Post on 16-Mar-2018
The same but different: Noun classification at the
Crossroads
Rachel Watson Workshop on morphological complexity
in noun class systems SOAS, June 2017
Podzniakov and Segerer, forthcoming
fu-maŋgo f-a-f-u CL:fu-mango AGR:f-DEF-AGR:f-MED
‘the mango’
ku-maŋgo k-a-h-u
CL:ku-mango AGR:k-DEF-AGR:k-MED
‘the mangos’
bu-maŋgo b-a-m-b-u CL:bu-mango AGR:b-DEF-C-AGR:b-MED
‘the mango tree’
u-maŋgo w-a-w-u CL:u-mango AGR:w-DEF-AGR:w-MED
‘the mango trees’
round/fruit
singular
round/fruit
plural
tree
singular
tree
plural
KUJIRERAY
singular plural
tree bu-maŋgo u-maŋgo
fruit fu-maŋgo
ku-maŋgo
fu-sah
CL:fu-bean
‘bean’
round/fruit
singular
small/round
collective
ba-sah CL:ba-bean ‘beans’
round/fruit
plural
ku-sah CL:ku-bean ‘beans’
KUJIRERAY
fu- ku- ba-
small/round
collective
ba-sah CL:ba-bean ‘beans’
non-liquid?
mass
ba-uc CL:ba-wind ‘wind’
ba-
KUJIRERAY
shape of paradigm number distinction
monadic mass
dyadic singular/plural
triadic singular/plural/collective
Number distinctions associated with paradigms
paradigm forms 1 2 3 1 2 3
mu- mu-hem
‘water’
ba- ba-uc
‘wind’
e- si- e-siho
‘cat’
si-siho
‘cats’
a- e- a-labe
‘priest’
e-labe
‘priests’ e- si- ba- e- halaŋga
‘louse’
si-halaŋga
‘lice’ (count)
ba- halaŋga
‘lice’ (coll.)
ji- mu- ba- ji-ndofij
‘braid’
mu-ndofij
‘braids’ (count)
ba-ndofij
‘braids’ (coll.)
paradigm forms 1 2 3 1 2 3
mu- mu-hem
‘water’
ba- ba-uc
‘wind’
e- si- e-siho
‘cat’
si-siho
‘cats’
a- e- a-labe
‘priest’
e-labe
‘priests’ e- si- ba- e- halaŋga
‘louse’
si-halaŋga
‘lice’ (count)
ba- halaŋga
‘lice’ (coll.)
ji- mu- ba- ji-ndofij
‘braid’
mu-ndofij
‘braids’ (count)
ba-ndofij
‘braids’ (coll.)
paradigm forms 1 2 3 1 2 3
mu- mu-hem
‘water’
ba- ba-uc
‘wind’
e- si- e-siho
‘cat’
si-siho
‘cats’
a- e- a-labe
‘priest’
e-labe
‘priests’ e- si- ba- e- halaŋga
‘louse’
si-halaŋga
‘lice’ (count)
ba- halaŋga
‘lice’ (coll.)
ji- mu- ba- ji-ndofij
‘braid’
mu-ndofij
‘braids’ (count)
ba-ndofij
‘braids’ (coll.)
Gubëeher (n=29) Kujireray (n=17)
gu- ño- a- u-
ha- ran- ku- e-
bu- ñan- si- ba-
i- ta- bu- u-
si- ja- ji- ja-
mun- di- mu- fu-
u- ba- fa- ma-
sin- ji- ka- ñi-
ko- kan- ti-
in- fa-
fun- hu-
ho- bi-
ti- da-
pi- a-
-ŋ
Noun class prefixes in Gubëeher and Kujireray
Gubëeher Kujireray
monadic 19 5
dyadic 15 16
dyadic (suffixed plural) 13 /
triadic 6 8
triadic (suffixed plural) 2 /
Total 55 29
Noun class paradigms in Gubëeher and Kujireray
noun class
Gubëeher paradigm(s)
Gubëeher semantics Kujireray paradigm(s)
Kujireray semantics
si- si-/mun- (si-/i-) (si-/ha-)
singular singular singular
tree ‘eye’ (few items)
e-/si- plural general
a- bi-/a-ŋ bu-/a-ŋ da-/a- ŋ a-/a-ŋ/bi-
plural singular
(few items) small crawling
a-/u- a-/ku-
singular singular
human relatives
ti- ti- mass sap (few items)
ti- mass time (few items)
same form, different meaning
noun class
Gubëeher paradigm(s)
Gubëeher semantics Kujireray paradigm(s)
Kujireray semantics
ji- ji-/ji-ŋ sing/plural some animates/ agents
ji-/mu- ji-/mu-/ba-
singular diminutive
fa- fa-/fa-ŋ sing/plural (few items) e-/si-/fa- collective swarm
bu- bu-/i- bu-/i-/di- bu-/i-/ja- bu-/i-/ba-
singular singular
round animals
bu-/u- singular tree
same form, different meaning
semantic domain
Gubeeher Kujireray
tree si-/mum-maŋgo ‘mango tree/s’ si-/bu-nunuen ‘tree/s’
bu-/u-maŋgo ‘mango tree/s’ bu-/u-nunuen ‘tree/s’
round bu-/i-baloŋ ‘ball/s’ bu-/i-boŋ ‘thigh/s
fu-/ku-baloŋ ‘ball/s’ fu-/ku-boŋ ‘thigh/s’
human u-/ñan-lulum ‘white person’ u-/ñan-tuuta ‘ancestor’
a-/u-lulum ‘white person’ a-/u-tuuta ‘ancestor’
extended gu-/ha-sëël ‘fin’ gu-/ha-tokoond ‘palm wine spoon’
ka-/u-sël ‘fin’ ka-/u-tokond ‘palm wine spoon’
‘same’ meaning, different form
fu-/ku- e-/si-
DIVERSE ROUND
bu-/i-
DIVERSE/ROUND?
Gubëeher Kujireray Gloss
bu-/i-gelelel e-/si-geleleŋ ‘bell’
bu-/i-lún e-/si-lund ‘black viper’
bu-/i-bëmb fu-/ku-bemb ‘fruit’
bu-/i-boŋg fu-/ku-boŋ ‘thigh’
Gubëeher - extended Kujireray – round Gloss
gu-/ha-bil fu-/ku-bil ‘lip’
gu-/ha-kaabil fu-/ku-kaabil ‘bamboo stick’
gu-/ha-míhírí fu-/ku-nir ‘axe’
gu-/ha-hebay ? ‘type of fruit’
gu-/ha-/ja-ŋañ
fu-/ku-/ba-jeh ‘charcoal
EXTENDED ROUND
CYLINDRICAL?
Language Paradigm Semantics
Gubëeher bu-/i-/di- fruits
gu-/ha-/ja- grassy plants/parts of plants
gu-/ha-/ba- kernels, small, compact
bu-/i-/ja- animals
bu-/i-/ba- fruits
ran-/ñan-/ja- amphibians
a-/a-ŋ/bi- insects
fa-/fa-ŋ/ja- fish
Kujireray e-/si-/ba- kernels, small, compact
fu-/ku-/ba- round, small
ka-/u-/e- grassy plants/colonizing plants
ka-/u-/ma- grass (one item)
ka-/u-/ba- hibiscus leaf/prawns (2 items)
ji-/mu-/ba- kernels. small, compact
e-/si-/fa- swarm (2 items)
same form, ‘same’ meaning
Gubëeher Kujireray Gloss
ba-poc ba-poc’ ‘skin complaint’
ba-jijix ba-jijih ‘toothache/rotting teeth’
ba-wuc ba-uc ‘wind’
ba-laaj ba-laj ‘be nasty/evil’
ba-liinay ba-linay ‘(different sex) sibling-ship’
ba-ñaam ba-palay ‘friendship’
same form, ‘same’ meaning
Outlook
• more detailed comparison of these (and other noun class systems in the region)
• socio- and psycholinguistic effects of variation in production of multilingual speakers
References
• Bassène, Alain-Christian. 2007. Morphosyntaxe du joola banjal, langue atlantique du Sénégal. Köln: Rüdiger Köppe Verlag.
• Cobbinah, Alexander. 2013. Nominal classification and verbal nouns in Bainounk Gubëeher. (PhD). SOAS, London.
• Di Garbo, Francesca. 2014. Gender and its interaction with
number and evaluative morphology. An intra- and intergenealogical typological survey of Africa. (PhD). Stockholm University.
• Sagna, Serge. 2008. Formal and Semantic properties of the Gújjolaay Eegimaa (A.k.a Banjal) nominal classification system (PhD). SOAS, London.
• Pozdniakov, Konstantin and Guillaume Segerer (forthcoming). ‘A Genealogical classification of Atlantic languages.’ In Friederike Lüpke (ed.) Atlantic Languages. Oxford: OUP
• Watson, Rachel. 2015. Kujireray: Morphosyntax, noun classification and verbal nouns (PhD). SOAS, London.
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Thank you!
• Crossroads Project team and collaborators
• Leverhulme Trust
• Workshop contributors
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rw44@soas.ac.uk soascrossroads.org
@casamance_owl