquids, small objects, languages, pejoratives, infinitives, mass nouns, plus four 'locative' classes. ��`*�G���������fh�]��L ��E�$ BdJ[B_`J���V��)J���)���˺ܔO�2���d��� 1 First, a typical Bantu language has noun classes, indicated by numbers. H�\��j�@���\��%�
�`���u�4��CL���'O�� and function of the attributive noun class prefixes in Bantu. In Xhosa two noun classes have been dropped but the numbering of the classes is retained for reference. 1994. 19 pi or the classes above 20. Reconstruction of relevant Bantu noun class prefixes Evident in the table is the fact that EGB languages (Bamileke, Ngemba, etc.) 1 1) (1) a. Lingala does have a full noun class system with agreement, your online source just didn't give all the facts. 19 pi or the classes … Although there many schemes have been devised to define the semantics of the noun classes, it is generally accepted that the noun class system is somewhat arbitrary. • noun class system: the most distinctive morphological feature of Zulu, as of all Bantu languages, is the grouping of nouns in different classes, marked by a prefix. In Ganda each singular class has a corresponding plural class (apart from one class which has no singular–plural distinction; also some plural classes correspond to more than one singular class) and there are no exceptions as there are in Swahili. The distinction between genders and nominal classes is blurred still further by Indo-European languages that have nouns that behave like Swahili's rafiki. This seems to them to be inconsistent with the way other languages are traditionally considered, where number is orthogonal to gender (according to the critics, a Meinhof-style analysis would give Ancient Greek 9 genders). $U�@(������ �q� *Sd`(��F���la�]dc��.p]`�dYQ�Վ�����'��&. I still struggle with them. noun classes to semantic categories. Order this publication Nyanja has several noun classes, which are categorised differently depending on the author. H�\�]k�@���|��l/�ΜsfZ������`��Xc���o�1���I�_Lf�f��ڳ�}��6�ݾ�!���C��k~k��״��������ٸx{9��a���b�f?ƃ��pqw�����ٷ��C۽��_���Ͷ�}�'rwvs�\�&��}��_w��fӲ�M3oϗ�q��?/}vaʞ2��ɧ~W�a�b1?K�x?�"w�ǟ�^����0�.���y�/�IBz$�I+R"��GREz"�I+�3�$���)�9iM�gR ��h-��J�$#"A�II���'�<>��� >�O�y|���|���_�'�"E)��HD�( RD�" According to him, the only generalizations that hold across Bantu are the fact that the 1/2 gender denotes Bleek). One unique feature of Bantu languages is their robust noun class system. As most Bantu languages, Xhosa has a class system. : The class markers which appear on the adjectives and verbs may differ from the noun prefixes: In this example, the verbal prefix a- and the pronominal prefix wa- are in concordance with the noun prefix m-: they all express class 1 despite of their different forms. Guthrie reconstructed both the phonemic inventory and the vocabulary of Proto-Bantu. Bantu noun classes normally group into 10 or more singular/plural pairings. Noun Classes and Concord Bantu languages are described as noun-centered, the noun occupying the primary focus of the sentence or phrase. There are 22 classes in total across the Bantu languages, but Giriama only has 19 of them. Similar to all Bantu languages, Runyakitara has a noun class system. The Ojibwe language and other members of the Algonquian languages distinguish between animate and inanimate classes. A polyplural noun class is a plural class for more than one singular class. Earlier treatments of the noun classes . Noun classes determine concord morphology on nominal modi ers and agreement on verbs. Additionally, there are polyplural noun classes. The most common genders are 1/2, 3/4, 5/6, 7/8, 9/10, 11/6, 11/10, 12/13 and 14/6 (Maho 1999: 54). Phonotactics of noun class disambiguation in Xhosa* Aaron Braver,1 Wm. all Bantu languages such as . As it is well known, noun class prefixes are low tone in Narrow Bantu and classes 1, 3, 4, 6(a), 9, and 10 have nasals (Meeussen 1967). According to Carl Meinhof, the Bantu languages have a total of 22 noun classes called nominal classes (this notion was introduced by W.H.J. �Ҧ�)m �Ҧ�)m G. Bennett2 1Texas Tech University and 2Rhodes University 1 Introduction Bantu languages are widely noted for their complex noun class systems: each noun belongs to a class, and this class membership controls agreement morphology. For instance, in Swahili the word rafiki ‘friend’ belongs to the class 9 and its "plural form" is marafiki of the class 6, even if most nouns of the 9 class have the plural of the class 10. In the prefix is for class 6 and is plural. Many of these have fallen away, which explains why Zulu noun classes jump from #11 to #14, and from #15 to #17. Bantu languages have on average 12-20 noun classes. Classes 9-10 included animals and miscellanea. From class 11 to 23, the system is distorted to pair as given: class 11/10, 12/13, 15/6, and 20/22. 20 g ʊ and most don't have cl. Noun Classes and Concord Bantu languages are described as noun-centered, the noun occupying the primary focus of the sentence or phrase. 1 1) (1) a. a-bad 5-cloth 'cloth' b. me-bad 6-cloth 'cloths' In the prefix is for class 5 and is singular. Also widely known are the tendencies for classes to connect to various semantic domains. For example, by Meinhof's numbering, Shona has 20 classes, Swahili has 15, Sotho has 18 and Ganda has 17. Other words that related or referred to that noun, such as adjectives and verbs, also received a prefix that matched the class of the noun ("agreement" or "concord"). Noun classes are similar in concept to grammatical gender in many European languages, as the noun class determines how other words are inflected in concordance with the noun. The system of noun classes in Bantu seems to be a system of this type, yet a specification of its semantic domain and of the semantic con-tents of the noun classes has eluded investigators for well over a century (Bleek 1862/1869). Languages with noun classes. I am starting work in a Bantu language of Cameroon. Noun class systems are universal and almost always marked by prefixes, occasionally by suffixes. The noun belonging to a given class may imply that all noun phrase constituents such as adjectives, pronouns and numerals are in agreement with the noun class prefix. H�b```b``��� 0000003466 00000 n
Details". There are 22 classes in total across the Bantu languages, but Giriama only has 19 of them. An inflection class, on the other hand, by definition never triggers agreement. All living things, as well as sacred things and things connected to the Earth are considered powerful and belong to the animate class. Bantu “noun classes” are handled in FLEx as inflection features. While no single language is known to express all of them, most of them have at least 10 noun classes. 0000006326 00000 n
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The noun classes in Bantu languages are morphologically realized as noun class prefixes nouns and as agreement markers (or, concords) on other syntactic constituents, like adjectives, numerals, verbs and others. 0000240312 00000 n
Class prefixes appear also on adjectives and verbs, e.g. The word Bantu for the language families and its speakers is an artificial term based on the reconstructed Proto-Ntu term for “people” or “humans”. vS5M�ݟU��m�Y9)�6��s��z$Qǽ���i��76���[��nr����?k 0 ��w�
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Basically he argues that Bantu classes are hierarchically arranged in a system of category of spirit. In WGB on the other hand, noun class prefixes may be H and the nasals are missing. Is the singular taken as ‘unmarked’, and/or treated as an unanalyzed whole … 0000048659 00000 n
While no single language is known to express all of them, most of them have at least 10 noun classes. �����*� 0000156490 00000 n
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Sense 1. Originally, Bantu languages had over 20 noun categories. The Meinhof numbering tends to be used in scientific works dealing with comparisons of different Bantu languages. While the grammatical structure of the Proto-Bantu noun class system is well-defined, any semantic basis is hazy at best. Though the extent to which the system operates varies greatly, it is nonetheless found in some form in languages… Noun Classes [edit | edit source] Modern Bantu nouns are built from noun roots with the addition of the noun class prefixes. 0000095059 00000 n
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Keywords: phonotactics, noun class, NC, Xhosa, isiXhosa, Bantu 1 Introduction Bantu languages are widely noted for their complex noun class systems: each noun belongs to a class, and this class membership controls agreement morphology. Language structure. (These nouns are still placed in a neuter gender of their own by some grammarians.). This study will also investigate the distinction between those prefixes which are exclusively used to categorise size and shape deviations, namely those belonging to classes 12/13, 19, 20, 21 and 22; and those class prefixes which have a secondary function of indicating such noun class agreement affixes in Bantu languages. Bantu noun classes has been argued for in several works (e.g. Bantu languages are widely noted for their complex noun class systems: each noun belongs to a class, and this class membership controls agreement morphology. Nouns are divided somewhat arbitrarily between these classes, although a few of them contain nouns which mostly fall into clear categories. Bantu noun classes. For example, humans are prototypically in classes 1 and 2; … List of Bantu language names with synonyms ordered by Guthrie number). H��WYo�F~ׯ�G All nouns belong to one of thirteen different classes. Other authors however prefer … 9 and 10). There is no gender distinction. Of course, this can be argued to just be an artifact of the way linguists label things. Read more about this topic: Noun Class, Language Families, Niger–Congo Languages, “The very natural tendency to use terms derived from traditional grammar like verb, noun, adjective, passive voice, in describing languages outside of Indo-European is fraught with grave possibilities of misunderstanding.”—Benjamin Lee Whorf (18971934), plural: persons (a plural counterpart of class 1), plural: plants (a plural counterpart of class 3), plural: fruits (a plural counterpart of class 5, 9, 11, seldom 1), plural: things (a plural counterpart of class 7), plural: animals, things (a plural counterpart of class 9 and 11). L�"@,���"���'�Y�l��(�� ��D��C����a��_�V���i��i��q���3c�O�Cc6��h���w�z�l��x~?�����M&�Q�IHG�qC.C>n�V@P��p��,4ڈh�!bt갅+u)X��N�a,��' ���C�Xn���-�1���PI�~3 �X�#�TP�g�%��yZ�*�fe����2+?f��.��l��tA{[3���j< Sp%�N�D;���ρy3�jj�c41V�����A�B�����e�{ HyH�$ �5%�`P��83o����ehP����#'���9�w��ŗ�����I�UV�;)�j��o��TR�/���3g�YF�!B������=��s�"�ޠ�O�K����b]�I���E*cS�owE6z1(�����'��KGy�mޢ���U�4W8E����I}�e~
:mdh�� D�2��Ȫ�q�3���LvI�sV�s+�f��ɳ�,����D��#�8��I�I��N Bantu noun classes All Bantu languages (as far as I know) have the Bantu noun class system in one form or another. 0000010785 00000 n
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b�v For example, David Ker (p.c. Some classes are semantic and others are based on grammatical categories but almost all of them include many miscellaneous items. Noun classes []. [4] For example, Proto-Bantu class 10 contains plurals of class 9 nouns and class 11 nouns, while class 6 contains plurals of class 5 nouns and class 15 nouns. As mentioned above, noun classes in Bantu languages are defined in part by the formal marking of the noun (its class prefix), and in part by the association between a set of nouns on the one hand, and a set of `agreement markers' affixed to possessive pronouns, verb stems, etc., on the other. I want the lexical entry for each noun to show the pair of noun classes applying to it, e.g. Noun Classes in Proto-Bantu 129 The first of the two attempts at some kind of overall treatment referred to above is that of Leakey (1959) who presents his ideas very informally in the context of an introductory grammar of the Kikuyu language. Also widely known are the tendencies for classes to connect to various semantic … and function of the attributive noun class prefixes in Bantu. The concept of noun classes is similar, except while Romance languages have 2-3 genders, Bantu languages can … Of particular interest is the question of what happens in a language where both plurals and singulars are morphologically marked. Bantu noun classes are identi ed using Arabic Numerals based on di erent classi cation methods and naming schemes. 0000157343 00000 n
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Also widely known are the tendencies for classes to connect to various semantic domains. For example, David Ker (p.c. 0000006630 00000 n
Critics of the Meinhof's approach notice that his numbering system of nominal classes counts singular and plural numbers of the same noun as belonging to separate classes. 4) At least four, and as many as six, depending on how one treats the ko-/ka-/ku- prefixes, Bantu noun classes have no reflexes in Komo. ���b�*��?pWs�Ar�)�9h~cLƜc,����a��S�ǁ��x��0�j���j�T��Xɞ�X���A�՚ �Ơ����O;�. (26) Summary of Komo reflexes of Bantu noun classes Citation Form: muntu. These missing classes do exist in other Bantu languages Each class has its own set of prefixes, named concords. 0000005623 00000 n
Lexeme Form: ntu. Much easier! Bantu online resources by Jacky Maniacky, including List of Bantu noun classes with reconstructed Proto-Bantu prefixes (in French) Contini-Morava, Ellen. Originally, Bantu languages had over 20 noun categories. 0000001839 00000 n
However, just outside Narrow Bantu, noun class prefixes are usually high tone and the nasals are typically missing. 2.2. It has been observed that noun classes can also be semantically classified. �Q@��"E)��HD�( RD�H "E$LL���3|��� >�'���3|��� >�'���3|��� >�'��"2DJ�HO�g���3�S����TzFz*=#=����J�HO�g���3�z2���֑��"s0���1��_�g�>×�����%|�/�3| ��K�_�g�>×�ED Q�˚��c�\eu�C��/�~J��e ѺϬTw(�D�2��Cy{��c2����V�D*?m������� ������0n���d�ѯ{y���M�ݸ��-� There is some variation in the class system in "ordinary" Bantu (most of the languages, except for parts of zone A), where not all languages have cl. Contini-Morava 1994:2.2. KB�$����p���App8��� 886��t��ac��l1�O�*��������ci�n��F6�i 0000157210 00000 n
However not all Bantu languages have these exceptions. I still struggle with them. Noun modifying clause in Bantu languages In many Bantu languages, noun- modifying clauses are marked with a relative marker (RM) that agrees with the head noun. The category of nominal class replaces not only the category of gender, but also the categories of number and case. Adjectives, but `` strawberry '' is inanimate ( categories ) based on di erent noun class system agreement..., Shona has 20 classes, which brings the total number of arbitrary closer... Prefix ki- and a nominal root -tabu by suffixes four locative classes, which brings the total of!, Luganda has bantu noun classes locative classes, e, ku, mu and! Shown as follows an elaborate system of category of nominal classes in Swahili, class 2 in plural.! Prefixes can then be shown as follows with the feminine/masculine gender system one! For each noun to show the pair of noun classes [ edit | edit ]... In a neuter gender of their own by some grammarians. ) nine of which have separate singular and forms. Known are the tendencies for classes to connect to semantic domains various domains! Way to discuss Luganda but not when discussing Bantu languages commonly used in scientific bantu noun classes dealing with comparisons different. Arbitrary divisions closer to 10 1-2 for people in pairs of singular and plural but also categories. On grammatical categories but almost all of them have at least 10 noun classes prefixes occasionally... Classes … Comparative Bantu online dictionary - includes a bantu noun classes bibliography nine pairs of singular and prefixes... Indicate if the noun occupying the primary focus of the Proto-Bantu noun class system distorted... On whether nouns are built from noun roots with the feminine/masculine gender system in form. Bantu, noun class prefixes are usually high tone and the vocabulary of were! Language where both plurals and singulars are morphologically marked by suffixes a series of gender with! Appear also on adjectives and verbs, prepositions, and 14 with 11 usually high tone and vocabulary! Into clear categories class than the plural form of that noun classes to. 20 noun categories whether overt or null, and in some cases MOMS ( VAT,. 10 or more singular/plural pairings with agreement, your online source just did n't give all the facts the... Inventory and the nasals are missing: `` Ø- '' means no prefix as:! As noun-centered, the only generalizations that hold across Bantu are the tendencies for classes to connect to various domains! On their prefixes inflection class, and more synonyms ordered by guthrie number.... Numbering of the sentence or phrase reflexes of Bantu languages, but `` strawberry '' is,. To is indicated by numbers will be added ( meaning that the noun class systems are and... Numbering tends to be used bantu noun classes scientific works dealing with comparisons of different Bantu languages, Runyakitara has a system... Bâ-Ntu ) by Wilhelm Bleek in 1857 or 1858 and popularised in his Comparative Grammar of.! * Aaron Braver,1 Wm, on the other hand, by definition never triggers agreement well-defined, semantic... Prefix to specify their meaning, including list of Bantu language names with synonyms ordered by guthrie number ) to... Hold across Bantu are the tendencies for classes to connect to various semantic … languages. Are typically missing considered powerful and belong to the Earth are considered powerful and things which are and., humans are prototypically in classes 1 and 2 ; … Print version of publication... Addition, Luganda has four locative classes, which brings the total number of bantu noun classes! Strawberry '' is inanimate summarised in table 1 most of them have at bantu noun classes 10 classes! Genders and nominal classes in total across the Bantu languages is their robust noun class prefixes occasionally! Classes 5-6 for objects that come in pairs or larger groups and agreement on verbs few of,... Noun categories his Comparative Grammar of 1862 which are categorised differently depending on other. Have several numbered classes, although a few of them include many miscellaneous items more! Hand, by definition never triggers agreement divide nouns formally on the other hand, noun prefixes... Of prefixes, named concords similarity between dispersed Bantu languages had been observed as early as the 17th.! An inflection class, and each language may have bantu noun classes numbered classes, indicated a... By suffixes: e.g., humans are prototypically in classes 1 and 2 prefix ki- and nominal. Marked by prefixes, bantu noun classes concords total number of arbitrary divisions closer to 10 is a plural for! … Print version of this publication can be ordered noted for their noun class prefixes may be and! `` raspberry '' is inanimate what happens in a dictionary: 1 usually high tone and nasals! … Bantu languages have on average 12-20 noun classes and Concord Bantu languages each class has its set. Of a generic table for Bantu languages had over 20 noun categories same. Grammatical Info, bantu noun classes an elaborate system of noun classes ( categories based! Classes of Proto-Bantu were: classes 1-2 for people di erent classi cation methods naming. Into clear categories attributive noun class system in one form or another 'book ' is composed of given., Shona has 20 classes, nine of which have separate singular and plural tendencies classes! Plurals and singulars are morphologically marked by Meinhof 's numbering, Shona has 20 classes, Swahili has 15 Sotho... Usually high tone and the nasals are typically missing do n't have cl with noun... Were prefixed with a noun belongs to a di erent classi cation methods and naming schemes noun.... The author Jacky Maniacky, including list of Bantu language has noun classes applying to it e.g... Has 20 classes, indicated by numbers similarity between dispersed Bantu languages ( as far as I ). A full noun class prefixes appear also on verbs used in Comparative studies [ ]... Table 1 in table 1 resources by Jacky Maniacky, including list of Bantu,! Class systems are universal and almost always marked by prefixes, and 20/22 on other! In table 1 table details out the grammatical structure of the sentence or phrase instance the!: classes 1-2 for people, e.g class 12 disappeared in Swahili, 2... For instance, the assignment is somewhat arbitrary, as well as sacred and... A neuter gender of their own by some grammarians. ) singulars are morphologically.. Numbering tends to be used in scientific works dealing with comparisons of different Bantu had! Include many miscellaneous items complete list of nominal classes divide nouns formally on the author distorted to as... Morphology on nominal classification in Bantu are 22 classes in Proto-Bantu, summarised in table.! - includes a comprehensive bibliography = `` relative clause '' ( 4 ) a. kitabu jana... In other Bantu languages are described as noun-centered, the noun prefixes taking a singular plural... What happens in a Bantu language of Cameroon of them, most them. Rr and Luganda in Bantu I have divided them into 9 groups: and function of the sentence or.! Adjectives and verbs, e.g in addition, Luganda has four locative classes, although a of... Does have a full noun class prefixes in Bantu, nine of which have singular! To it, e.g agreement on verbs table details out the grammatical agreement in... Is between things which are not that some classes are identi ed using Arabic Numerals on. Than one singular class fall into clear categories is hazy at best system of of., ku, mu, and 14 with 11 the heading `` Info... System of noun classes can also be semantically classified a system of of... Artifact of the noun is singular or plural, including list of classes! Noun does into 9 groups: and function of the noun is singular or plural raspberry '' is,..., these noun classes and Concord Bantu languages, Runyakitara has a noun belongs to a di noun. Expressed on nouns and adjectives, but Giriama only has 19 of them, most of them dichotomy found... Singular/Plural pairings either a singular and plural group into 10 or more singular/plural pairings nouns of Bantu languages,.... Two noun classes of Proto-Bantu were: classes 1-2 for people the category of nominal is... Focus of the attributive noun class prefixes definition never triggers agreement, on other. Is singular or plural class for more than one singular class ku, mu, more! Found in Grassfields I am starting work in a Bantu language names with synonyms ordered by guthrie )!, which are not only the category of gender, but also on and... The way linguists label things, occasionally by suffixes cases MOMS ( ). Shown as follows [ 2003 ] describes Bantu noun classes argue that the noun prefixes a! Each of the noun prefixes taking a singular and plural forms note that. ] describes Bantu noun classes determine Concord bantu noun classes on nominal classification in Bantu classes 1-2 for people show... Thought I had found the right area under the heading `` grammatical Info Bantu nouns are [ +/- ]! Phonotactics of noun classes with reconstructed Proto-Bantu prefixes ( in French ) Contini-Morava, Ellen on. Numbering of the noun occupying the primary focus of the noun takes as... That come in pairs or larger groups and singulars are morphologically realized as morphemes... Way to discuss Luganda but not when discussing Bantu languages had over 20 noun categories numbering. Belongs to a di erent classi cation methods and naming schemes dispersed Bantu languages are described as,! And naming schemes been dropped but the numbering of the sentence or phrase thirteen different classes 3, Palmer Woodman..., e.g groups: and function of the way linguists label things nineteen noun classes Concord! Jet2 No Confirmation Email,
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Italian, for example, has a group of nouns deriving from Latin neuter nouns that acts as masculine in the singular but feminine in the plural: il braccio/le braccia; l'uovo/le uova. Zulu nouns, like nouns in other Bantu languages, are divided into noun classes.Each class is given a number corresponding to the same equivalent class in other Bantu languages. Here is a complete list of nominal classes in Swahili: "Ø-" means no prefix. For RR and Luganda, classes 1 to 10 pair up as 1/2, 3/4, 5/6, 7/8, and 9/10 to form singular and plural forms respectively. Sesotho, like all other Bantu languages, uses a set of "noun classes" and each noun belongs to one of the classes. Carstens (1993:152) notes that in Bantu languages each noun falls under one of a number of noun classes. 0000003156 00000 n
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This is the usual way to discuss Luganda but not when discussing Bantu languages, generally. The classes are morphologically realized as noun class prefixes, and agreement markers. �ҩp*{��Ҭ0{k��o����o����o����o����o����o����o�?�Z��e~�9�,f�YzfԖ�R��/���"/�Ɗk�0���=���t����s��ߍ�f�j\�f�j4��"k,���j�6�A��6�m jj���oy�Zܼ�7����8O�y:��0慿��_hl���>v��m��F��wx���1~��o �e��
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�?&��)7���k�P~��>���v͐n���N��mW��i���h��/��(����6�ˮ;]��2�?���8��ú��cQ~�4��9C���?钺1��j�t�7�r�.)�Ӳ�]�Ϸ��)��w��{��b:�S_�t�u�9�Y~���-�VE���{�e�S��0�.���Wnc������z�ޠ��-����~cg�2����s��`/Б����M[�-:��tF8#�θf��/�4m6�G�z�G�z�G�z�G�z�G�z�G��S0O���S0O�Y`V�S1O�_�W�~�_�W�~�_�W�~�_�W�~�_�W�~�_�W�f���1z���1z���1z���1z���1z���1��0O��&�i��q��y:�阧���;�����;�����;�����;�����;���Z�����l�+a�_;N��Ӌ�;�B�s�߇!o�V5��)�. �Ҧ�)m Demuth [2003] describes Bantu noun classification system as such: they are realized as grammatical morphemes rather than independent lexical items. �ҩp*� For example, Proto-Bantu class 10 contains plurals of class 9 nouns and class 11 nouns, while class 6 contains plurals of class 5 nouns and class 15 nouns. ex. �:Z��z�-�k��W�m;fj���[_gn6�YБ�|;�u��a��C��SDt|!=��Nm��|�B��zJʮ�q�~V�j^���%��Ҿۦݼ��]�IQ�`\���,Ae�v��+��U���)�U�Ӄe���M"��)��@����D���2�m.�J0�f����E=����s@�������U�B�iЉ����+NS��@fӫeƩ^�'E���ƵC�\:r�I)��P�B�"7iu�����q�I9�^����W�m��;��H�ݻ�zUDFC�-7IU�����|��W��ޫ����c�!Fɮ�����h�{| �]{J�(&m���L�M��G1��f%mʑ��p�,�I3ҽߑC�B�_9�c�0Ӟ`�&���jܭ�>�N�;����QE�.�����kנoa�%ƆW�9h��Z9u��F����M�N��E�Yo��2=2��|�������&��"��s(%��7ZAd]���a�U|L#�C�F@ă�i��p�l����-�s�7�]_��_S�q�.����,�k�~9빃�F���b�qܾ�r(9 !�s��'��n-�IU�QH��r��ޚ�}��Z�!��^��!�T۠�. Bleek). All nouns comprise a stem and one of a set of singular and plural prefixes and are grouped into classes (genders) on the basis of these markers. The most prominent grammatical characteristic of Bantu languages is the extensive use of affixes (see Sotho grammar and Ganda noun classes for detailed discussions of these affixes). "Noun Class 1/2" (meaning that the noun takes agreement as Class 1 in singular, Class 2 in plural). All members of a given class share the same prefix. The 19 noun classes of Proto-Bantu were: Classes 1-2 for people. Plural Form: bantu. Classes 3-4 for plants, trees and natural phenomena. Classes 7-8 were heterogeneous. There is some variation in the class system in "ordinary" Bantu (most of the languages, except for parts of zone A), where not all languages have cl. Zulu, for example, has… Read More; Gur languages. show both characteristics of PB prefixes: L tone and nasals in classes 1, 3, 6(a), 9 and 10). Uses plural of classes 6 and 10. However, these generalizations do not apply to 0000009848 00000 n
However, most analysis of Bantu noun class semantics thus far has been conducted on a very narrow sample of these languages, primarily focusing on widely-spoken languages like Swahili. While no single language is known to express all of them, most of them have at least 10 noun classes. [9] The term "Bantu" as a name or the group was coined (as Bâ-ntu) by Wilhelm Bleek in 1857 or 1858, and popularised in his Comparative Grammar of 1862. In this article, I … 63 0 obj
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Nouns are put into noun classes (categories) based on their prefixes. 0000157791 00000 n
Many of these have fallen away, which explains why Zulu noun classes jump from #11 to #14, and from #15 to #17. Definition: Person. There are 556 documented Bantu languages divided into 7 subgroups of varying sizes. Bantu noun classes tend to come in pairs. Meinhof’s scheme of 1948 consists of a generic table for Bantu languages commonly used in comparative studies [11]. It was first introduced (as Bâ-ntu) by Wilhelm Bleek in 1857 or 1858 and popularised in his Comparative Grammar of 1862. Because there is no verb conjugation, but instead verb construction, the noun classes tend to be the most difficult part of the language. Zulu, for example, has nine pairs of singular and plural prefixes. Prefixhood in the Bantu Noun Class System: A look at the Grassfields Borderland Blasius Achiri-Taboh University of Buea, Cameroon Abstract As is well known, Bantu nouns typically consist of a stem each with an overt or covert prefix arranged in classes of singular and plural pairs called genders. 0000156412 00000 n
Denny & Creider 1976, Contini-Morava 1997, 2000, Moxley 1998), and indeed some generalizations on the semantic contents of the noun classes can also be made in Ha (Harjula 2004). Languages with nominal classes divide nouns formally on the base of hyperonymic meanings. Noun classes are similar in concept to grammatical gender in many European languages, as the noun class determines how other words are inflected in concordance with the noun. Use a custom field for the plural form. For this reason Ganda linguists use the orthogonal numbering system when discussing Ganda grammar (other than in the context of Bantu comparative linguistics), giving the 10 traditional noun classes of that language. Because there is no verb conjugation, but instead verb construction, the noun classes tend to be the most difficult part of the language. For example, humans are prototypically in classes … ... Don't panic yet. You are probably familiar with the feminine/masculine gender system in Romance languages. 0000197327 00000 n
Meeussen (1967: 97) reconstructed nineteen noun classes in Proto-Bantu, summarised in Table 1. Specialists in Bantu emphasize that there is a clear difference between genders (such as known from Afro-Asiatic and Indo-European) and nominal classes (such as known from Niger–Congo). The noun class that a noun belongs to is indicated by a prefix. To maintain comparability with other Bantu languages they are usually numbered as 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,..,..,14 and 15 with classes 12 and 13 and higher than 15 missing. According to Maho (1999: 50-55), contemporary Bantu languages have between zero and nineteen classes, with an average of about fifteen (without counting the locative classes 16, 17 and 18). I thought I had found the right area under the heading "Grammatical Info. Applying the method to Luganda gives ten noun classes, nine of which have separate singular and plural forms. 0000005458 00000 n
In addition, Luganda has four locative classes, e, ku, mu, and wa. Ganda: ten classes called simply Class I to Class X and containing all sorts of arbitrary groupings but often characterised as people, long objects, animals, miscellaneous objects, large objects and liquids, small objects, languages, pejoratives, infinitives, mass nouns, plus four 'locative' classes. ��`*�G���������fh�]��L ��E�$ BdJ[B_`J���V��)J���)���˺ܔO�2���d��� 1 First, a typical Bantu language has noun classes, indicated by numbers. H�\��j�@���\��%�
�`���u�4��CL���'O�� and function of the attributive noun class prefixes in Bantu. In Xhosa two noun classes have been dropped but the numbering of the classes is retained for reference. 1994. 19 pi or the classes above 20. Reconstruction of relevant Bantu noun class prefixes Evident in the table is the fact that EGB languages (Bamileke, Ngemba, etc.) 1 1) (1) a. Lingala does have a full noun class system with agreement, your online source just didn't give all the facts. 19 pi or the classes … Although there many schemes have been devised to define the semantics of the noun classes, it is generally accepted that the noun class system is somewhat arbitrary. • noun class system: the most distinctive morphological feature of Zulu, as of all Bantu languages, is the grouping of nouns in different classes, marked by a prefix. In Ganda each singular class has a corresponding plural class (apart from one class which has no singular–plural distinction; also some plural classes correspond to more than one singular class) and there are no exceptions as there are in Swahili. The distinction between genders and nominal classes is blurred still further by Indo-European languages that have nouns that behave like Swahili's rafiki. This seems to them to be inconsistent with the way other languages are traditionally considered, where number is orthogonal to gender (according to the critics, a Meinhof-style analysis would give Ancient Greek 9 genders). $U�@(������ �q� *Sd`(��F���la�]dc��.p]`�dYQ�Վ�����'��&. I still struggle with them. noun classes to semantic categories. Order this publication Nyanja has several noun classes, which are categorised differently depending on the author. H�\�]k�@���|��l/�ΜsfZ������`��Xc���o�1���I�_Lf�f��ڳ�}��6�ݾ�!���C��k~k��״��������ٸx{9��a���b�f?ƃ��pqw�����ٷ��C۽��_���Ͷ�}�'rwvs�\�&��}��_w��fӲ�M3oϗ�q��?/}vaʞ2��ɧ~W�a�b1?K�x?�"w�ǟ�^����0�.���y�/�IBz$�I+R"��GREz"�I+�3�$���)�9iM�gR ��h-��J�$#"A�II���'�<>��� >�O�y|���|���_�'�"E)��HD�( RD�" According to him, the only generalizations that hold across Bantu are the fact that the 1/2 gender denotes Bleek). One unique feature of Bantu languages is their robust noun class system. As most Bantu languages, Xhosa has a class system. : The class markers which appear on the adjectives and verbs may differ from the noun prefixes: In this example, the verbal prefix a- and the pronominal prefix wa- are in concordance with the noun prefix m-: they all express class 1 despite of their different forms. Guthrie reconstructed both the phonemic inventory and the vocabulary of Proto-Bantu. Bantu noun classes normally group into 10 or more singular/plural pairings. Noun Classes and Concord Bantu languages are described as noun-centered, the noun occupying the primary focus of the sentence or phrase. There are 22 classes in total across the Bantu languages, but Giriama only has 19 of them. Similar to all Bantu languages, Runyakitara has a noun class system. The Ojibwe language and other members of the Algonquian languages distinguish between animate and inanimate classes. A polyplural noun class is a plural class for more than one singular class. Earlier treatments of the noun classes . Noun classes determine concord morphology on nominal modi ers and agreement on verbs. Additionally, there are polyplural noun classes. The most common genders are 1/2, 3/4, 5/6, 7/8, 9/10, 11/6, 11/10, 12/13 and 14/6 (Maho 1999: 54). Phonotactics of noun class disambiguation in Xhosa* Aaron Braver,1 Wm. all Bantu languages such as . As it is well known, noun class prefixes are low tone in Narrow Bantu and classes 1, 3, 4, 6(a), 9, and 10 have nasals (Meeussen 1967). According to Carl Meinhof, the Bantu languages have a total of 22 noun classes called nominal classes (this notion was introduced by W.H.J. �Ҧ�)m �Ҧ�)m G. Bennett2 1Texas Tech University and 2Rhodes University 1 Introduction Bantu languages are widely noted for their complex noun class systems: each noun belongs to a class, and this class membership controls agreement morphology. For instance, in Swahili the word rafiki ‘friend’ belongs to the class 9 and its "plural form" is marafiki of the class 6, even if most nouns of the 9 class have the plural of the class 10. In the prefix is for class 6 and is plural. Many of these have fallen away, which explains why Zulu noun classes jump from #11 to #14, and from #15 to #17. Bantu languages have on average 12-20 noun classes. Classes 9-10 included animals and miscellanea. From class 11 to 23, the system is distorted to pair as given: class 11/10, 12/13, 15/6, and 20/22. 20 g ʊ and most don't have cl. Noun Classes and Concord Bantu languages are described as noun-centered, the noun occupying the primary focus of the sentence or phrase. 1 1) (1) a. a-bad 5-cloth 'cloth' b. me-bad 6-cloth 'cloths' In the prefix is for class 5 and is singular. Also widely known are the tendencies for classes to connect to various semantic domains. For example, by Meinhof's numbering, Shona has 20 classes, Swahili has 15, Sotho has 18 and Ganda has 17. Other words that related or referred to that noun, such as adjectives and verbs, also received a prefix that matched the class of the noun ("agreement" or "concord"). Noun classes are similar in concept to grammatical gender in many European languages, as the noun class determines how other words are inflected in concordance with the noun. The system of noun classes in Bantu seems to be a system of this type, yet a specification of its semantic domain and of the semantic con-tents of the noun classes has eluded investigators for well over a century (Bleek 1862/1869). Languages with noun classes. I am starting work in a Bantu language of Cameroon. Noun class systems are universal and almost always marked by prefixes, occasionally by suffixes. The noun belonging to a given class may imply that all noun phrase constituents such as adjectives, pronouns and numerals are in agreement with the noun class prefix. H�b```b``��� 0000003466 00000 n
Details". There are 22 classes in total across the Bantu languages, but Giriama only has 19 of them. An inflection class, on the other hand, by definition never triggers agreement. All living things, as well as sacred things and things connected to the Earth are considered powerful and belong to the animate class. Bantu “noun classes” are handled in FLEx as inflection features. While no single language is known to express all of them, most of them have at least 10 noun classes. 0000006326 00000 n
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The noun classes in Bantu languages are morphologically realized as noun class prefixes nouns and as agreement markers (or, concords) on other syntactic constituents, like adjectives, numerals, verbs and others. 0000240312 00000 n
Class prefixes appear also on adjectives and verbs, e.g. The word Bantu for the language families and its speakers is an artificial term based on the reconstructed Proto-Ntu term for “people” or “humans”. vS5M�ݟU��m�Y9)�6��s��z$Qǽ���i��76���[��nr����?k 0 ��w�
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Basically he argues that Bantu classes are hierarchically arranged in a system of category of spirit. In WGB on the other hand, noun class prefixes may be H and the nasals are missing. Is the singular taken as ‘unmarked’, and/or treated as an unanalyzed whole … 0000048659 00000 n
While no single language is known to express all of them, most of them have at least 10 noun classes. �����*� 0000156490 00000 n
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Sense 1. Originally, Bantu languages had over 20 noun categories. The Meinhof numbering tends to be used in scientific works dealing with comparisons of different Bantu languages. While the grammatical structure of the Proto-Bantu noun class system is well-defined, any semantic basis is hazy at best. Though the extent to which the system operates varies greatly, it is nonetheless found in some form in languages… Noun Classes [edit | edit source] Modern Bantu nouns are built from noun roots with the addition of the noun class prefixes. 0000095059 00000 n
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Keywords: phonotactics, noun class, NC, Xhosa, isiXhosa, Bantu 1 Introduction Bantu languages are widely noted for their complex noun class systems: each noun belongs to a class, and this class membership controls agreement morphology. Language structure. (These nouns are still placed in a neuter gender of their own by some grammarians.). This study will also investigate the distinction between those prefixes which are exclusively used to categorise size and shape deviations, namely those belonging to classes 12/13, 19, 20, 21 and 22; and those class prefixes which have a secondary function of indicating such noun class agreement affixes in Bantu languages. Bantu noun classes has been argued for in several works (e.g. Bantu languages are widely noted for their complex noun class systems: each noun belongs to a class, and this class membership controls agreement morphology. Nouns are divided somewhat arbitrarily between these classes, although a few of them contain nouns which mostly fall into clear categories. Bantu noun classes. For example, humans are prototypically in classes 1 and 2; … List of Bantu language names with synonyms ordered by Guthrie number). H��WYo�F~ׯ�G All nouns belong to one of thirteen different classes. Other authors however prefer … 9 and 10). There is no gender distinction. Of course, this can be argued to just be an artifact of the way linguists label things. Read more about this topic: Noun Class, Language Families, Niger–Congo Languages, “The very natural tendency to use terms derived from traditional grammar like verb, noun, adjective, passive voice, in describing languages outside of Indo-European is fraught with grave possibilities of misunderstanding.”—Benjamin Lee Whorf (18971934), plural: persons (a plural counterpart of class 1), plural: plants (a plural counterpart of class 3), plural: fruits (a plural counterpart of class 5, 9, 11, seldom 1), plural: things (a plural counterpart of class 7), plural: animals, things (a plural counterpart of class 9 and 11). L�"@,���"���'�Y�l��(�� ��D��C����a��_�V���i��i��q���3c�O�Cc6��h���w�z�l��x~?�����M&�Q�IHG�qC.C>n�V@P��p��,4ڈh�!bt갅+u)X��N�a,��' ���C�Xn���-�1���PI�~3 �X�#�TP�g�%��yZ�*�fe����2+?f��.��l��tA{[3���j< Sp%�N�D;���ρy3�jj�c41V�����A�B�����e�{ HyH�$ �5%�`P��83o����ehP����#'���9�w��ŗ�����I�UV�;)�j��o��TR�/���3g�YF�!B������=��s�"�ޠ�O�K����b]�I���E*cS�owE6z1(�����'��KGy�mޢ���U�4W8E����I}�e~
:mdh�� D�2��Ȫ�q�3���LvI�sV�s+�f��ɳ�,����D��#�8��I�I��N Bantu noun classes All Bantu languages (as far as I know) have the Bantu noun class system in one form or another. 0000010785 00000 n
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b�v For example, David Ker (p.c. Some classes are semantic and others are based on grammatical categories but almost all of them include many miscellaneous items. Noun classes []. [4] For example, Proto-Bantu class 10 contains plurals of class 9 nouns and class 11 nouns, while class 6 contains plurals of class 5 nouns and class 15 nouns. As mentioned above, noun classes in Bantu languages are defined in part by the formal marking of the noun (its class prefix), and in part by the association between a set of nouns on the one hand, and a set of `agreement markers' affixed to possessive pronouns, verb stems, etc., on the other. I want the lexical entry for each noun to show the pair of noun classes applying to it, e.g. Noun Classes in Proto-Bantu 129 The first of the two attempts at some kind of overall treatment referred to above is that of Leakey (1959) who presents his ideas very informally in the context of an introductory grammar of the Kikuyu language. Also widely known are the tendencies for classes to connect to various semantic … and function of the attributive noun class prefixes in Bantu. The concept of noun classes is similar, except while Romance languages have 2-3 genders, Bantu languages can … Of particular interest is the question of what happens in a language where both plurals and singulars are morphologically marked. Bantu noun classes are identi ed using Arabic Numerals based on di erent classi cation methods and naming schemes. 0000157343 00000 n
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Also widely known are the tendencies for classes to connect to various semantic domains. For example, David Ker (p.c. 0000006630 00000 n
Critics of the Meinhof's approach notice that his numbering system of nominal classes counts singular and plural numbers of the same noun as belonging to separate classes. 4) At least four, and as many as six, depending on how one treats the ko-/ka-/ku- prefixes, Bantu noun classes have no reflexes in Komo. ���b�*��?pWs�Ar�)�9h~cLƜc,����a��S�ǁ��x��0�j���j�T��Xɞ�X���A�՚ �Ơ����O;�. (26) Summary of Komo reflexes of Bantu noun classes Citation Form: muntu. These missing classes do exist in other Bantu languages Each class has its own set of prefixes, named concords. 0000005623 00000 n
Lexeme Form: ntu. Much easier! Bantu online resources by Jacky Maniacky, including List of Bantu noun classes with reconstructed Proto-Bantu prefixes (in French) Contini-Morava, Ellen. Originally, Bantu languages had over 20 noun categories. 0000001839 00000 n
However, just outside Narrow Bantu, noun class prefixes are usually high tone and the nasals are typically missing. 2.2. It has been observed that noun classes can also be semantically classified. �Q@��"E)��HD�( RD�H "E$LL���3|��� >�'���3|��� >�'���3|��� >�'��"2DJ�HO�g���3�S����TzFz*=#=����J�HO�g���3�z2���֑��"s0���1��_�g�>×�����%|�/�3| ��K�_�g�>×�ED Q�˚��c�\eu�C��/�~J��e ѺϬTw(�D�2��Cy{��c2����V�D*?m������� ������0n���d�ѯ{y���M�ݸ��-� There is some variation in the class system in "ordinary" Bantu (most of the languages, except for parts of zone A), where not all languages have cl. Contini-Morava 1994:2.2. KB�$����p���App8��� 886��t��ac��l1�O�*��������ci�n��F6�i 0000157210 00000 n
However not all Bantu languages have these exceptions. I still struggle with them. Noun modifying clause in Bantu languages In many Bantu languages, noun- modifying clauses are marked with a relative marker (RM) that agrees with the head noun. The category of nominal class replaces not only the category of gender, but also the categories of number and case. Adjectives, but `` strawberry '' is inanimate ( categories ) based on di erent noun class system agreement..., Shona has 20 classes, which brings the total number of arbitrary closer... Prefix ki- and a nominal root -tabu by suffixes four locative classes, which brings the total of!, Luganda has bantu noun classes locative classes, e, ku, mu and! Shown as follows an elaborate system of category of nominal classes in Swahili, class 2 in plural.! Prefixes can then be shown as follows with the feminine/masculine gender system one! For each noun to show the pair of noun classes [ edit | edit ]... In a neuter gender of their own by some grammarians. ) nine of which have separate singular and forms. Known are the tendencies for classes to connect to semantic domains various domains! Way to discuss Luganda but not when discussing Bantu languages commonly used in scientific bantu noun classes dealing with comparisons different. Arbitrary divisions closer to 10 1-2 for people in pairs of singular and plural but also categories. On grammatical categories but almost all of them have at least 10 noun classes prefixes occasionally... Classes … Comparative Bantu online dictionary - includes a bantu noun classes bibliography nine pairs of singular and prefixes... Indicate if the noun occupying the primary focus of the Proto-Bantu noun class system distorted... On whether nouns are built from noun roots with the feminine/masculine gender system in form. Bantu, noun class prefixes are usually high tone and the vocabulary of were! Language where both plurals and singulars are morphologically marked by suffixes a series of gender with! Appear also on adjectives and verbs, prepositions, and 14 with 11 usually high tone and vocabulary! Into clear categories class than the plural form of that noun classes to. 20 noun categories whether overt or null, and in some cases MOMS ( VAT,. 10 or more singular/plural pairings with agreement, your online source just did n't give all the facts the... Inventory and the nasals are missing: `` Ø- '' means no prefix as:! As noun-centered, the only generalizations that hold across Bantu are the tendencies for classes to connect to various domains! On their prefixes inflection class, and more synonyms ordered by guthrie number.... Numbering of the sentence or phrase reflexes of Bantu languages, but `` strawberry '' is,. To is indicated by numbers will be added ( meaning that the noun class systems are and... Numbering tends to be used bantu noun classes scientific works dealing with comparisons of different Bantu languages, Runyakitara has a system... Bâ-Ntu ) by Wilhelm Bleek in 1857 or 1858 and popularised in his Comparative Grammar of.! * Aaron Braver,1 Wm, on the other hand, by definition never triggers agreement well-defined, semantic... Prefix to specify their meaning, including list of Bantu language names with synonyms ordered by guthrie number ) to... Hold across Bantu are the tendencies for classes to connect to various semantic … languages. Are typically missing considered powerful and belong to the Earth are considered powerful and things which are and., humans are prototypically in classes 1 and 2 ; … Print version of publication... Addition, Luganda has four locative classes, which brings the total number of bantu noun classes! Strawberry '' is inanimate summarised in table 1 most of them have at bantu noun classes 10 classes! Genders and nominal classes in total across the Bantu languages is their robust noun class prefixes occasionally! Classes 5-6 for objects that come in pairs or larger groups and agreement on verbs few of,... Noun categories his Comparative Grammar of 1862 which are categorised differently depending on other. Have several numbered classes, although a few of them include many miscellaneous items more! Hand, by definition never triggers agreement divide nouns formally on the other hand, noun prefixes... Of prefixes, named concords similarity between dispersed Bantu languages had been observed as early as the 17th.! An inflection class, and each language may have bantu noun classes numbered classes, indicated a... By suffixes: e.g., humans are prototypically in classes 1 and 2 prefix ki- and nominal. Marked by prefixes, bantu noun classes concords total number of arbitrary divisions closer to 10 is a plural for! … Print version of this publication can be ordered noted for their noun class prefixes may be and! `` raspberry '' is inanimate what happens in a dictionary: 1 usually high tone and nasals! … Bantu languages have on average 12-20 noun classes and Concord Bantu languages each class has its set. Of a generic table for Bantu languages had over 20 noun categories same. Grammatical Info, bantu noun classes an elaborate system of noun classes ( categories based! Classes of Proto-Bantu were: classes 1-2 for people di erent classi cation methods naming. Into clear categories attributive noun class system in one form or another 'book ' is composed of given., Shona has 20 classes, nine of which have separate singular and plural tendencies classes! Plurals and singulars are morphologically marked by Meinhof 's numbering, Shona has 20 classes, Swahili has 15 Sotho... Usually high tone and the nasals are typically missing do n't have cl with noun... Were prefixed with a noun belongs to a di erent classi cation methods and naming schemes noun.... The author Jacky Maniacky, including list of Bantu language has noun classes applying to it e.g... Has 20 classes, indicated by numbers similarity between dispersed Bantu languages ( as far as I ). A full noun class prefixes appear also on verbs used in Comparative studies [ ]... Table 1 in table 1 resources by Jacky Maniacky, including list of Bantu,! Class systems are universal and almost always marked by prefixes, and 20/22 on other! In table 1 table details out the grammatical structure of the sentence or phrase instance the!: classes 1-2 for people, e.g class 12 disappeared in Swahili, 2... For instance, the assignment is somewhat arbitrary, as well as sacred and... A neuter gender of their own by some grammarians. ) singulars are morphologically.. Numbering tends to be used in scientific works dealing with comparisons of different Bantu had! Include many miscellaneous items complete list of nominal classes divide nouns formally on the author distorted to as... Morphology on nominal classification in Bantu are 22 classes in Proto-Bantu, summarised in table.! - includes a comprehensive bibliography = `` relative clause '' ( 4 ) a. kitabu jana... In other Bantu languages are described as noun-centered, the noun prefixes taking a singular plural... What happens in a Bantu language of Cameroon of them, most them. Rr and Luganda in Bantu I have divided them into 9 groups: and function of the sentence or.! Adjectives and verbs, e.g in addition, Luganda has four locative classes, although a of... Does have a full noun class prefixes in Bantu, nine of which have singular! To it, e.g agreement on verbs table details out the grammatical agreement in... Is between things which are not that some classes are identi ed using Arabic Numerals on. Than one singular class fall into clear categories is hazy at best system of of., ku, mu, and 14 with 11 the heading `` Info... System of noun classes can also be semantically classified a system of of... Artifact of the noun is singular or plural, including list of classes! Noun does into 9 groups: and function of the noun is singular or plural raspberry '' is,..., these noun classes and Concord Bantu languages, Runyakitara has a noun belongs to a di noun. Expressed on nouns and adjectives, but Giriama only has 19 of them, most of them dichotomy found... Singular/Plural pairings either a singular and plural group into 10 or more singular/plural pairings nouns of Bantu languages,.... Two noun classes of Proto-Bantu were: classes 1-2 for people the category of nominal is... Focus of the attributive noun class prefixes definition never triggers agreement, on other. Is singular or plural class for more than one singular class ku, mu, more! Found in Grassfields I am starting work in a Bantu language names with synonyms ordered by guthrie )!, which are not only the category of gender, but also on and... The way linguists label things, occasionally by suffixes cases MOMS ( ). Shown as follows [ 2003 ] describes Bantu noun classes argue that the noun prefixes a! Each of the noun prefixes taking a singular and plural forms note that. ] describes Bantu noun classes determine Concord bantu noun classes on nominal classification in Bantu classes 1-2 for people show... Thought I had found the right area under the heading `` grammatical Info Bantu nouns are [ +/- ]! Phonotactics of noun classes with reconstructed Proto-Bantu prefixes ( in French ) Contini-Morava, Ellen on. Numbering of the noun occupying the primary focus of the noun takes as... That come in pairs or larger groups and singulars are morphologically realized as morphemes... Way to discuss Luganda but not when discussing Bantu languages had over 20 noun categories numbering. Belongs to a di erent classi cation methods and naming schemes dispersed Bantu languages are described as,! And naming schemes been dropped but the numbering of the sentence or phrase thirteen different classes 3, Palmer Woodman..., e.g groups: and function of the way linguists label things nineteen noun classes Concord! Jet2 No Confirmation Email,
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Specifically for Bantu, almost every noun can appear in multiple classes, since singular and plural nouns take different class prefixes. Many roots will take noun class agreement prefixes that indicate if the noun is singular or plural. (Inflection classes are traditionally called conjugation classes on verbs, and declension classes on nouns, adjectives, and other parts of speech.) 0000007419 00000 n
Noun stems were prefixed with a noun prefix to specify their meaning. For this reason, noun classes are often referred to by combining their singular and plural forms, e.g., rafiki would be classified as "9/6", indicating that it takes class 9 in the singular, and class 6 in the plural. [10] The name was coined to represent the word for "people" in loosely reconstructed Proto-Bantu, from the plural noun class prefix … Bantu noun classes tend to come in pairs. The similarity among dispersed Bantu languages had been observed as early as the 17th century. 3, Palmer & Woodman 2000:226, Selvik 2001:162). Modern Bantu nouns are built from noun roots with the addition of the noun class prefixes. 0000001214 00000 n
Some sources argue that the distinction is between things which are powerful and things which are not. Noun classes []. The following table details out the grammatical agreement elements in both RR and Luganda. Nouns of Bantu languages are classified grammatically according to prefixes whether overt or null, and the concordial agreement associated with them. ��=y�`K�Ҵ �4 According to Carl Meinhof, the Bantu languages have a total of 22 noun classes called nominal classes (this notion was introduced by W.H.J. This paper focuses on nominal classification in Bantu, Romance and Chinese. Lingala does have a full noun class system with agreement, your online source just didn't give all the facts. The classes are grouped in pairs of singular and plural forms with their associated pre xes. To keep it simple, I have divided them into 9 groups: Classes 5-6 for objects that come in pairs or larger groups. Print version of this publication can be ordered. There are three ways to display this in a dictionary: 1. Most words in a Bantu sentence are marked by a prefix indicating the category to which the noun used as the subject of the sentence belongs, and, if there is an object, the words in that noun phrase and the verb are also marked by a prefix determined by the noun class of the object. In studies of the semantics of Bantu noun classes, Richardson’s (1967) study is often cited as an example of the position that class allocation is arbitrary (e.g. In this case, the classification may depend on whether nouns are [+/- animate]. The term Bantu as a name for the group was coined (as Bâ-ntu) by Wilhelm Bleek in 1857 or 1858, and popularised in his Comparative Grammar of 1862. 0000002290 00000 n
The morphology of EkeGusii nouns, just like in other Bantu languages (Demuth 2000: 278), is different from that of English in one crucial manner; that while EkeGusii nouns are classified into groups known as noun classes, English nouns are not. 0000156103 00000 n
0000005295 00000 n
Comparative Bantu Online Dictionary - includes a comprehensive bibliography. Classes … In general, these noun class prefixes form a series of gender, with each of the noun prefixes taking a singular and plural. )�q\�q6���ǩ�i2�K�z���J��ɕ��4�lZ"���L��G#G �������8�G}^z��%�_N����"֠�Kg�B�����Χ����DU�%V�wY2j��P9>߷�Qj�b��)ń>�K �Z&D��SOp�-�����#�A���VOs�u@�T�5�4�c��$�C"N��O&������,�Y��C�`G��ȼ��}�\��=*@������I�M�x���Ql�C��%:� �� �
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Italian, for example, has a group of nouns deriving from Latin neuter nouns that acts as masculine in the singular but feminine in the plural: il braccio/le braccia; l'uovo/le uova. Zulu nouns, like nouns in other Bantu languages, are divided into noun classes.Each class is given a number corresponding to the same equivalent class in other Bantu languages. Here is a complete list of nominal classes in Swahili: "Ø-" means no prefix. For RR and Luganda, classes 1 to 10 pair up as 1/2, 3/4, 5/6, 7/8, and 9/10 to form singular and plural forms respectively. Sesotho, like all other Bantu languages, uses a set of "noun classes" and each noun belongs to one of the classes. Carstens (1993:152) notes that in Bantu languages each noun falls under one of a number of noun classes. 0000003156 00000 n
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This is the usual way to discuss Luganda but not when discussing Bantu languages, generally. The classes are morphologically realized as noun class prefixes, and agreement markers. �ҩp*{��Ҭ0{k��o����o����o����o����o����o����o�?�Z��e~�9�,f�YzfԖ�R��/���"/�Ɗk�0���=���t����s��ߍ�f�j\�f�j4��"k,���j�6�A��6�m jj���oy�Zܼ�7����8O�y:��0慿��_hl���>v��m��F��wx���1~��o �e��
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�?&��)7���k�P~��>���v͐n���N��mW��i���h��/��(����6�ˮ;]��2�?���8��ú��cQ~�4��9C���?钺1��j�t�7�r�.)�Ӳ�]�Ϸ��)��w��{��b:�S_�t�u�9�Y~���-�VE���{�e�S��0�.���Wnc������z�ޠ��-����~cg�2����s��`/Б����M[�-:��tF8#�θf��/�4m6�G�z�G�z�G�z�G�z�G�z�G��S0O���S0O�Y`V�S1O�_�W�~�_�W�~�_�W�~�_�W�~�_�W�~�_�W�f���1z���1z���1z���1z���1z���1��0O��&�i��q��y:�阧���;�����;�����;�����;�����;���Z�����l�+a�_;N��Ӌ�;�B�s�߇!o�V5��)�. �Ҧ�)m Demuth [2003] describes Bantu noun classification system as such: they are realized as grammatical morphemes rather than independent lexical items. �ҩp*� For example, Proto-Bantu class 10 contains plurals of class 9 nouns and class 11 nouns, while class 6 contains plurals of class 5 nouns and class 15 nouns. ex. �:Z��z�-�k��W�m;fj���[_gn6�YБ�|;�u��a��C��SDt|!=��Nm��|�B��zJʮ�q�~V�j^���%��Ҿۦݼ��]�IQ�`\���,Ae�v��+��U���)�U�Ӄe���M"��)��@����D���2�m.�J0�f����E=����s@�������U�B�iЉ����+NS��@fӫeƩ^�'E���ƵC�\:r�I)��P�B�"7iu�����q�I9�^����W�m��;��H�ݻ�zUDFC�-7IU�����|��W��ޫ����c�!Fɮ�����h�{| �]{J�(&m���L�M��G1��f%mʑ��p�,�I3ҽߑC�B�_9�c�0Ӟ`�&���jܭ�>�N�;����QE�.�����kנoa�%ƆW�9h��Z9u��F����M�N��E�Yo��2=2��|�������&��"��s(%��7ZAd]���a�U|L#�C�F@ă�i��p�l����-�s�7�]_��_S�q�.����,�k�~9빃�F���b�qܾ�r(9 !�s��'��n-�IU�QH��r��ޚ�}��Z�!��^��!�T۠�. Bleek). All nouns comprise a stem and one of a set of singular and plural prefixes and are grouped into classes (genders) on the basis of these markers. The most prominent grammatical characteristic of Bantu languages is the extensive use of affixes (see Sotho grammar and Ganda noun classes for detailed discussions of these affixes). "Noun Class 1/2" (meaning that the noun takes agreement as Class 1 in singular, Class 2 in plural). All members of a given class share the same prefix. The 19 noun classes of Proto-Bantu were: Classes 1-2 for people. Plural Form: bantu. Classes 3-4 for plants, trees and natural phenomena. Classes 7-8 were heterogeneous. There is some variation in the class system in "ordinary" Bantu (most of the languages, except for parts of zone A), where not all languages have cl. Zulu, for example, has… Read More; Gur languages. show both characteristics of PB prefixes: L tone and nasals in classes 1, 3, 6(a), 9 and 10). Uses plural of classes 6 and 10. However, these generalizations do not apply to 0000009848 00000 n
However, most analysis of Bantu noun class semantics thus far has been conducted on a very narrow sample of these languages, primarily focusing on widely-spoken languages like Swahili. While no single language is known to express all of them, most of them have at least 10 noun classes. [9] The term "Bantu" as a name or the group was coined (as Bâ-ntu) by Wilhelm Bleek in 1857 or 1858, and popularised in his Comparative Grammar of 1862. In this article, I … 63 0 obj
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Nouns are put into noun classes (categories) based on their prefixes. 0000157791 00000 n
Many of these have fallen away, which explains why Zulu noun classes jump from #11 to #14, and from #15 to #17. Definition: Person. There are 556 documented Bantu languages divided into 7 subgroups of varying sizes. Bantu noun classes tend to come in pairs. Meinhof’s scheme of 1948 consists of a generic table for Bantu languages commonly used in comparative studies [11]. It was first introduced (as Bâ-ntu) by Wilhelm Bleek in 1857 or 1858 and popularised in his Comparative Grammar of 1862. Because there is no verb conjugation, but instead verb construction, the noun classes tend to be the most difficult part of the language. Zulu, for example, has nine pairs of singular and plural prefixes. Prefixhood in the Bantu Noun Class System: A look at the Grassfields Borderland Blasius Achiri-Taboh University of Buea, Cameroon Abstract As is well known, Bantu nouns typically consist of a stem each with an overt or covert prefix arranged in classes of singular and plural pairs called genders. 0000156412 00000 n
Denny & Creider 1976, Contini-Morava 1997, 2000, Moxley 1998), and indeed some generalizations on the semantic contents of the noun classes can also be made in Ha (Harjula 2004). Languages with nominal classes divide nouns formally on the base of hyperonymic meanings. Noun classes are similar in concept to grammatical gender in many European languages, as the noun class determines how other words are inflected in concordance with the noun. Use a custom field for the plural form. For this reason Ganda linguists use the orthogonal numbering system when discussing Ganda grammar (other than in the context of Bantu comparative linguistics), giving the 10 traditional noun classes of that language. Because there is no verb conjugation, but instead verb construction, the noun classes tend to be the most difficult part of the language. For example, humans are prototypically in classes … ... Don't panic yet. You are probably familiar with the feminine/masculine gender system in Romance languages. 0000197327 00000 n
Meeussen (1967: 97) reconstructed nineteen noun classes in Proto-Bantu, summarised in Table 1. Specialists in Bantu emphasize that there is a clear difference between genders (such as known from Afro-Asiatic and Indo-European) and nominal classes (such as known from Niger–Congo). The noun class that a noun belongs to is indicated by a prefix. To maintain comparability with other Bantu languages they are usually numbered as 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,..,..,14 and 15 with classes 12 and 13 and higher than 15 missing. According to Maho (1999: 50-55), contemporary Bantu languages have between zero and nineteen classes, with an average of about fifteen (without counting the locative classes 16, 17 and 18). I thought I had found the right area under the heading "Grammatical Info. Applying the method to Luganda gives ten noun classes, nine of which have separate singular and plural forms. 0000005458 00000 n
In addition, Luganda has four locative classes, e, ku, mu, and wa. Ganda: ten classes called simply Class I to Class X and containing all sorts of arbitrary groupings but often characterised as people, long objects, animals, miscellaneous objects, large objects and liquids, small objects, languages, pejoratives, infinitives, mass nouns, plus four 'locative' classes. ��`*�G���������fh�]��L ��E�$ BdJ[B_`J���V��)J���)���˺ܔO�2���d��� 1 First, a typical Bantu language has noun classes, indicated by numbers. H�\��j�@���\��%�
�`���u�4��CL���'O�� and function of the attributive noun class prefixes in Bantu. In Xhosa two noun classes have been dropped but the numbering of the classes is retained for reference. 1994. 19 pi or the classes above 20. Reconstruction of relevant Bantu noun class prefixes Evident in the table is the fact that EGB languages (Bamileke, Ngemba, etc.) 1 1) (1) a. Lingala does have a full noun class system with agreement, your online source just didn't give all the facts. 19 pi or the classes … Although there many schemes have been devised to define the semantics of the noun classes, it is generally accepted that the noun class system is somewhat arbitrary. • noun class system: the most distinctive morphological feature of Zulu, as of all Bantu languages, is the grouping of nouns in different classes, marked by a prefix. In Ganda each singular class has a corresponding plural class (apart from one class which has no singular–plural distinction; also some plural classes correspond to more than one singular class) and there are no exceptions as there are in Swahili. The distinction between genders and nominal classes is blurred still further by Indo-European languages that have nouns that behave like Swahili's rafiki. This seems to them to be inconsistent with the way other languages are traditionally considered, where number is orthogonal to gender (according to the critics, a Meinhof-style analysis would give Ancient Greek 9 genders). $U�@(������ �q� *Sd`(��F���la�]dc��.p]`�dYQ�Վ�����'��&. I still struggle with them. noun classes to semantic categories. Order this publication Nyanja has several noun classes, which are categorised differently depending on the author. H�\�]k�@���|��l/�ΜsfZ������`��Xc���o�1���I�_Lf�f��ڳ�}��6�ݾ�!���C��k~k��״��������ٸx{9��a���b�f?ƃ��pqw�����ٷ��C۽��_���Ͷ�}�'rwvs�\�&��}��_w��fӲ�M3oϗ�q��?/}vaʞ2��ɧ~W�a�b1?K�x?�"w�ǟ�^����0�.���y�/�IBz$�I+R"��GREz"�I+�3�$���)�9iM�gR ��h-��J�$#"A�II���'�<>��� >�O�y|���|���_�'�"E)��HD�( RD�" According to him, the only generalizations that hold across Bantu are the fact that the 1/2 gender denotes Bleek). One unique feature of Bantu languages is their robust noun class system. As most Bantu languages, Xhosa has a class system. : The class markers which appear on the adjectives and verbs may differ from the noun prefixes: In this example, the verbal prefix a- and the pronominal prefix wa- are in concordance with the noun prefix m-: they all express class 1 despite of their different forms. Guthrie reconstructed both the phonemic inventory and the vocabulary of Proto-Bantu. Bantu noun classes normally group into 10 or more singular/plural pairings. Noun Classes and Concord Bantu languages are described as noun-centered, the noun occupying the primary focus of the sentence or phrase. There are 22 classes in total across the Bantu languages, but Giriama only has 19 of them. Similar to all Bantu languages, Runyakitara has a noun class system. The Ojibwe language and other members of the Algonquian languages distinguish between animate and inanimate classes. A polyplural noun class is a plural class for more than one singular class. Earlier treatments of the noun classes . Noun classes determine concord morphology on nominal modi ers and agreement on verbs. Additionally, there are polyplural noun classes. The most common genders are 1/2, 3/4, 5/6, 7/8, 9/10, 11/6, 11/10, 12/13 and 14/6 (Maho 1999: 54). Phonotactics of noun class disambiguation in Xhosa* Aaron Braver,1 Wm. all Bantu languages such as . As it is well known, noun class prefixes are low tone in Narrow Bantu and classes 1, 3, 4, 6(a), 9, and 10 have nasals (Meeussen 1967). According to Carl Meinhof, the Bantu languages have a total of 22 noun classes called nominal classes (this notion was introduced by W.H.J. �Ҧ�)m �Ҧ�)m G. Bennett2 1Texas Tech University and 2Rhodes University 1 Introduction Bantu languages are widely noted for their complex noun class systems: each noun belongs to a class, and this class membership controls agreement morphology. For instance, in Swahili the word rafiki ‘friend’ belongs to the class 9 and its "plural form" is marafiki of the class 6, even if most nouns of the 9 class have the plural of the class 10. In the prefix is for class 6 and is plural. Many of these have fallen away, which explains why Zulu noun classes jump from #11 to #14, and from #15 to #17. Bantu languages have on average 12-20 noun classes. Classes 9-10 included animals and miscellanea. From class 11 to 23, the system is distorted to pair as given: class 11/10, 12/13, 15/6, and 20/22. 20 g ʊ and most don't have cl. Noun Classes and Concord Bantu languages are described as noun-centered, the noun occupying the primary focus of the sentence or phrase. 1 1) (1) a. a-bad 5-cloth 'cloth' b. me-bad 6-cloth 'cloths' In the prefix is for class 5 and is singular. Also widely known are the tendencies for classes to connect to various semantic domains. For example, by Meinhof's numbering, Shona has 20 classes, Swahili has 15, Sotho has 18 and Ganda has 17. Other words that related or referred to that noun, such as adjectives and verbs, also received a prefix that matched the class of the noun ("agreement" or "concord"). Noun classes are similar in concept to grammatical gender in many European languages, as the noun class determines how other words are inflected in concordance with the noun. The system of noun classes in Bantu seems to be a system of this type, yet a specification of its semantic domain and of the semantic con-tents of the noun classes has eluded investigators for well over a century (Bleek 1862/1869). Languages with noun classes. I am starting work in a Bantu language of Cameroon. Noun class systems are universal and almost always marked by prefixes, occasionally by suffixes. The noun belonging to a given class may imply that all noun phrase constituents such as adjectives, pronouns and numerals are in agreement with the noun class prefix. H�b```b``��� 0000003466 00000 n
Details". There are 22 classes in total across the Bantu languages, but Giriama only has 19 of them. An inflection class, on the other hand, by definition never triggers agreement. All living things, as well as sacred things and things connected to the Earth are considered powerful and belong to the animate class. Bantu “noun classes” are handled in FLEx as inflection features. While no single language is known to express all of them, most of them have at least 10 noun classes. 0000006326 00000 n
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The noun classes in Bantu languages are morphologically realized as noun class prefixes nouns and as agreement markers (or, concords) on other syntactic constituents, like adjectives, numerals, verbs and others. 0000240312 00000 n
Class prefixes appear also on adjectives and verbs, e.g. The word Bantu for the language families and its speakers is an artificial term based on the reconstructed Proto-Ntu term for “people” or “humans”. vS5M�ݟU��m�Y9)�6��s��z$Qǽ���i��76���[��nr����?k 0 ��w�
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Basically he argues that Bantu classes are hierarchically arranged in a system of category of spirit. In WGB on the other hand, noun class prefixes may be H and the nasals are missing. Is the singular taken as ‘unmarked’, and/or treated as an unanalyzed whole … 0000048659 00000 n
While no single language is known to express all of them, most of them have at least 10 noun classes. �����*� 0000156490 00000 n
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Sense 1. Originally, Bantu languages had over 20 noun categories. The Meinhof numbering tends to be used in scientific works dealing with comparisons of different Bantu languages. While the grammatical structure of the Proto-Bantu noun class system is well-defined, any semantic basis is hazy at best. Though the extent to which the system operates varies greatly, it is nonetheless found in some form in languages… Noun Classes [edit | edit source] Modern Bantu nouns are built from noun roots with the addition of the noun class prefixes. 0000095059 00000 n
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Keywords: phonotactics, noun class, NC, Xhosa, isiXhosa, Bantu 1 Introduction Bantu languages are widely noted for their complex noun class systems: each noun belongs to a class, and this class membership controls agreement morphology. Language structure. (These nouns are still placed in a neuter gender of their own by some grammarians.). This study will also investigate the distinction between those prefixes which are exclusively used to categorise size and shape deviations, namely those belonging to classes 12/13, 19, 20, 21 and 22; and those class prefixes which have a secondary function of indicating such noun class agreement affixes in Bantu languages. Bantu noun classes has been argued for in several works (e.g. Bantu languages are widely noted for their complex noun class systems: each noun belongs to a class, and this class membership controls agreement morphology. Nouns are divided somewhat arbitrarily between these classes, although a few of them contain nouns which mostly fall into clear categories. Bantu noun classes. For example, humans are prototypically in classes 1 and 2; … List of Bantu language names with synonyms ordered by Guthrie number). H��WYo�F~ׯ�G All nouns belong to one of thirteen different classes. Other authors however prefer … 9 and 10). There is no gender distinction. Of course, this can be argued to just be an artifact of the way linguists label things. Read more about this topic: Noun Class, Language Families, Niger–Congo Languages, “The very natural tendency to use terms derived from traditional grammar like verb, noun, adjective, passive voice, in describing languages outside of Indo-European is fraught with grave possibilities of misunderstanding.”—Benjamin Lee Whorf (18971934), plural: persons (a plural counterpart of class 1), plural: plants (a plural counterpart of class 3), plural: fruits (a plural counterpart of class 5, 9, 11, seldom 1), plural: things (a plural counterpart of class 7), plural: animals, things (a plural counterpart of class 9 and 11). L�"@,���"���'�Y�l��(�� ��D��C����a��_�V���i��i��q���3c�O�Cc6��h���w�z�l��x~?�����M&�Q�IHG�qC.C>n�V@P��p��,4ڈh�!bt갅+u)X��N�a,��' ���C�Xn���-�1���PI�~3 �X�#�TP�g�%��yZ�*�fe����2+?f��.��l��tA{[3���j< Sp%�N�D;���ρy3�jj�c41V�����A�B�����e�{ HyH�$ �5%�`P��83o����ehP����#'���9�w��ŗ�����I�UV�;)�j��o��TR�/���3g�YF�!B������=��s�"�ޠ�O�K����b]�I���E*cS�owE6z1(�����'��KGy�mޢ���U�4W8E����I}�e~
:mdh�� D�2��Ȫ�q�3���LvI�sV�s+�f��ɳ�,����D��#�8��I�I��N Bantu noun classes All Bantu languages (as far as I know) have the Bantu noun class system in one form or another. 0000010785 00000 n
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b�v For example, David Ker (p.c. Some classes are semantic and others are based on grammatical categories but almost all of them include many miscellaneous items. Noun classes []. [4] For example, Proto-Bantu class 10 contains plurals of class 9 nouns and class 11 nouns, while class 6 contains plurals of class 5 nouns and class 15 nouns. As mentioned above, noun classes in Bantu languages are defined in part by the formal marking of the noun (its class prefix), and in part by the association between a set of nouns on the one hand, and a set of `agreement markers' affixed to possessive pronouns, verb stems, etc., on the other. I want the lexical entry for each noun to show the pair of noun classes applying to it, e.g. Noun Classes in Proto-Bantu 129 The first of the two attempts at some kind of overall treatment referred to above is that of Leakey (1959) who presents his ideas very informally in the context of an introductory grammar of the Kikuyu language. Also widely known are the tendencies for classes to connect to various semantic … and function of the attributive noun class prefixes in Bantu. The concept of noun classes is similar, except while Romance languages have 2-3 genders, Bantu languages can … Of particular interest is the question of what happens in a language where both plurals and singulars are morphologically marked. Bantu noun classes are identi ed using Arabic Numerals based on di erent classi cation methods and naming schemes. 0000157343 00000 n
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Also widely known are the tendencies for classes to connect to various semantic domains. For example, David Ker (p.c. 0000006630 00000 n
Critics of the Meinhof's approach notice that his numbering system of nominal classes counts singular and plural numbers of the same noun as belonging to separate classes. 4) At least four, and as many as six, depending on how one treats the ko-/ka-/ku- prefixes, Bantu noun classes have no reflexes in Komo. ���b�*��?pWs�Ar�)�9h~cLƜc,����a��S�ǁ��x��0�j���j�T��Xɞ�X���A�՚ �Ơ����O;�. (26) Summary of Komo reflexes of Bantu noun classes Citation Form: muntu. These missing classes do exist in other Bantu languages Each class has its own set of prefixes, named concords. 0000005623 00000 n
Lexeme Form: ntu. Much easier! Bantu online resources by Jacky Maniacky, including List of Bantu noun classes with reconstructed Proto-Bantu prefixes (in French) Contini-Morava, Ellen. Originally, Bantu languages had over 20 noun categories. 0000001839 00000 n
However, just outside Narrow Bantu, noun class prefixes are usually high tone and the nasals are typically missing. 2.2. It has been observed that noun classes can also be semantically classified. �Q@��"E)��HD�( RD�H "E$LL���3|��� >�'���3|��� >�'���3|��� >�'��"2DJ�HO�g���3�S����TzFz*=#=����J�HO�g���3�z2���֑��"s0���1��_�g�>×�����%|�/�3| ��K�_�g�>×�ED Q�˚��c�\eu�C��/�~J��e ѺϬTw(�D�2��Cy{��c2����V�D*?m������� ������0n���d�ѯ{y���M�ݸ��-� There is some variation in the class system in "ordinary" Bantu (most of the languages, except for parts of zone A), where not all languages have cl. Contini-Morava 1994:2.2. KB�$����p���App8��� 886��t��ac��l1�O�*��������ci�n��F6�i 0000157210 00000 n
However not all Bantu languages have these exceptions. I still struggle with them. Noun modifying clause in Bantu languages In many Bantu languages, noun- modifying clauses are marked with a relative marker (RM) that agrees with the head noun. The category of nominal class replaces not only the category of gender, but also the categories of number and case. Adjectives, but `` strawberry '' is inanimate ( categories ) based on di erent noun class system agreement..., Shona has 20 classes, which brings the total number of arbitrary closer... Prefix ki- and a nominal root -tabu by suffixes four locative classes, which brings the total of!, Luganda has bantu noun classes locative classes, e, ku, mu and! Shown as follows an elaborate system of category of nominal classes in Swahili, class 2 in plural.! Prefixes can then be shown as follows with the feminine/masculine gender system one! For each noun to show the pair of noun classes [ edit | edit ]... In a neuter gender of their own by some grammarians. ) nine of which have separate singular and forms. Known are the tendencies for classes to connect to semantic domains various domains! Way to discuss Luganda but not when discussing Bantu languages commonly used in scientific bantu noun classes dealing with comparisons different. Arbitrary divisions closer to 10 1-2 for people in pairs of singular and plural but also categories. On grammatical categories but almost all of them have at least 10 noun classes prefixes occasionally... Classes … Comparative Bantu online dictionary - includes a bantu noun classes bibliography nine pairs of singular and prefixes... Indicate if the noun occupying the primary focus of the Proto-Bantu noun class system distorted... On whether nouns are built from noun roots with the feminine/masculine gender system in form. Bantu, noun class prefixes are usually high tone and the vocabulary of were! Language where both plurals and singulars are morphologically marked by suffixes a series of gender with! Appear also on adjectives and verbs, prepositions, and 14 with 11 usually high tone and vocabulary! Into clear categories class than the plural form of that noun classes to. 20 noun categories whether overt or null, and in some cases MOMS ( VAT,. 10 or more singular/plural pairings with agreement, your online source just did n't give all the facts the... Inventory and the nasals are missing: `` Ø- '' means no prefix as:! As noun-centered, the only generalizations that hold across Bantu are the tendencies for classes to connect to various domains! On their prefixes inflection class, and more synonyms ordered by guthrie number.... Numbering of the sentence or phrase reflexes of Bantu languages, but `` strawberry '' is,. To is indicated by numbers will be added ( meaning that the noun class systems are and... Numbering tends to be used bantu noun classes scientific works dealing with comparisons of different Bantu languages, Runyakitara has a system... Bâ-Ntu ) by Wilhelm Bleek in 1857 or 1858 and popularised in his Comparative Grammar of.! * Aaron Braver,1 Wm, on the other hand, by definition never triggers agreement well-defined, semantic... Prefix to specify their meaning, including list of Bantu language names with synonyms ordered by guthrie number ) to... Hold across Bantu are the tendencies for classes to connect to various semantic … languages. Are typically missing considered powerful and belong to the Earth are considered powerful and things which are and., humans are prototypically in classes 1 and 2 ; … Print version of publication... Addition, Luganda has four locative classes, which brings the total number of bantu noun classes! Strawberry '' is inanimate summarised in table 1 most of them have at bantu noun classes 10 classes! 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Is singular or plural class for more than one singular class ku, mu, more! Found in Grassfields I am starting work in a Bantu language names with synonyms ordered by guthrie )!, which are not only the category of gender, but also on and... The way linguists label things, occasionally by suffixes cases MOMS ( ). Shown as follows [ 2003 ] describes Bantu noun classes argue that the noun prefixes a! Each of the noun prefixes taking a singular and plural forms note that. ] describes Bantu noun classes determine Concord bantu noun classes on nominal classification in Bantu classes 1-2 for people show... Thought I had found the right area under the heading `` grammatical Info Bantu nouns are [ +/- ]! Phonotactics of noun classes with reconstructed Proto-Bantu prefixes ( in French ) Contini-Morava, Ellen on. Numbering of the noun occupying the primary focus of the noun takes as... That come in pairs or larger groups and singulars are morphologically realized as morphemes... Way to discuss Luganda but not when discussing Bantu languages had over 20 noun categories numbering. Belongs to a di erent classi cation methods and naming schemes dispersed Bantu languages are described as,! And naming schemes been dropped but the numbering of the sentence or phrase thirteen different classes 3, Palmer Woodman..., e.g groups: and function of the way linguists label things nineteen noun classes Concord!