Chapter 14
The profile and development of the Maa (Eastern Nilotic)
antipassive
Maa (Eastern Nilotic) language varieties have
nominative/accusative syntactic patterns, but also an antipassive
construction marked by the verb suffix -ɪshɔ(r).
This suffix turns an otherwise transitive construction into an
intransitive one that can no longer express the P. Semantically the
-ɪshɔ(r) construction focuses on the action of
the verb or profiles long-term characteristics or ability of the
agent. It is not required in imperfective situations, but most
commonly does correlate with them. Interestingly,
-ɪshɔ(r) may occur on some intransitive roots
where it appears to highlight imperfectivity. The
-ɪshɔ(r) antipassive construction does not
appear to reconstruct to proto-Eastern Nilotic, though a verb root
cognate with Maa ɪshɔ(r) ‘give’ does go back to a
Proto-Maa-Lotuko-Lopit genetic node (though non-Maa languages within
this group may lack the antipassive function). Given similarities
between ɪshɔ(r) ‘give’ and the suffix
-ɪshɔ(r), the possibility of an antipassive
developing from ‘give’ is explored. Potential “drift” or borrowing
under Kalenjin (Southern Nilotic) influence is also noted.
Article outline
- 1.Introduction
- 2.Basic Maa morphosyntax
- 3.The Maa antipassive
- 3.1Syntax and propositional semantics of the
-ɪshɔ(r) construction with (di)transitive
roots
- 3.2Functional profile of the -ɪshɔ(r)
construction
- 3.2.1Properties of the P
- 3.2.2Focus on the action or static situation
- 3.2.3Imperfective aspect situations
- 3.2.4Long-term characteristics: ‘Ability to x’
- 3.2.5
agent orientation
- 4.-ɪshɔ(r) with intransitive roots
- 5.Origin of the Maa antipassive
- 5.1Parallels with the Maa verb root ɪshɔ(r) ‘give’
- 5.2Possible cognacy with other Nilotic antipassive(-like)
morphology
-
5.2.1Potential cognates in Eastern Nilotic languages
- 5.2.2Borrowing or drift influenced by Southern
Nilotic?
- 6.Conclusions
-
Notes
-
Abbreviations
-
References
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