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Augment (Bantu languages)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Theaugment, also called thepre-prefix or justinitial vowel, is amorpheme that is prefixed to thenoun class prefix of nouns in certainBantu languages.

Shape

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The augment originates in theProto-Bantu pronominal prefix, which is usually identical to the subject prefix of verbs.[1] In some contemporary languages, such asMasaba, this shape has remained more or less unaltered. In others, the augment has been reduced to a simple vowel, often the vowel of the following noun class prefix (e.g. inZuluumu-,ama-), or a lowered variety (Lugandaomu-). Where the noun class prefix normally has a low tone, the augment has a high tone.

The following table gives an overview of the shape of the augment in various languages:[2]

MasabaLugandaZulu
Class 1umu-omu-umu-
Class 2baba-aba-aba-
Class 3gumu-omu-umu-
Class 4gimi-emi-imi-
Class 5lisi-eli-i(li)-
Class 6gama-ama-ama-
Class 7kiki-eki-isi-
Class 8bibi-ebi-izi-
Class 9in-en-in-
Class 10zin-en-izin-
Class 11lulu-olu-u(lu)-
Class 12kaka-aka-—
Class 13—otu-—
Class 14bubu-obu-ubu-
Class 15kuku-oku-uku-

The TekelaNguni languages have the augment only in some noun classes, but with a relatively predictable distribution:[3]

  • Swazi has the augment when the noun class prefix begins with anasal consonant (class 1/3umu-, 4imi-, 6ema-, 9in-).
  • Phuthi has the augment where the vowel of the noun class prefix isa (class 2eba-, 6ema-).
  • Lala has an unusual distribution which depends on the structure of the noun stem itself:
    • In class 1 and 3, the augment is present when the noun has the shape CV (munu "person", but derived diminutiveunwana).
    • In class 2, it is present with any noun beginning with a consonant (abanu "people", butboni "sinners").
    • In class 9, it is present on all nouns.

Function

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The augment appears to have neither only one function in the languages that have it or even the same function in all languages. In earlier works, it was often compared to a definite article, but its range of use is wider than that.[2]

In Ganda, the augment may indicate definiteness, specificity or focus, but its presence or absence may also depend on syntactic factors.[2] It is present in simple declarative sentences:

omulimi

farmer

omunene

fat

omukaddomu

old

 

one

agenda

goes

omulimiomuneneomukaddomu {} agenda

farmer fat old one goes

One old, fat farmer is going.

But it is absent when a noun follows a negative verb:

tetulaba

we don't see

mulimi

farmer

munene

fat

tetulaba mulimi munene

{we don't see} farmer fat

We don't see a fat farmer.

In Zulu, the augment is normally present, but it is dropped in cases like the following:

References

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  1. ^The Bantu languages, edited by Derek Nurse & Gérard Philippson, section 9.2.2
  2. ^abcThe Bantu languages, edited by Derek Nurse & Gérard Philippson, section 7.4
  3. ^The Bantu languages, edited by Derek Nurse & Gérard Philippson, section 30.4.1
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