To be" and "to have" in Shona

SYNOPSIS The formative na‐ in Shona is not limited to the formation of conjunctive adverbials and the personal copulatives formed from these. Evidence from Shona and other languages shows that na, while functioning as a conjunctive formative, may also function as a copulative verb, copulative forms with na in Shona corresponding to forms with ‐li elsewhere. Further comparative evidence shows the copulative verb ‐li discharging conjunctive functions similar to those discharged by na‐ in Shona, in addition to its functions, as a copulative verb. This affinity between copulative verb and conjunctive formative is a striking example of a two‐way fluidity of function and may explain why, in Sotho, na should be both copulative verb and conjunctive formative, le both conjunctive formative and copulative verb

Formative assessment · Linguistics · Shona · Verb · Language, Discourse, Communication Strategies · Multilingual Education and Policy · Philosophy · Psychology · Syntax, Semantics, Linguistic Variation