Resolving verbal reduplication paradoxes in Malawian Tonga
The paper describes three verbal reduplication paradoxes in Malawian Tonga, a southern Bantu language spoken in the northern part of Malawi. The reduplicant (RED) is either total or partial and is either prefixed or suffixed to the base. The problem of whether the relevant level of prosodic (redupli...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | Afrikaans |
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Stellenbosch University
2017-12-01
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| Series: | Stellenbosch Papers in Linguistics Plus |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://spilplus.journals.ac.za/pub/article/view/726 |
| _version_ | 1818850930917900288 |
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| author | Mkochi, Winifred |
| author_facet | Mkochi, Winifred |
| author_sort | Mkochi, Winifred |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The paper describes three verbal reduplication paradoxes in Malawian Tonga, a southern Bantu language spoken in the northern part of Malawi. The reduplicant (RED) is either total or partial and is either prefixed or suffixed to the base. The problem of whether the relevant level of prosodic (reduplicative) stem analysis is the syllable or the mora and thus whether the minimal size of RED should be two syllables or two moras is considered. The paper argues that this language offers three possibilities for reduplication, namely partial prefixal reduplication, total suffixal reduplication, and partial suffixal reduplication. Thus, reduplication in the language is optionally prefixal or suffixal, although the latter appears to be the default. The paper also argues that the relevant unit of prosodic stem analysis is typically the syllable and that reduplicative prosodic stems, like the base stem, are therefore required to be minimally bisyllabic, as in many other Bantu languages. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-19T06:56:58Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-0ce26f17a2ef4e5c89285a54fe546436 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1726-541X 2224-3380 |
| language | Afrikaans |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-19T06:56:58Z |
| publishDate | 2017-12-01 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Stellenbosch Papers in Linguistics Plus |
| spelling | doaj.art-0ce26f17a2ef4e5c89285a54fe5464362022-12-21T20:31:29ZafrStellenbosch UniversityStellenbosch Papers in Linguistics Plus1726-541X2224-33802017-12-0152010112610.5842/52-0-726Resolving verbal reduplication paradoxes in Malawian TongaMkochi, Winifred 0University of MalawiThe paper describes three verbal reduplication paradoxes in Malawian Tonga, a southern Bantu language spoken in the northern part of Malawi. The reduplicant (RED) is either total or partial and is either prefixed or suffixed to the base. The problem of whether the relevant level of prosodic (reduplicative) stem analysis is the syllable or the mora and thus whether the minimal size of RED should be two syllables or two moras is considered. The paper argues that this language offers three possibilities for reduplication, namely partial prefixal reduplication, total suffixal reduplication, and partial suffixal reduplication. Thus, reduplication in the language is optionally prefixal or suffixal, although the latter appears to be the default. The paper also argues that the relevant unit of prosodic stem analysis is typically the syllable and that reduplicative prosodic stems, like the base stem, are therefore required to be minimally bisyllabic, as in many other Bantu languages.https://spilplus.journals.ac.za/pub/article/view/726bantumalawian tongaphonologyreduplicationminimality |
| spellingShingle | Mkochi, Winifred Resolving verbal reduplication paradoxes in Malawian Tonga Stellenbosch Papers in Linguistics Plus bantu malawian tonga phonology reduplication minimality |
| title | Resolving verbal reduplication paradoxes in Malawian Tonga |
| title_full | Resolving verbal reduplication paradoxes in Malawian Tonga |
| title_fullStr | Resolving verbal reduplication paradoxes in Malawian Tonga |
| title_full_unstemmed | Resolving verbal reduplication paradoxes in Malawian Tonga |
| title_short | Resolving verbal reduplication paradoxes in Malawian Tonga |
| title_sort | resolving verbal reduplication paradoxes in malawian tonga |
| topic | bantu malawian tonga phonology reduplication minimality |
| url | https://spilplus.journals.ac.za/pub/article/view/726 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT mkochiwinifred resolvingverbalreduplicationparadoxesinmalawiantonga |