The same but different: Noun classification at the

Crossroads

Rachel Watson Workshop on morphological complexity

in noun class systems SOAS, June 2017

Podzniakov and Segerer, forthcoming

fu-maŋgo f-a-f-u CL:fu-mango AGR:f-DEF-AGR:f-MED

‘the mango’

ku-maŋgo k-a-h-u

CL:ku-mango AGR:k-DEF-AGR:k-MED

‘the mangos’

bu-maŋgo b-a-m-b-u CL:bu-mango AGR:b-DEF-C-AGR:b-MED

‘the mango tree’

u-maŋgo w-a-w-u CL:u-mango AGR:w-DEF-AGR:w-MED

‘the mango trees’

round/fruit

singular

round/fruit

plural

tree

singular

tree

plural

KUJIRERAY

singular plural

tree bu-maŋgo u-maŋgo

fruit fu-maŋgo

ku-maŋgo

fu-sah

CL:fu-bean

‘bean’

round/fruit

singular

small/round

collective

ba-sah CL:ba-bean ‘beans’

round/fruit

plural

ku-sah CL:ku-bean ‘beans’

KUJIRERAY

fu- ku- ba-

small/round

collective

ba-sah CL:ba-bean ‘beans’

non-liquid?

mass

ba-uc CL:ba-wind ‘wind’

ba-

KUJIRERAY

shape of paradigm number distinction

monadic mass

dyadic singular/plural

triadic singular/plural/collective

Number distinctions associated with paradigms

paradigm forms 1 2 3 1 2 3

mu- mu-hem

‘water’

ba- ba-uc

‘wind’

e- si- e-siho

‘cat’

si-siho

‘cats’

a- e- a-labe

‘priest’

e-labe

‘priests’ e- si- ba- e- halaŋga

‘louse’

si-halaŋga

‘lice’ (count)

ba- halaŋga

‘lice’ (coll.)

ji- mu- ba- ji-ndofij

‘braid’

mu-ndofij

‘braids’ (count)

ba-ndofij

‘braids’ (coll.)

paradigm forms 1 2 3 1 2 3

mu- mu-hem

‘water’

ba- ba-uc

‘wind’

e- si- e-siho

‘cat’

si-siho

‘cats’

a- e- a-labe

‘priest’

e-labe

‘priests’ e- si- ba- e- halaŋga

‘louse’

si-halaŋga

‘lice’ (count)

ba- halaŋga

‘lice’ (coll.)

ji- mu- ba- ji-ndofij

‘braid’

mu-ndofij

‘braids’ (count)

ba-ndofij

‘braids’ (coll.)

paradigm forms 1 2 3 1 2 3

mu- mu-hem

‘water’

ba- ba-uc

‘wind’

e- si- e-siho

‘cat’

si-siho

‘cats’

a- e- a-labe

‘priest’

e-labe

‘priests’ e- si- ba- e- halaŋga

‘louse’

si-halaŋga

‘lice’ (count)

ba- halaŋga

‘lice’ (coll.)

ji- mu- ba- ji-ndofij

‘braid’

mu-ndofij

‘braids’ (count)

ba-ndofij

‘braids’ (coll.)

Gubëeher (n=29) Kujireray (n=17)

gu- ño- a- u-

ha- ran- ku- e-

bu- ñan- si- ba-

i- ta- bu- u-

si- ja- ji- ja-

mun- di- mu- fu-

u- ba- fa- ma-

sin- ji- ka- ñi-

ko- kan- ti-

in- fa-

fun- hu-

ho- bi-

ti- da-

pi- a-

-ŋ

Noun class prefixes in Gubëeher and Kujireray

Gubëeher Kujireray

monadic 19 5

dyadic 15 16

dyadic (suffixed plural) 13 /

triadic 6 8

triadic (suffixed plural) 2 /

Total 55 29

Noun class paradigms in Gubëeher and Kujireray

noun class

Gubëeher paradigm(s)

Gubëeher semantics Kujireray paradigm(s)

Kujireray semantics

si- si-/mun- (si-/i-) (si-/ha-)

singular singular singular

tree ‘eye’ (few items)

e-/si- plural general

a- bi-/a-ŋ bu-/a-ŋ da-/a- ŋ a-/a-ŋ/bi-

plural singular

(few items) small crawling

a-/u- a-/ku-

singular singular

human relatives

ti- ti- mass sap (few items)

ti- mass time (few items)

same form, different meaning

noun class

Gubëeher paradigm(s)

Gubëeher semantics Kujireray paradigm(s)

Kujireray semantics

ji- ji-/ji-ŋ sing/plural some animates/ agents

ji-/mu- ji-/mu-/ba-

singular diminutive

fa- fa-/fa-ŋ sing/plural (few items) e-/si-/fa- collective swarm

bu- bu-/i- bu-/i-/di- bu-/i-/ja- bu-/i-/ba-

singular singular

round animals

bu-/u- singular tree

same form, different meaning

semantic domain

Gubeeher Kujireray

tree si-/mum-maŋgo ‘mango tree/s’ si-/bu-nunuen ‘tree/s’

bu-/u-maŋgo ‘mango tree/s’ bu-/u-nunuen ‘tree/s’

round bu-/i-baloŋ ‘ball/s’ bu-/i-boŋ ‘thigh/s

fu-/ku-baloŋ ‘ball/s’ fu-/ku-boŋ ‘thigh/s’

human u-/ñan-lulum ‘white person’ u-/ñan-tuuta ‘ancestor’

a-/u-lulum ‘white person’ a-/u-tuuta ‘ancestor’

extended gu-/ha-sëël ‘fin’ gu-/ha-tokoond ‘palm wine spoon’

ka-/u-sël ‘fin’ ka-/u-tokond ‘palm wine spoon’

‘same’ meaning, different form

fu-/ku- e-/si-

DIVERSE ROUND

bu-/i-

DIVERSE/ROUND?

Gubëeher Kujireray Gloss

bu-/i-gelelel e-/si-geleleŋ ‘bell’

bu-/i-lún e-/si-lund ‘black viper’

bu-/i-bëmb fu-/ku-bemb ‘fruit’

bu-/i-boŋg fu-/ku-boŋ ‘thigh’

Gubëeher - extended Kujireray – round Gloss

gu-/ha-bil fu-/ku-bil ‘lip’

gu-/ha-kaabil fu-/ku-kaabil ‘bamboo stick’

gu-/ha-míhírí fu-/ku-nir ‘axe’

gu-/ha-hebay ? ‘type of fruit’

gu-/ha-/ja-ŋañ

fu-/ku-/ba-jeh ‘charcoal

EXTENDED ROUND

CYLINDRICAL?

Language Paradigm Semantics

Gubëeher bu-/i-/di- fruits

gu-/ha-/ja- grassy plants/parts of plants

gu-/ha-/ba- kernels, small, compact

bu-/i-/ja- animals

bu-/i-/ba- fruits

ran-/ñan-/ja- amphibians

a-/a-ŋ/bi- insects

fa-/fa-ŋ/ja- fish

Kujireray e-/si-/ba- kernels, small, compact

fu-/ku-/ba- round, small

ka-/u-/e- grassy plants/colonizing plants

ka-/u-/ma- grass (one item)

ka-/u-/ba- hibiscus leaf/prawns (2 items)

ji-/mu-/ba- kernels. small, compact

e-/si-/fa- swarm (2 items)

same form, ‘same’ meaning

Gubëeher Kujireray Gloss

ba-poc ba-poc’ ‘skin complaint’

ba-jijix ba-jijih ‘toothache/rotting teeth’

ba-wuc ba-uc ‘wind’

ba-laaj ba-laj ‘be nasty/evil’

ba-liinay ba-linay ‘(different sex) sibling-ship’

ba-ñaam ba-palay ‘friendship’

same form, ‘same’ meaning

Outlook

• more detailed comparison of these (and other noun class systems in the region)

• socio- and psycholinguistic effects of variation in production of multilingual speakers

References

• Bassène, Alain-Christian. 2007. Morphosyntaxe du joola banjal, langue atlantique du Sénégal. Köln: Rüdiger Köppe Verlag.

• Cobbinah, Alexander. 2013. Nominal classification and verbal nouns in Bainounk Gubëeher. (PhD). SOAS, London.

• Di Garbo, Francesca. 2014. Gender and its interaction with

number and evaluative morphology. An intra- and intergenealogical typological survey of Africa. (PhD). Stockholm University.

• Sagna, Serge. 2008. Formal and Semantic properties of the Gújjolaay Eegimaa (A.k.a Banjal) nominal classification system (PhD). SOAS, London.

• Pozdniakov, Konstantin and Guillaume Segerer (forthcoming). ‘A Genealogical classification of Atlantic languages.’ In Friederike Lüpke (ed.) Atlantic Languages. Oxford: OUP

• Watson, Rachel. 2015. Kujireray: Morphosyntax, noun classification and verbal nouns (PhD). SOAS, London.

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Thank you!

• Crossroads Project team and collaborators

• Leverhulme Trust

• Workshop contributors

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rw44@soas.ac.uk soascrossroads.org

@casamance_owl