Associated motion and directionals in Chadic languages

Note: This talk has not gone through a process of peer review, and findings should therefore be treated as preliminary and subject to change.

Associated motion and directionals in Chadic languages
Joseph Lovestrand
SOAS University of London

[This recording was prepared for the WOCAL10 workshop: Associated Motion in African languages; also available on YouTube: https://youtu.be/o6jRy6IjgIQ ] 

Abstract: This paper looks at the expression of associated motion and directionals (Guillaume & Koch 2021) in Chadic languages, a family of about 200 languages in the Afroasiatic phylum. Descriptions of 48 languages are examined (20 Central Chadic, 19 West Chadic, 9 East Chadic). A directional morpheme (often called an “extension”) is found in 36 of 48 language descriptions examined, always following the verb (suffix or particle). These include all 20 Central Chadic languages, 15 of 19 West Chadic languages, but only 2 of 9 East Chadic languages. In addition, in at least four languages, directional meaning can be expressed in a serial verb construction (SVC). Pero (West Chadic) has both a directional particle and a directional SVC (Frajzyngier 1989: 95, 250).

The most common meaning of the directional markers is ventive, occurring in all but 2 languages with directional markers. Directionals in most languages are restricted to itive/ventive meanings, but 9 Central Chadic languages have three or more directionals including other kinds of path semantics. Directional morphemes are typically said to be derived from verbal forms, but the itive in Lele (East Chadic) is derived from a noun meaning ‘the bush/wilderness’ (Frajzyngier 2001: 197).

Directionals in some Chadic languages can also express subsequent associated motion when combined with non-motion verbs (Belkadi 2015). This is described for 11 languages, always in regards to ventive motion, with the exception of Hdi (Central Chadic) where an “upward movement extension” has a subsequent motion interpretation (Frajzyngier 2002: 262). In two Central Chadic languages, directionals with non-motion verbs are described as having a (non-motion) translocative interpretation (Buwal (Viljoen 2013: 378); Mina (Frajzyngier, Johnston & Edwards 2005: 171–178)). Directionals in several languages also tend to appear in non-compositional, lexicalized combinations with particular verbs.

Prior associated motion is often expressed in an SVC or a similar multiverb constructions (MVC). Most descriptions of Chadic languages do not cover advanced topics in syntax, so reliable descriptions of MVCs are available for only 19 languages. Of those, at least 10 Central Chadic languages, 4 East Chadic languages and 3 West Chadic languages appear to have an MVC expressing prior motion. In Goemai (West Chadic), what appears to be a prior motion SVC is said to have grammaticalized into a (non-motion) translocative meaning (Hellwig 2011: 412). Two other West Chadic languages, Ngas and Hausa, appear to not have an MVC expressing prior motion (Jungraithmayr 2016; Newman 2000).

Belkadi, Aicha. 2015. Associated motion with deictic directionals: A comparative overview. SOAS Working Papers in Linguistics 17. 49–76.

Frajzyngier, Zygmunt. 1989. A grammar of Pero. Berlin: Reimer.

Frajzyngier, Zygmunt. 2001. A grammar of Lele. Stanford, CA: CSLI Publications.

Frajzyngier, Zygmunt. 2002. A grammar of Hdi. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter.

Frajzyngier, Zygmunt, Eric Johnston & Adrian C. Edwards. 2005. A grammar of Mina (Mouton Grammar Library 36). Berlin ; New York: Mouton de Gruyter.

Guillaume, Antoine & Harold Koch (eds.). 2021. Associated Motion. De Gruyter.

Hellwig, Birgit. 2011. A grammar of Goemai. Berlin; Boston: De Gruyter Mouton.

Jungraithmayr, Herrmann. 2016. The Ngas language (Shik Ngas): Fundamentals of grammar · texts · dictionary. Berlin: Reimer, Dietrich.

Newman, Paul. 2000. The Hausa language: an encyclopedic reference grammar. New Haven: Yale University Press.

Viljoen, Melanie. 2013. A grammatical description of the Buwal language. La Trobe University PhD.