Robert Botne
Biographic Data
| ID | 756818 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Robert Botne |
| GIVEN NAMES | Robert |
| FAMILY NAME | Botne |
| SIGNATURE | BOTNE R |
| AFFILIATIONS | Indiana University |
| VERIFIED | No |
| TOTAL WORKS | 16 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 5 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 16 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1983 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2021 |
| H-INDEX | 1 |
Reminiscences of the last 50 years and the way forward
This article is a retrospective and a prospective look at SAL on the occasion of its 50th anniversary. The founding editors and various editors reflect on their experiences
Perfectives and perfects and pasts, oh my
The widespread Bantu verb suffix -ILE manifests a variety of temporal notions across the Bantu domain, ranging from perfective aspect to perfect to past tense. The most common function assigned to -ILE seems to be Perfect (or Anterior in some accounts) marker. In this paper, the author proposes a detailed analysis differentiating perfective and perfect, demonstrating through the analysis of -ILE use in four languages – Luwanga and Lusaamia, and R…
The curious case of auxiliary -manya in Lwitaxo
Lwitaxo, one of the Luhya languages of Kenya, has an auxiliary verb of the form -many’a that occurs in compound constructions that express either a generic reading (“normally do V”) or a culminative reading (“ended up V-ing”). This verb is identical in form to the lexical verb -many’a ‘(come to) know’. However, while there are attested cases of KNOW verbs grammaticalizing as habitual/generic auxiliaries, there are no such attestations of KNOW ver…
Tense and cognitive space
Bantu languages are well-known for their complex tense systems encoding multiple degrees of remoteness. Two assumptions underlie most approaches to analysis of such systems: (1) that linguistic time is optimally construed as a unidimensional expanse, whereby multi-tense systems carve up the timeline in regular progressive intervals away from the speech event; and (2) that tense markers quintessentially exhibit no overlap in denoting reference alo…
Motion time and tense on the grammaticalization of come and go to future markers in Bantu
Many Bantu languages have grammaticized one or both types of motion verb -COME and GO - as future markers. However, they may differ in the semantics of future temporal reference, in some cases referring to a "near" future, in others to a "remote" future. This paper explores how the underlying image-schemas of such verbs in several languages - Bamileke-Dschang, Bamun, and Lamnso' (Grass fields Bantu), Duala, Chimwera, Chindali, Kihunde, and Zulu (…
Cognitive schemas and motion verbs
This study develops a detailed semantic analysis of a dozen COME and GO verbs in an eastern Bantu language, Chindali. These verbs are shown to differ not only in the typical motional elements such as path and landmark encoded in the motion schema, but also in what component of the motion schema is salient. Complementing the semantic analysis is a discussion of how these verbs are combined extensively in narrative discourse to provide a detailed m…
Specificity in Lusaamia infinitives
Infinitives in Lusaamia (J.34, Kenya and Uganda) appear in two different forms, one having the reflex oxu - of the common Bantu class 15 verb prefix, and one having the prefix oo -. This paper describes and exemplifies the use of these two infinitival forms, proposing that the distinction represents a contrast in specificity and that the innovated oo - form developed via reinterpretation of grammatical distinctions borrowed from Dholuo
Language games, segment imposition, and the syllable
Language games in which the phonological forms of words are systematically altered have been well-studied from a typological perspective. The two most common types of language games entail the transposition of phonological constituents (usually syllables) and the addition of phonemes at one or more locations within the word. Here we examine the latter type, proposing a novel distinction between insertion-type games and imposition-type games (exem…
The Evolution of Future Tenses from Serial 'Say' Constructions in Central Eastern Bantu
Future tense markers have been shown to arise from a variety of verbal sources, among them motion verbs and volitional verbs. In a small number of central eastern Bantu languages, a verb 'say' has developed into a future marker, a phenomenon not previously noted in the literature. In this study, the author presents a description and analysis of this grammatical shift, proposing two principal paths of evolution: decategorialization and auxiliation…
A Lega and English Dictionary
Prosodically-conditioned vowel shortening in Chindali
In Chindali [Bantu M21, northern Malawi and southern Tanzania], the augment vowel of noun classes 1 a, Sa, 9 and 10 exhibits allomorphic variation in length. In other noun classes, the vowel of the noun class prefix varies in length before NCinitial stems. The author demonstrates that, in both cases, potentially long vowels become shortened, except that they do so under different conditions: mora-count of the noun stem in the first case, lack of …
Evidentiality and Epistemic Modality in Lega
Although encoding of evidential distinctions has been attested in most language areas of the world, relatively little has been written about evidentiality in sub-Saharan African languages. This paper describes the situation in Lega, a Bantu language spoken in eastern Zaire. The study considers Lega data in light of several models of evidentiality and suggests that their may be two organizational principles operating in different languages: one ba…
The Pronominal Origin of an Evidential
Evidentials most commonly arise from reduced or reanalyzed verbs or tensed verb forms, particularly from performative verbs of saying or hearing. However, in a few seemingly rare examples, this is not the case. In this paper the author presents the case of two evidential particles —ambo and ampo — found in the Pangi variety of Lega, a Bantu language spoken in eastern Zaire. A diachronic analysis is proposed in which it is argued that ambo has der…
The origins of the remote future formatives in Kinyarwanda, Kirundi and Giha
Among the interlacustrine languages of eastern Africa Kinyarwanda, Kirundi and Giha have been classified in Bastin [1978] as dialects of the same language, identified in the zone classification system as J61. While it is certainly debatable whether or not they should be considered to constitute a single language, this classificaiton clearly reflects the high degree of similarity and mutual intelligibility found among these three languages. Given …
The temporal role of eastern Bantu -ba and -li
In the eastern Bantu languages forms of the verb 'be', -ba and/or -I i , are commonly employed in complex constructions in which they take sentential{-like) complements. Though often considered to be semantically empty in these constructions, they are analyzed here as shifters, having both referential and indexical properties. As such they function to establish additional parameters to the temporal framework in which the narrated event is to be i…
The Semantics of tense in Kinyarwanda
Tense is one of those verbal categories relatively unexplored in Bantu languages. In this study the author endeavors to differentiate and describe the temporal functions of those verbal prefixes directly or indirectly relevant to the expression of tense in Kinyarwanda. These morphemes are shown to constitute diverse semantic (temporal) systems-labeled vector and segmental-which, when juxtaposed, determine the particular tense of any verbal expres…
Tense and cognitive space
Bantu languages are well-known for their complex tense systems encoding multiple degrees of remoteness. Two assumptions underlie most approaches to analysis of such systems: (1) that linguistic time is optimally construed as a unidimensional expanse, whereby multi-tense systems carve up the timeline in regular progressive intervals away from the speech event; and (2) that tense markers quintessentially exhibit no overlap in denoting reference alo…
Cognitive schemas and motion verbs
This study develops a detailed semantic analysis of a dozen COME and GO verbs in an eastern Bantu language, Chindali. These verbs are shown to differ not only in the typical motional elements such as path and landmark encoded in the motion schema, but also in what component of the motion schema is salient. Complementing the semantic analysis is a discussion of how these verbs are combined extensively in narrative discourse to provide a detailed m…
Language games, segment imposition, and the syllable
Language games in which the phonological forms of words are systematically altered have been well-studied from a typological perspective. The two most common types of language games entail the transposition of phonological constituents (usually syllables) and the addition of phonemes at one or more locations within the word. Here we examine the latter type, proposing a novel distinction between insertion-type games and imposition-type games (exem…
The Semantics of tense in Kinyarwanda
Tense is one of those verbal categories relatively unexplored in Bantu languages. In this study the author endeavors to differentiate and describe the temporal functions of those verbal prefixes directly or indirectly relevant to the expression of tense in Kinyarwanda. These morphemes are shown to constitute diverse semantic (temporal) systems-labeled vector and segmental-which, when juxtaposed, determine the particular tense of any verbal expres…
The temporal role of eastern Bantu -ba and -li
In the eastern Bantu languages forms of the verb 'be', -ba and/or -I i , are commonly employed in complex constructions in which they take sentential{-like) complements. Though often considered to be semantically empty in these constructions, they are analyzed here as shifters, having both referential and indexical properties. As such they function to establish additional parameters to the temporal framework in which the narrated event is to be i…
The origins of the remote future formatives in Kinyarwanda, Kirundi and Giha
Among the interlacustrine languages of eastern Africa Kinyarwanda, Kirundi and Giha have been classified in Bastin [1978] as dialects of the same language, identified in the zone classification system as J61. While it is certainly debatable whether or not they should be considered to constitute a single language, this classificaiton clearly reflects the high degree of similarity and mutual intelligibility found among these three languages. Given …
The Pronominal Origin of an Evidential
Evidentials most commonly arise from reduced or reanalyzed verbs or tensed verb forms, particularly from performative verbs of saying or hearing. However, in a few seemingly rare examples, this is not the case. In this paper the author presents the case of two evidential particles —ambo and ampo — found in the Pangi variety of Lega, a Bantu language spoken in eastern Zaire. A diachronic analysis is proposed in which it is argued that ambo has der…
Evidentiality and Epistemic Modality in Lega
Although encoding of evidential distinctions has been attested in most language areas of the world, relatively little has been written about evidentiality in sub-Saharan African languages. This paper describes the situation in Lega, a Bantu language spoken in eastern Zaire. The study considers Lega data in light of several models of evidentiality and suggests that their may be two organizational principles operating in different languages: one ba…
The Evolution of Future Tenses from Serial 'Say' Constructions in Central Eastern Bantu
Future tense markers have been shown to arise from a variety of verbal sources, among them motion verbs and volitional verbs. In a small number of central eastern Bantu languages, a verb 'say' has developed into a future marker, a phenomenon not previously noted in the literature. In this study, the author presents a description and analysis of this grammatical shift, proposing two principal paths of evolution: decategorialization and auxiliation…
A Lega and English Dictionary
Prosodically-conditioned vowel shortening in Chindali
In Chindali [Bantu M21, northern Malawi and southern Tanzania], the augment vowel of noun classes 1 a, Sa, 9 and 10 exhibits allomorphic variation in length. In other noun classes, the vowel of the noun class prefix varies in length before NCinitial stems. The author demonstrates that, in both cases, potentially long vowels become shortened, except that they do so under different conditions: mora-count of the noun stem in the first case, lack of …
Language games, segment imposition, and the syllable
Language games in which the phonological forms of words are systematically altered have been well-studied from a typological perspective. The two most common types of language games entail the transposition of phonological constituents (usually syllables) and the addition of phonemes at one or more locations within the word. Here we examine the latter type, proposing a novel distinction between insertion-type games and imposition-type games (exem…
Specificity in Lusaamia infinitives
Infinitives in Lusaamia (J.34, Kenya and Uganda) appear in two different forms, one having the reflex oxu - of the common Bantu class 15 verb prefix, and one having the prefix oo -. This paper describes and exemplifies the use of these two infinitival forms, proposing that the distinction represents a contrast in specificity and that the innovated oo - form developed via reinterpretation of grammatical distinctions borrowed from Dholuo
Cognitive schemas and motion verbs
This study develops a detailed semantic analysis of a dozen COME and GO verbs in an eastern Bantu language, Chindali. These verbs are shown to differ not only in the typical motional elements such as path and landmark encoded in the motion schema, but also in what component of the motion schema is salient. Complementing the semantic analysis is a discussion of how these verbs are combined extensively in narrative discourse to provide a detailed m…
Motion time and tense on the grammaticalization of come and go to future markers in Bantu
Many Bantu languages have grammaticized one or both types of motion verb -COME and GO - as future markers. However, they may differ in the semantics of future temporal reference, in some cases referring to a "near" future, in others to a "remote" future. This paper explores how the underlying image-schemas of such verbs in several languages - Bamileke-Dschang, Bamun, and Lamnso' (Grass fields Bantu), Duala, Chimwera, Chindali, Kihunde, and Zulu (…
Tense and cognitive space
Bantu languages are well-known for their complex tense systems encoding multiple degrees of remoteness. Two assumptions underlie most approaches to analysis of such systems: (1) that linguistic time is optimally construed as a unidimensional expanse, whereby multi-tense systems carve up the timeline in regular progressive intervals away from the speech event; and (2) that tense markers quintessentially exhibit no overlap in denoting reference alo…
The curious case of auxiliary -manya in Lwitaxo
Lwitaxo, one of the Luhya languages of Kenya, has an auxiliary verb of the form -many’a that occurs in compound constructions that express either a generic reading (“normally do V”) or a culminative reading (“ended up V-ing”). This verb is identical in form to the lexical verb -many’a ‘(come to) know’. However, while there are attested cases of KNOW verbs grammaticalizing as habitual/generic auxiliaries, there are no such attestations of KNOW ver…
Perfectives and perfects and pasts, oh my
The widespread Bantu verb suffix -ILE manifests a variety of temporal notions across the Bantu domain, ranging from perfective aspect to perfect to past tense. The most common function assigned to -ILE seems to be Perfect (or Anterior in some accounts) marker. In this paper, the author proposes a detailed analysis differentiating perfective and perfect, demonstrating through the analysis of -ILE use in four languages – Luwanga and Lusaamia, and R…
Reminiscences of the last 50 years and the way forward
This article is a retrospective and a prospective look at SAL on the occasion of its 50th anniversary. The founding editors and various editors reflect on their experiences
Linguistics (15 works) · Philosophy (15 works) · Syntax, Semantics, Linguistic Variation (11 works) · Bantu languages (10 works) · History (9 works) · Philosophy (9 works) · Verb (9 works) · Computer Science (8 works) · History (7 works) · Linguistic Variation and Morphology (6 works)