Post-Verbal Negative Particles in Southern Tanzania: Form, Distribution and Historical Development

This paper examines the presence, distribution and historical development of post‑verbal negative particles in a sample of Bantu languages found in Southern Tanzania. It focuses on 12 language varieties found in this area which employ post‑verbal negative particles, including an apparent “outlier” in Matengo which employs a pre‑verbal negative particle. The paper also draws on comparative data from some 20 additional languages spoken in the direct vicinity. We show that there is a high level of variation in the negative forms used, but, at the same time, a preponderance of the use of post‑verbal negative particles as the primary strategy for encoding standard negation. We explore both standard negation and non‑standard negation, including non‑declarative and non‑main clause contexts, as well as instances of non‑verbal predication and copula clauses. The use of these forms as negative replies or interjections is also examined. In exploring etymologies we find sources of the post‑verbal particles in negative replies, reflects of *‑tʊ́pʊ́ ‘only, in vain’, content interrogatives and the negative verb ‑lepa. We also discuss contact as a possible explanation for the prevalence of this negative strategy in the region.

Bloom Ström, Eva-Marie,1967Gothenburg University,Göteborgs universitet,Institutionen för filosofi, lingvistik och vetenskapsteori,Department of Philosophy, Linguistics and Theory of Science(Swepub:gu)xstrev (author)
Gibson, Hannah (author)
Göteborgs universitetInstitutionen för filosofi, lingvistik och vetenskapsteori (creator_code:org_t)

By the author/editor: Bernander, Rasmu ...; Bloom Ström, Eva ...; Gibson, Hannah

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