The Use of the Ventive Marker dd in Figuig Berber Narratives

Abstract

In this article, the uses of the ventive particle dd in Figuig Berber fairy tales (eastern Morocco) are studied. It is shown that the interpretation of this particle depends on the semantics of the verb it is associated with. While with most verbs the main meaning is ‘towards the speaker’ or a metaphorical extension of this, with some verbs, such as verbs of taking and holding, the meaning takes the subject of the verb into account rather than the speaker. In the second part of the article, I illustrate the way the ventive is used in the narrative portions of the tales as a stylistic device that provides something like a camera perspective.