http://llacan.vjf.cnrs.fr/llacan@vjf.cnrs.fr

UMR8135 CNRS INaLCOCentre André-Georges Haudricourt7 rue Guy Môquet 94801 Villejuif Cedex - France

Mark Van de VeldeLLACAN - C.N.R.S. (Paris)

“DEPENDENCY REVERSAL” IN NORTHERN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA.

1. INTRODUCTION

(1) Basaa (Bantu; Hyman 2003)

a. li-wanda li=kiŋɛA5-friend V.GEN=chief

‘the friend of the chief’b. li-kɛGŋgɛG li=m-ut

5-clever V.GEN=1-person‘a clever person’c. ma-kɛGŋgɛG ma=ɓ-ôt

6-clever VI.GEN=2-persons‘clever people’

1. INTRODUCTION

PLAC but not DRNA

(2) Makwe (Benue-Congo, Bantu; Mozambique; Maud Devos 2008: 136)

muú-nu w-a=ki-búúli1-person I-GEN=7-silent‘a silent person’ (literally: ‘person of silent’)

(3) Zaar (Afro-Asiatic, Chadic, West B3; Nigeria; Bernard Caron 2005: 227)lat kəG muːriskin GEN new‘a new skin’ (literally: ‘skin of new’)

1. INTRODUCTION

Sometimes compared to: expressive binominal NPs (EBNPs) (Ad Foolen 2004)

(4) Shingazidja (Benue-Congo, Bantu; Grande Comore; Michel Lafon 1997: 161)

a. trombe l-a=m-ndru [5]avorted_seed V-GEN=1-person

‘a dead loss’ b. dji-ndru l-a=meza

5-giant V-GEN=table ‘a huge table’

2. DRNA IN BENUE-CONGO LANGUAGES

Eton (Bantu A70; Cameroon; Mark Van de Velde 2008)

2. DRNA IN BENUE-CONGO LANGUAGES

Eton (Bantu A70; Cameroon; Mark Van de Velde 2008)

(5) ɛ[bèŋ ɛG lôŋɛ[-bɛ[ŋ ɛG=lòŋ5-beauty V.GEN=[5]hair‘beautiful hair’

(6) iŋgúŋgwal i môdi-ŋgúŋgwal i=m-òd7-miserable VII.GEN=1-person ‘a miserable person’

2. DRNA IN BENUE-CONGO LANGUAGES

(7) a. ivèvɛ[z mpég iꜜté ku i-və[vɛ[z H=ɴ[-pɛGg i-LtɛG L-ku7-light VII.GEN=3-bag VII.PR

INF-fall ‘The light bag falls.’

b. mèté ꜜyɛGn yɔA mə[-LtɛG L-jɛGn j-ɔc1SG-PR INF-see VII-PRO‘I see it.’

3. DRNA IN UBANGIAN LANGUAGES

3.1. Gbaya (CAR; Paulette Roulon-Doko 1987, 2008, p.c.)

3. DRNA IN UBANGIAN LANGUAGES

3.1. Gbaya (CAR; Paulette Roulon-Doko 1987, 2008, p.c.)

(8) gba[ʔaG fɔ[gba[ʔa[-H fɔ[old-REL field‘an old field (waste land)’

(9) gasa tuagasi-a(-H) tuabe.big-ADJ-(REL) house‘a big house’

3. DRNA IN UBANGIAN LANGUAGES

(10) bafa ndaèbafa-H ndaèmale-REL cow‘a bull’

(11) wèé yiwèè-H yifire-REL water‘hot water’

3. DRNA IN UBANGIAN LANGUAGES

(12) gasaagasi-a-H-abe.big-ADJ-REL-3SG.POSS.INAN‘the big one’ (lit. ‘its being big’)

3. DRNA IN UBANGIAN LANGUAGES

(9) gasa tuagasi-a(-H) tuabe.big-ADJ-(REL) house‘a big house’

(13) gasi kɔG tuabigness REL house‘the bigness of the house’

3. DRNA IN UBANGIAN LANGUAGES

3.2. Zande (DRCongo; Raymond Boyd 1987, ms.)

3. DRNA IN UBANGIAN LANGUAGES

3.2. Zande (DRCongo; Raymond Boyd 1987, ms.)

(14) meme nyaboneanimal‘The bone of an animal’

(15) ga gbia ꜜkúmbaGEN chiefman‘the chief’s man’

3. DRNA IN UBANGIAN LANGUAGES

(16) paranga ꜜkúmbayoung man‘a boy’

3. DRNA IN UBANGIAN LANGUAGES

(19) a. gbanga ngua G naa gurungua

long tree with shorttree‘the long stick and the short stick’

b. gbanga nguanaa guru hélong tree with short

3SG.INAN.POSS‘the long stick and the short one’

3. DRNA IN UBANGIAN LANGUAGES

(20) a. fuka bòro wa fuka angotétrackperson like trackdog NEG‘A person’s track is not like a dog’s

track.’b. fuka bòro wa ga angoté

trackperson like GEN dog NEG‘A person’s track is not like a

dog’s.’

3. DRNA IN UBANGIAN LANGUAGES

“Deep” DRNA(21) a. gbinza kúmba wa gbinzade G té

old man like old woman NEG‘An old man is not like an old

woman.’b. gbinza kúmba wa ga de G

téold man like GEN woman NEG‘Old men and women are not the

same.’

4. DRNA IN CHADIC LANGUAGES

Hausa (West Chadic; Nigeria)

4. DRNA IN CHADIC LANGUAGES

(24) kaaka-an yaaròograndfather-LK.MS boy[MS]‘the boy’s grandfather’

(25) riigaa far-aagown[FS] white-FS‘white gown’

4. DRNA IN CHADIC LANGUAGES

(26) a. far-a-r riigaawhite-FS-LK.FS gown[FS]‘white gown’

b. far-i-n zanèèwhite-MS-LK.MS cloth[MS]‘white cloth’

5. DRNA IN SARA-BONGO-BAGIRMI LANGUAGES

Bongo (Central Sudanic; Sudan; Pierre Nougayrol 2008)

5. DRNA IN SARA-BONGO-BAGIRMI LANGUAGES

Bongo (Central Sudanic; Sudan; Pierre Nougayrol 2008)

(27) fɨ [r kʉ[ɲaspeech bad‘bad words’

(28) ma-kʉ[ɲa fɨ [rDER-bad speech‘bad words’

(29) fɨ [r ka kʉ[ɲ-aaspeech with badness-of_it‘bad words’

6. A TENTATIVE SCENARIO

6. A TENTATIVE SCENARIO

6. A TENTATIVE SCENARIO

• The DRNA pattern originates in the Ubangian languages.

• In Gbaya, for instance, the majority of qualifiers are relational nouns derived from verbs. DRNA constructions are structurally identical to Action Nominal Constructions.

• This analysis does not (or rarely) work in non-Ubangian “DRNA languages” in the area. DRNA must have been borrowed from Ubangian in these languages.