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Keywords = reflexive-reciprocal syncretism

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25 pages, 1568 KB  
Article
Reflexive-Reciprocal Syncretism in Eastern Bantu Languages of Tanzania: Distribution and Origins
by Aron Zahran and Sebastian Dom
Languages 2024, 9(11), 347; https://doi.org/10.3390/languages9110347 - 8 Nov 2024
Viewed by 3166
Abstract
This paper presents an overview of the distribution of reflexive-reciprocal syncretism in Eastern Bantu languages spoken in Tanzania. Most Bantu languages encode reflexive and reciprocal constructions by means of two distinct verbal affixes. However, the Tanzanian Eastern Bantu languages under study have developed [...] Read more.
This paper presents an overview of the distribution of reflexive-reciprocal syncretism in Eastern Bantu languages spoken in Tanzania. Most Bantu languages encode reflexive and reciprocal constructions by means of two distinct verbal affixes. However, the Tanzanian Eastern Bantu languages under study have developed reflexive-reciprocal syncretism, in which the originally reflexive prefix has developed into a polyfunctional morpheme coding both reflexive and reciprocal constructions, to the detriment of the original reciprocal suffix. In a sample of 79 languages, reflexive-reciprocal syncretism is attested in 27 neighboring languages, thus constituting a clear areal feature. We propose that reflexive-reciprocal syncretism is not a language-internal innovation but was rather adopted from neighboring non-Bantu languages and subsequently spread out to its current distribution. We locate the heart of this contact-induced spread in the Tanzanian Rift Valley, a convergence zone in north-central Tanzania where languages from multiple African language families are spoken and have been in contact for an extensive period. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Developments on the Diachrony and Typology of Bantu Languages)
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33 pages, 487 KB  
Article
Voice Syncretism Crosslinguistically: The View from Minimalism
by Despina Oikonomou and Artemis Alexiadou
Philosophies 2022, 7(1), 19; https://doi.org/10.3390/philosophies7010019 - 16 Feb 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 5664
Abstract
Voice syncretism is widely attested crosslinguistically. In this paper, we discuss three different types of Voice syncretism, under which the same morpheme participates in different configurations. We provide an approach under which the same Voice head can convey different interpretations depending on the [...] Read more.
Voice syncretism is widely attested crosslinguistically. In this paper, we discuss three different types of Voice syncretism, under which the same morpheme participates in different configurations. We provide an approach under which the same Voice head can convey different interpretations depending on the environment it appears in, thus building on the notion of allosemy. We show that, in all cases under investigation, allosemy is closely associated with the existence of idiosyncratic patterns. By contrast, we notice that allosemy and idiosyncrasy are not present in analytic passive and causative constructions across different languages. We argue that the distinguishing feature between the two types of constructions is whether the passive and the causative interpretation comes from the Voice head, thus forming a single domain with the vP or whether passive and causative semantics are realized by distinct heads above the Voice layer, thus forming two distinct domains. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Perspectives of Generative Grammar and Minimalism)
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