Studies in African Linguistics (Jun 2015)

Agreement with conjoined arguments in Kuria

  • Michael Diercks,
  • Linsay Meyer,
  • Mary Paster

DOI
https://doi.org/10.32473/sal.v44i1.107261
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 44, no. 1

Abstract

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How languages solve the grammatical problem of agreeing with conjoined arguments is a well-known area of cross-linguistic variation. This paper describes these patterns for Kuria (Bantu, Kenya), documenting a pattern of agreement that has not been previously reported. We show the relevant patterns involving a range of noun classes, showing that human noun classes trigger different effects than non-human noun classes. We also demonstrate distinctions in the grammar between subject marking and object marking: whereas subject marking allows for resolved agreement forms, object marking does not. The paper also includes a brief survey of notable patterns in other Bantu languages to put Kuria in a relevant context.

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