Change-of-state paradigms and the middle in Kinyarwanda. Issue 3 (10th December 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Jerro, Kyle
• Is Part Of: Southern African linguistics and applied language studies. Volume 36:Issue 3(2018)
• Page Start: 235
• Page End: 260
• Publication Date: 2018-12-10
• Subjects: Linguistics -- Periodicals; Linguistics -- Africa, Southern -- Periodicals; African languages -- Periodicals; Afrikaans language -- Periodicals; South Africa -- Languages -- Periodicals; Linguistique -- Périodiques; Linguistique -- Afrique australe -- Périodiques; Langues africaines -- Périodiques; Afrikaans (Langue) -- Périodiques; Afrique du Sud -- Langues -- Périodiques; African languages; Afrikaans language; Language and languages; Linguistics; Africa, Southern; South Africa; Periodicals; 410.968
• DOI: 10.2989/16073614.2018.1552168
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1607-3614

Abstract

Abstract: This article investigates the derivational relationships among members of verbal paradigms in Kinyarwanda (Bantu JD61; Rwanda) by pursuing two interrelated goals. First, I describe a variety of derivational strategies for marking transitive and intransitive variants in change-of-state verb paradigms. Second, I focus on the detransitivising morpheme -ik which serves as one possible marking for intransitive members of these paradigms. Ultimately, I argue that this morpheme is a marker of middle voice, and the variety of readings which appear with this form can be subsumed under a single operation of argument suppression. Finally, I provide a discussion of reflexives and the apparent lack of a reflexive reading with -ik by arguing that this reading is blocked by either lexical reflexives or the reflexive prefix i-.