Directive and optative clauses in Manding languages
This article discusses the structure of directive and optative clauses in Manding languages. The discussion mainly relies on a comparison between the two Manding languages for which detailed data on directive and optative clauses are available: Mandinka and Bambara. In Manding languages, the subjunc...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Mandenkan, Langage, Langues et Cultures d’Afrique Noire
2023-05-01
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| Series: | Mandenkan |
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| Online Access: | http://journals.openedition.org/mandenkan/2954 |
| _version_ | 1827931597715800064 |
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| author | Denis Creissels |
| author_facet | Denis Creissels |
| author_sort | Denis Creissels |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This article discusses the structure of directive and optative clauses in Manding languages. The discussion mainly relies on a comparison between the two Manding languages for which detailed data on directive and optative clauses are available: Mandinka and Bambara. In Manding languages, the subjunctive plays a prominent role in the expression of commands and wishes, but speakers avoid expressing wishes by means of formulations exactly identical to those used for commands. Manding languages have a dedicated optative construction in which Álá ‘God’ is followed by a dedicated optative marker, but in Mandinka, the sequence ‘Álá + optative marker’ is freezing into an optative particle, as evidenced by the fact that Álá can be repeated as the subject of the clause following the optative marker. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-13T06:54:59Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-8b8921c9f5b145efb23a62632dff807d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2104-371X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-13T06:54:59Z |
| publishDate | 2023-05-01 |
| publisher | Mandenkan, Langage, Langues et Cultures d’Afrique Noire |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Mandenkan |
| spelling | doaj.art-8b8921c9f5b145efb23a62632dff807d2023-06-07T12:19:33ZengMandenkan, Langage, Langues et Cultures d’Afrique NoireMandenkan2104-371X2023-05-016932910.4000/mandenkan.2954Directive and optative clauses in Manding languagesDenis CreisselsThis article discusses the structure of directive and optative clauses in Manding languages. The discussion mainly relies on a comparison between the two Manding languages for which detailed data on directive and optative clauses are available: Mandinka and Bambara. In Manding languages, the subjunctive plays a prominent role in the expression of commands and wishes, but speakers avoid expressing wishes by means of formulations exactly identical to those used for commands. Manding languages have a dedicated optative construction in which Álá ‘God’ is followed by a dedicated optative marker, but in Mandinka, the sequence ‘Álá + optative marker’ is freezing into an optative particle, as evidenced by the fact that Álá can be repeated as the subject of the clause following the optative marker.http://journals.openedition.org/mandenkan/2954MandeBambaraMandinkadirective clausesoptative clausessubjunctive |
| spellingShingle | Denis Creissels Directive and optative clauses in Manding languages Mandenkan Mande Bambara Mandinka directive clauses optative clauses subjunctive |
| title | Directive and optative clauses in Manding languages |
| title_full | Directive and optative clauses in Manding languages |
| title_fullStr | Directive and optative clauses in Manding languages |
| title_full_unstemmed | Directive and optative clauses in Manding languages |
| title_short | Directive and optative clauses in Manding languages |
| title_sort | directive and optative clauses in manding languages |
| topic | Mande Bambara Mandinka directive clauses optative clauses subjunctive |
| url | http://journals.openedition.org/mandenkan/2954 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT deniscreissels directiveandoptativeclausesinmandinglanguages |