16/04/2009 Peter Nichols SOAS (African Languages & Culture) 1 PERSISTIVE & ALTERATIVE Aspect in...

16/04/2009 Peter Nichols SOAS (African Languages & Culture)

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PERSISTIVE & ALTERATIVE Aspect in siSwati

Presentation to WOCALPeter Nichols


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PLAN OF PRESENTATION

Brief review of siSwati verb form / formatives

Description of PERSISTIVE and ALTERATIVE aspects

Examples from my Fieldwork and the Literature

References


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KINGDOM OF SWAZILAND


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GENEALOGY

IsiZulu is the language of the amaZulu who live in KwaZulu and in Natal, NE Free State, Transvaal and Witwatersrand area of South Africa

IsiZulu (S42)belongs to the Nguni group of Bantu languages (Guthrie’s S40) which also include:

SiSwati (S43), Xhosa, siNdebele (Zimbabwe) and Ngoni (Malawi)


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THE SISWATI VERB FORM

The basic verb stem consists of a root (R) which carries basic sense and a formative suffix –a

-BON-a see

There are two types of suffixes:Endings (-bon-a) which indicate tense

and mood

Extensions (-bon-is-a) which alter basic meaning


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ENDINGS & EXTENSIONS

There are three (formative) endings:

-bon-a non-subjunctive forms (usually positive)

-bon-e positive subjunctive

-bon-i negative

There are many (formative) extensions which encode variety of meanings.


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FORMATIVES

A formative is a morpheme that cannot stand alone but is part of a larger lexical form and contributes to its meaning:

u-sa-nats-a he still drinkshe is still drinking

se-wu-ya-nats-a he now drinkshe is now drinking

a-wu-ka-nats-I he has not drunkhe has not been drinking


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PERSISTIVE & ALTERATIVE ASPECT

My research is concerned with the morpho-semantics of these two aspects which have grammaticalized in siSwati.

The PERSISTIVE is encoded by the prefixal formative -sa-.

The ALTERATIVE is encoded by the prefixal formative -se-.

-Sa- and -se- are in complementary distribution and both display variable semantic and syntactic properties. Both aspects can be motivated by alternative morphological and lexical strategies depending on context and speaker judgement.

The PROGRESSIVE is not morphologically encoded in siSwati. The literature refers to the -sa- formative as PROGRESSIVE an assertion which I question.


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PERSISTIVE ASPECT

I define the PERSISTIVE as encoding an aspect in which an activity or situation continues. The polarity can be:

POSITIVE > POSITIVE or NEGATIVE > NEGATIVE

I verb > I still verb

I do not verb > I still do not verb

The PERSISTIVE can appear in a range of tenses:

I verb-ed > I still verb-ed

I will verb > I will still verb


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ALTERATIVE ASPECT

I define the ALTERATIVE as encoding an aspect in which an activity or situation changes. The activity polarity switch can be:

POSITIVE > NEGATIVE or NEGATIVE > POSITIVE

I verb > I no longer verb

I do not verb > I now verb

The ALTERATIVE can appear in a range of tenses:

I verb-ed > I no longer verb-ed

I will not verb > I will now verb


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THE PERSISTIVE FORMATIVE (-sa-)

The formative -sa- is described by Rycroft as an "auxiliary verbal infix of the Progressive implication".

I classify -sa- as a formative not as an auxiliary. It does not encode PROGRESSIVE aspect (see example below which gives

both PROGRESSIVE and NON-PROGRESSIVE translations).The PROGRESSIVE is not grammaticalized in siSwati I do not recognise the term ‘implication’. Thandeka u-sa-fundz-a1a-Thandeka SC1-F.still-read-FV‘Thandeka still reads / is still reading’

The meaning is Thandeka was reading and she still is doing so.HABITUAL & PROGRESSIVE aspects according to context.


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PERSISTIVE & PROGRESSIVE ASPECT

The Progressive aspect expresses an action that is an on-going process. It can occur in PRESENT, STATIVE and FUTURE tenses in the INDICATIVE and PARTICIPIAL moods. It can also appear in copulatives.

In my analysis it is distinct from the continuous link between two periods which is encoded by the PERSISTIVE aspect. It is not grammaticalized and its presence will be decided by context.

Sa-ba-khandz-a ba-sa-dl-aREM.PAST.SC2-OC2-find-FV SC2-F.still-eat-FV‘We found them still eating / ?they still eat’ This example is PERSISTIVE and PROGRESSIVE. A NON-PROGRESSIVE

sense is possible but not likely.Sa-ba-khandz-a ba-ya-dl-aREM.PAST.SC2-OC2-find-FV SC2-DIS.PRES-eat-FV‘We found them eating / they eat’ This example is not PERSISTIVE - PROGRESSIVE as above.


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PERSISTIVE & PROGRESSIVE ASPECT

The significance of these examples is that -sa- does not encode PROGRESSIVE. It encodes PERSISTIVE. The diners were eating at an anterior point in time and and continue to eat.

The PROGRESSIVE is motivated by context not morphology. If the PERSISTIVE formative is replaced by the DISJOINT formative -ya- (ba-ya-dl-a) the sense is one of finding the diners in the process or habit of eating (PROGRESSIVE or NON-PROGRESSIVE but not PERSISTIVE)

In certain circumstances -sa- can appear as -se- but it is still PERSISTIVE not ALTERATIVE:

Ema-tfole a-se-s-e-si-bay-eni6-calves SC6-F.still-PLS-LOC-7-kraal-LOC‘The calves are still in the kraal’


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PROGRESSIVES / PERSISTIVES &

STATIVES When -sa- is used with the PERFECT tense it indicates a STATIVE since

according to Ziervogel & Mabuza, the PERFECT cannot be PROGRESSIVE e.g.

U-sa-hamb-ileSC1-F.still-go-DIS.PERF‘He is still away’

Ziervogel & Mabuza would not find ‘He has still travelled’ as a translation acceptable. Note PRESENT tense of STATIVE translation.

However I regard -sa- as PERSISTIVE and not PROGRESSIVE so both translations are acceptable depending on context of course.


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FORMATIVE -se- as PERSISTIVE

As mentioned earlier -sa- can appear as -se- for syntactic or phonological reasons. The following is a further example:

Tin-simi leti-nyenti leti-hlak-ul-w-a-ko 10-field RC10-ADJ.many RC10-weed-PASS-FV-ENCL.

ti-se-ne-lu-khulaSC10-F.now-CONJ.ADV.PFX-11-weeds

‘Many fields that are weeded are still with weeds’

Because -sa- is in a non-verbal phrase it appears as -se- but semantically it remains PERSISTIVE.


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THE PERSISTIVE not the PROGRESSIVE

Le-moti len-khulu le-ngi-khulum-a nga-yoDP9-car AC9-big RC9-SC1-talk-FV ADV.PFX-PS9i-sa-tawu-fik-a, kumbe9-F.still-IMM.FUT-arrive-FV CONJ-perhapsi-sa-bhaj-iwe e-tubuk-weni9-F.still-be stuck-PASS.STAT. PERF LOC-(5).drift-LOC‘The big motor car which I am talking about will still arrive, perhaps it is still

stuck in the drift’

Both instances of the use of -sa- exemplify the PERSISTIVE not PROGRESSIVE aspect. The motor car was expected to arrive and it continues to be expected to arrive. It was stuck in a drift and continues to be stuck in a drift.

There is not a sense of ongoing process (arriving / being stuck) so PROGRESSIVE aspect is absent. It is not suggested by the context.


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PERSISTIVE & PAST TENSE be- FORMATIVE

The PERSISTIVE is also found with the compound tenses with the auxiliary be- in PRESENT, FUTURE and STATIVE main verbs:

Be-ka-sa-hamb-ile mhla si-landz-aPAST-SC1-F.still-go-PERF ADV.today SC2-fetch-FVtim-phahla t-etfu9-goods PC9-PS2‘He was still away the day we fetched our possessions'.

Ziervogel & Mabuza describe be-ka-hamb-ile as PERFECT continuous although I do not regard it as PROGRESSIVE / ‘continuous’.

It is the PERSISTIVE formative which encodes a continuing situation and so I would translate as:

‘He had already gone the day we fetched our possessions’.This reading has been confirmed by two consultants during fieldwork.


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FORMATIVES : PERSISTIVE / ALTERATIVE ?

In Ziervogel and Mabuza:

1. U-se-ncono gogo lo-be-ka-gul-aSC1-F.now-RS.better (1a).grandma RC-PAST-SC1-ill-FV

‘Grandma who was ill is still better

2. Se-wu-ncono gogo lo-be-ka-gul-aF.now-SC1-RS.better (1a).grandma RC-PAST-SC1-ill-FV‘Grandma who was ill is now better

The PERSISTIVE formative -sa- with non-verbs takes the form -se- as in expression 1.

In expression 2 the word order indicates that the ALTERATIVE formative -se- is being used.


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PROGRESSIVE ASPECT (STATIVE verbs)

Ku-gula (‘to be ill’) is a stative verb not a dynamic verb.

Because of its STATIVE category it is naturally PROGRESSIVE (I.e. it depicts an on-going process).

The semantic difference between examples 1 and 2 in the earlier slide is whether there was a change in situation or a situation continued. In expression 1 grandma was ill and continued to be ill (PERSISTIVE aspect). In expression 2 she was ill but became better (ALTERATIVE aspect).

In both examples being ill was a state an ongoing process which is naturally PROGRESSIVE. In siSwati PROGRESSIVE aspect is not morphologically encoded but it is indicated contextually.


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AUXILIARIES

In siSwati many verbs can perform an auxiliary role. They are used in compound predicates with another verb (in a specific mood) and often motivate a figurative meaning (TKB).

1. U-hamb-a a-si-tfuk-a

SC1-AUX.often-FVSC1-OC2-swear-PART.FV

‘He swears at us all the time’

2. Ba-hamb-a ba-bu-cits-a lo-tjw-ala

SC2-AUX.often-FVSC2-OC14-spill-PART.FV DP14-14-beer

laba-bu-tfw-ele

RC2-OC14-carry-STAT.PERF

‘They are spilling the beer they carry all along the way’


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AUXILIARIES (PAST TENSE be-)

The auxiliary verb stem be- is the STAT.PERF form of -ba (copula auxiliary verb). The main verb is in the PARTICIPIAL mood. The subject concord of the auxiliary is generally dropped.

(Ngi)-be ngi-bon-a

(SC1)-AUX.PAST SC1-see-PART.FV

‘I saw, was seeing’

When used with the past tense concord to encode a past tense (often referred to as ‘past continuous’ the auxiliary be- is omitted:

Nga-(be) ngi-bon-a

REM.PAST.SC1-(AUX.PAST) SC1-see-PART.FV

‘I saw, was seeing’


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The formative -sa- encodes PERSISTIVE aspect:

(Ngi)-be ngi-sa-bon-a

(SC1)-AUX.PAST SC1-F.still-see-PART.FV

‘I still saw, was still seeing’

Nga-(be) ngi-sa-bon-a

REM.PAST.SC1-(AUX.PAST) SC1-F.still-see-PART.FV

‘I still saw, was still seeing’

It is a central assertion of my thesis that be- does not encode PROGRESSIVE (‘continuous’) aspect so I show alternative translations. The PROGRESSIVE and PERSISTIVE are distinct aspects. The latter is morphologically encoded (-sa-) the former is not.


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The auxiliary -se- encodes ALTERATIVE aspect:

(Ngi)-be-se ngi-bon-a

(SC1)-AUX.PAST-AUX.now SC1-see-PART.FV

‘I now saw, was now seeing / I then saw, was seeing’

Nga-(be)-se ngi-bon-a

REM.PAST.SC1-(AUX.PAST)-AUX.now SC1-see-PART.FV

‘I now saw, was now seeing / I then saw, was seeing’

As stated in previous slide - it is a central assertion of my thesis that be- does not encode PROGRESSIVE aspect. The ALTERATIVE is morphologically encoded (-se-) the PROGRESSIVE is not.


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The PERSISTIVE and ALTERATIVE formatives are in complementary distribution but when performing the role of auxiliary -se- and the PERSISTIVE formative can co-occur:

(Ngi)-be-se ngi-sa-bon-a

(SC1)-AUX.PAST-AUX.now SC1-F.still-see-PART.FV

‘I now still saw, was now still seeing.

‘I then still saw, was still seeing’

Nga-(be)-se ngi-sa-bon-a

REM.PAST.SC1-(AUX.PAST)-AUX.now SC1- F.still-see-PART.FV

‘I now still saw, was now still seeing.

‘I then still saw, was still seeing’


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AUXILIARIES (ALTERATIVE se-)

It is not always clear whether -se- is correctly described as a formative or an auxiliary. TKB describe its role as an aspectual formative:

Se-ngi-hamb-a na-ye

F.now-SC1-go-PART.FV ADV.PFX-AP1

‘I am now going with her / I now go with her’

Be-se ngi-nga-sa-nats-i

PAST-AUX.now SC1-NEG-F.still-drink-NEG.FV

‘Now I am still not drinking’

Expression means ‘I had stopped drinking but I am now drinking again’

The PERSISTIVE & ALTERATIVE are contrasting aspects but not mutually exclusive. ALTERATIVE can be encoded by -se- as AUX or lexically if it is to co-occur with PERSISTIVE -sa-.


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The ALTERATIVE formative / auxiliary can appear in the DISJOINT PRESENT with formative -ya- but not with PERSISTIVE formative -sa-:

Se-ngi-ya-nats-a

F.now-SC1-DIS.PRES-drink-FV

‘I now drink, am now drinking’

*Se-ngi-sa-nats-a li-tiya

F.now-SC1-F.still-drink-FV 5-tea

?‘I now still drink / am now still drinking tea’

Consultants consistently describe the second form as unacceptable in siSwati.


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The following however is acceptable in siSwati:

Nyalo ngi-sa-nats-a li-tiya

ADV.now SC1-F.still-drink-FV 5-tea

‘I now still drink / am now still drinking tea’

Whilst the formatives -sa- and -se- are in complementary distribution the PERSISTIVE and ALTERATIVE aspects can co-occur as long as alternative encoding strategies are adopted.

The issue here is that adverbials like nyalo / manje can have a temporal rather than a ALTERATIVE sense so that there is no semantic conflict. ALTERATIVE / PERSISTIVE have the sense of change / continuation which cannot coexist but temporality / PERSISTIVE can co-occur (At this time an event is continuing).


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REFERENCES

Botne, R & Kershner, T.L. (2008) Tense and cognitive space: On the organisation of tense / aspect systems in Bantu languages and beyond. Cognitive Linguistics, 19-2 (2008) 145-218

Quirk, Randolph; Greenbaum, Sidney; Leech, Geoffrey and Jan Svartvik (1972) A Grammar of Contemporary English, Longman, London

Rycroft, D.K. (1981) Concise SiSwati Dictionary, J. L.. van Schaik, Pretoria

Taljaard, P.C.; Khumalo. J.N. and S.E. Bosch (1991) Handbook of SiSwati, J.L. van Schaik, Pretoria

Ziervogel, D. & E.J. Mabuza (1976) A Grammar of the Swati Language, J.L. van Schaik, Pretoria


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SIGCINO

Ngiyabonga kakhulu

Hambani kahle

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