A Grammar of the Dogon of Beni (Ben Tey)

416 Pages·01.636 MB·English

by  Jeffrey Heath

A Grammar of the Dogon of Beni (Ben Tey)

Dogon language family
Mali

Jeffrey Heath
University of Michigan

draft dated August 2010 (now converted to Unicode)
use caution in citing
I will later add an index, consecutive numbering, page breaks, etc.

author’s email
[email protected]

color codes (excluding headings)
black: new material for this grammar
blue: transcription of Nanga forms
green: transcription of other Malian languages and of reconstructions
red: comments to myself (e.g. data to collect or reanalyse)
pink: raw data not yet incorporated into text prose
yellow highlight: needs checking or commentary
Contents
1 Introduction........................................................................................1
1.1 Dogon languages....................................................................................1
1.2 Ben Tey language...................................................................................1
1.3 Environment...........................................................................................1
1.4 Previous and contemporary study of Ben Tey........................................2
1.4.1 Fieldwork.........................................................................................3
1.4.2 Acknowledgements..........................................................................3
2 Sketch..................................................................................................5
2.1 Prosody...................................................................................................5
2.2 Inflectable verbs.....................................................................................6
2.3 Participles...............................................................................................7
2.4 Noun phrase (NP)...................................................................................7
2.5 Postposition phrase (PP).........................................................................7
2.6 Main clauses and constituent order........................................................8
2.7 Relative clauses......................................................................................8
2.8 Verb-chaining.........................................................................................9
2.9 Interclausal syntax..................................................................................9
3 Phonology.........................................................................................11
3.1 General.................................................................................................11
3.2 Internal phonological structure of stems and words.............................11
3.2.1 Syllables.........................................................................................11
3.2.2 Metrical structure...........................................................................12
3.3 Consonants...........................................................................................13
3.3.1 Alveopalatals (c, j, ɲ).....................................................................13
3.3.2 Voiced velar stop g and g-Spirantization (g→ɣ)...........................14
3.3.3 Velar nasal (ŋ)................................................................................14
3.3.4 Voiceless labials (p, f)....................................................................14
3.3.5 Laryngeals (h, ʔ)............................................................................14
3.3.6 Sibilants (s, š, z, ž).........................................................................15
3.3.7 Nasalized sonorants (rⁿ, wⁿ, yⁿ)......................................................15
3.3.8 Consonant clusters.........................................................................16
3.3.8.1 Initial CC clusters....................................................................16
3.3.8.2 Medial geminated CC clusters................................................16
3.3.8.3 Medial non-geminate CC clusters...........................................17
3.3.8.4 Medial triple CCC clusters......................................................18
3.3.8.5 Final CC clusters.....................................................................18
3.4 Vowels..................................................................................................18
3.4.1 Short and (oral) long vowels..........................................................18
3.4.2 Nasalized vowels...........................................................................19
3.4.3 Initial vowels..................................................................................19
3.4.4 Stem-final vowels..........................................................................20
3.4.5 Vocalic harmony............................................................................20
3.5 Segmental phonological rules...............................................................20
3.5.1 Trans-syllabic consonantal processes............................................20
3.5.1.1 Nasalization-Spreading...........................................................20
3.5.2 Vocalism of suffixally derived verbs.............................................21
3.5.2.1 Suffixal Vowel-Spreading.......................................................21
3.5.2.2 Presuffixal V -Raising.............................................................22
2
3.5.3 Vocalic rules sensitive to syllabic or metrical structure.................23
3.5.3.1 Vowel-Lengthening before verbal derivational suffix............23
3.5.3.2 Final-Vowel Shortening (bisyllabic noun stems)....................23
3.5.3.3 Syncope and Apocope.............................................................24
3.5.4 Local consonant cluster and consonant sequence rules.................24
3.5.4.1 Derhoticization (/rⁿ/ to n)........................................................24
3.5.4.2 Rhotic Assimilation.................................................................25
3.5.4.3 /yⁿr/ → /n/ in Perfective Negative...........................................25
3.5.4.4 /yⁿr/ → /l/ in Hortative Negative.............................................25
3.5.4.5 /r...r/ becomes /l...r/ or /l…l/ in verbal morphology...............25
3.5.4.6 {w wⁿ} → /m/.........................................................................26
3.5.4.7 {r l} → /d/...............................................................................27
3.5.5 Vowel-vowel and vowel-semivowel sequences............................27
3.5.5.1 VV-Contraction.......................................................................27
3.5.6 Local vowel-consonant interactions..............................................28
3.5.6.1 Fluctuation between short high vowels {i u}..........................28
3.5.6.2 Monophthongization (/iy/ to i:, /uw/ to u:)..............................28
3.6 Cliticization..........................................................................................29
3.6.1 Phonology of ≡m̀ ∼ ≡∅ ‘it is’........................................................29
3.7 Tones....................................................................................................29
3.7.1 Lexical tone patterns......................................................................29
3.7.1.1 At least one H-tone in each stem.............................................29
3.7.1.2 Lexical tone patterns for verbs................................................30
3.7.1.3 Lexical tone patterns for unsegmentable noun stems..............31
3.7.1.4 Lexical tone patterns for adjectives and numerals..................34
3.7.1.5 Tone-Component location for bitonal noun stems..................35
3.7.1.6 Tone-Component location for tritonal noun stems..................38
3
3.7.1.7 Possibility of lexically all-low-toned nouns............................40
3.7.2 Grammatical tone patterns.............................................................41
3.7.2.1 Grammatical tones for verb stems...........................................41
3.7.2.2 Grammatical tones for noun stems..........................................42
3.7.2.3 Grammatical tones for adjectives and numerals......................42
3.7.3 Tonal morphophonology................................................................43
3.7.3.1 Autosegmental tone association (verbs)..................................43
3.7.3.2 Phonology of {HL} tone overlays...........................................43
3.7.3.3 Tone-Grafting (1Sg possessor)................................................44
3.7.3.4 Initial-High-Tone Suppression (possessed nouns)..................45
3.7.3.5 Atonal-Syllabic-Suffix Tone-Spreading..................................46
3.7.4 Low-level tone rules......................................................................46
3.7.4.1 Contour-Tone Mora-Addition.................................................46
3.7.4.2 Contour-Tone Stretching.........................................................47
3.7.4.3 Final-Cv R-to-H Reduction.....................................................48
3.7.4.4 <LHL> to <LH> before low tone............................................48
3.8 Intonation contours...............................................................................49
3.8.1 Phrase and clause--final nonterminal contours (⇑, ⇒, ⇒(cid:199), ⇓, ⇒↓)
49
3.8.2 Lexically built-in intonational prolongation (⇒)...........................49
3.8.3 Dying-quail word-final prosody (∴).............................................49
4 Nominal, pronominal, and adjectival morphology.......................55
4.1 Nouns....................................................................................................55
4.1.1 Simple noun stems.........................................................................55
4.1.2 Irregular human nouns (‘child’, ‘boy’, ‘girl’)................................56
4.1.3 Use of Singular and Plural suffixes with kin terms.......................57
4.1.4 ‘So-and-so’ (mǎ:n, àmâ:n).............................................................58
4.1.5 Frozen Ci- or Cu- reduplication in nouns......................................58
4.1.6 Frozen initial à- in nouns...............................................................59
4.2 Derived nominals..................................................................................59
4.2.1 Characteristic derivative (-gú-)......................................................59
4.2.2 Verbal Nouns.................................................................................60
4.2.3 Deverbal nominal with final /í:/.....................................................61
4.2.4 Uncompounded agentives..............................................................62
4.2.5 Irregular reduplicated nominal (tì-tírù)..........................................63
4.2.6 Expressive reduplication................................................................63
4.3 Pronouns...............................................................................................63
4.3.1 Basic personal pronouns................................................................63
4.3.2 Demonstrative function of Inanimate pronoun kú.........................64
4.4 Demonstratives.....................................................................................65
4.4.1 Demonstrative pronouns (‘this’, ‘that’).........................................65
4
4.4.2 Demonstrative adverbs...................................................................66
4.4.2.1 Locative adverbs.....................................................................66
4.4.2.2 Emphatic/Approximinative modifiers of adverbs...................67
4.4.3 Presentatives..................................................................................67
4.5 Adjectives.............................................................................................68
4.5.1 Underived adjectives......................................................................68
4.6 Participles.............................................................................................71
4.7 Numerals..............................................................................................71
4.7.1 Cardinal numerals..........................................................................71
4.7.1.1 ‘One’, ‘same (one)’, and ‘other’..............................................71
4.7.1.2 ‘2’ to ‘10’................................................................................72
4.7.1.3 Decimal units (‘10’, ‘20’, …) and combinations (‘11’, ‘59’, …)
73
4.7.1.4 Large numerals (‘100’, ‘1000’, …) and their composites.......74
4.7.1.5 Currency..................................................................................75
4.7.1.6 Distributive numerals..............................................................76
4.7.2 Ordinal adjectives..........................................................................76
4.7.2.1 ‘First’ and ‘last’.......................................................................76
4.7.2.2 Other ordinals (suffix -nɛ)́ .......................................................77
4.7.3 Fractions and portions....................................................................77
5 Nominal and adjectival compounds...............................................79
5.1 Nominal compounds.............................................................................79
5.1.1 Compounds of type (x̄ ̄ n)̄̄ ...............................................................79
5.1.2 Compounds of type (x̀ n)̄̄ ...............................................................79
5.1.3 Compounds with final Verbal Noun, type (x̀ n)̄̄ ............................80
5.1.4 Agentive compounds of type (x̀ v-̌ Ppl)..........................................80
5.1.5 Compounds with -yî: ‘child of’......................................................82
5.1.6 ‘Woman’ (yà-, yà:-), ‘man’ (àrⁿà-)................................................82
5.1.7 ‘Owner of’ (Sg bɔŋ̀ gɔ ́∼ bɔŋ̀ ɔ)́ ........................................................83
5.1.8 Loose and tight compounds with ná: (‘authentic’, ‘entire’)...........84
5.1.9 Instrumental relative compounds (‘oil for rubbing’).....................84
5.2 Adjectival compounds..........................................................................85
5.2.1 Bahuvrihi (“Blackbeard”) compounds (n̄ ̄ a)̂ ..................................85
5.2.1.1 With adjectival compound final..............................................85
5.2.1.2 With numeral compound final.................................................85
6 Noun Phrase structure.....................................................................87
6.1 Organization of NP constituents...........................................................87
6.1.1 Linear order....................................................................................87
6.1.2 Headless NPs (absolute function of demonstratives, etc.).............88
6.1.3 Detachability (in relatives).............................................................88
5
6.1.4 Internal bracketing and tone-dropping...........................................88
6.2 Possessives...........................................................................................88
6.2.1 Nonpronominal NP possessor........................................................89
6.2.2 Pronominal possessor.....................................................................91
6.2.3 Recursive and embedded possession.............................................94
6.3 Noun plus adjective..............................................................................95
6.3.1 Noun plus regular adjective...........................................................95
6.3.2 Adjective-like quantifier gàmbú ‘certain’......................................96
6.3.3 Expansions of adjective.................................................................97
6.3.3.1 Adjectival intensifiers.............................................................97
6.3.3.2 ‘Near X’, ‘far from X’...........................................................101
6.3.3.3 ‘Good to eat’..........................................................................101
6.4 Noun (or core NP) plus demonstrative...............................................101
6.4.1 Prenominal kú (pseudo-possessor)..............................................101
6.4.2 Postnominal demonstratives........................................................102
6.5 Noun plus cardinal numeral................................................................103
6.6 Plural (bè)...........................................................................................103
6.7 Definite (kù, bû:)................................................................................105
6.8 Universal and distributive quantifiers.................................................106
6.8.1 ‘Each X’ and ‘all X’ (wôy, dàⁿ-wôy)...........................................106
6.8.2 X wé⇒ X ‘from (one) X to (another) X’.....................................106
6.8.3 ‘(Not) any X’ (kâ:ⁿ)......................................................................107
7 Coordination...................................................................................109
7.1 NP coordination..................................................................................109
7.1.1 NP conjunction (X ya⇒, Y ya⇒)................................................109
7.1.1.1 Conjunction with final quantifier..........................................110
7.1.1.2 Interrogation of one coordinand............................................110
7.1.2 NP conjunction (X bè⇒, Y bè⇒)................................................110
7.1.3 /wê:y/ ‘as well as’........................................................................111
7.1.4 “Conjunction” of verbs or VP’s...................................................112
7.2 Disjunction.........................................................................................112
7.2.1 ‘Or’ (ma⇒) with NPs and pronouns............................................112
7.2.2 ‘Or’ (ma⇒) with adverbs.............................................................112
7.2.3 Clause-level disjunction...............................................................113
8 Postpositions and adverbials.........................................................115
8.1 Tonal locatives....................................................................................115
8.2 Accusative ≡nì (≡ǹ)............................................................................115
8.3 Dative and instrumental......................................................................116
8.3.1 Dative mâ:....................................................................................116
8.3.2 Instrumental ɲâyⁿ.........................................................................117
6
8.4 Locational postpositions.....................................................................118
8.4.1 Locative, allative, and ablative functions.....................................118
8.4.2 ‘In, on, at’ (wo)............................................................................118
8.4.3 ‘Inside, within’ (X pírè)...............................................................119
8.4.4 ‘on; on the head of’ (X kúwò)......................................................119
8.4.5 ‘On’ ([X mánì:] wò).....................................................................119
8.4.6 ‘close to, near’ ([X dósù] wò)......................................................120
8.4.7 ‘in front of’ (X jírè)......................................................................120
8.4.8 ‘Behind, after’ ([X túlù] wò).......................................................121
8.4.9 ‘Beside’ ([X bélè] wò).................................................................121
8.4.10 ‘Under’ ([X bólò] wò)...............................................................121
8.4.11 ‘Between’ ( [[[X Y] gálù] wò], [X Y] bɛŕ kɛl̀àw)......................122
8.5 Purposive and causal postpositions....................................................123
8.5.1 Purposive gǐn (and variants) ‘for’................................................123
8.5.2 Causal dɛŋ́ gɛỳ and gǐn ‘because of’.............................................123
8.5.3 Causal [[X nî:] wò]......................................................................124
8.6 Other adverbials (or equivalents).......................................................125
8.6.1 Similarity (gâyⁿ⇒ ‘like’).............................................................125
8.6.2 Extent (ɛs̀ iⁿ́⇒ ‘a lot’, ìllá = dɛm̂ ⇒ = dá:-wó ‘a little’)................125
8.6.3 Specificity....................................................................................126
8.6.3.1 ‘Approximately’ (gâyⁿ⇒).....................................................126
8.6.3.2 ‘Exactly’ (cɔḱ ).......................................................................126
8.6.3.3 ‘Specifically’ (té⇒)...............................................................126
8.6.4 Evaluation....................................................................................127
8.6.4.1 ‘Well’ and ‘badly’.................................................................127
8.6.4.2 ‘Appropriate, right’...............................................................127
8.6.5 Manner.........................................................................................127
8.6.6 Spatiotemporal adverbials............................................................127
8.6.6.1 Temporal adverbs..................................................................127
8.6.6.2 ‘First’ (kùyɔ:́)........................................................................128
8.6.6.3 Spatial adverbs......................................................................128
8.6.7 Expressive adverbials...................................................................129
8.6.7.1 ‘Straight’ (dém⇒).................................................................129
8.6.7.2 ‘Apart, separate’ (déyⁿ⇒).....................................................130
8.6.7.3 ‘Always’ (àsú⇒) , ‘never’ (àbádá)........................................130
8.6.7.4 ‘All together’.........................................................................130
8.6.7.5 ‘All, entirely’ (sóy, náŋánà:).................................................130
8.6.8 Reduplicated (iterated) adverbials...............................................131
8.6.8.1 Distributive adverbial iteration..............................................131
8.6.8.2 ‘Scattered, here and there’ (kálù-kálù, kôl-kôl, ɔŕ ⁿɔ-̀ ɔŕ ⁿɔ)̀ .....131
8.6.8.3 Other adverbs with iterated stem...........................................131
7
9 Verbal derivation...........................................................................133
9.1 Reversive verbs (-rv́-).........................................................................133
9.2 Deverbal causative verbs (-wú-, -lv́-, -rv-́ , -gí-, -dí-)..........................134
9.3 Passive (-wú-).....................................................................................136
9.4 Mediopassive -yv-́ ..............................................................................137
9.5 Passive (-yɛý ).....................................................................................138
9.6 Ambi-valent verbs without suffixal derivation...................................139
9.7 Deadjectival inchoative and factitive verbs........................................139
9.8 Denominal verbs.................................................................................142
9.9 Obscure verb-verb relationships.........................................................143
10 Verbal inflection.............................................................................93
10.1 Inflection of regular indicative verbs..................................................93
10.1.1 Suffixes or chained verb stems?..................................................93
10.1.2 Overview of categories................................................................93
10.1.3 Verb-stem shapes.........................................................................95
10.1.3.1 Generalizations about verb-stem shapes...............................95
10.1.3.2 Monosyllabic verbs...............................................................95
10.1.3.3 ‘Come’ (yɛ)́ ...........................................................................98
10.1.3.4 ‘Bring’ (jɛ᷈:)...........................................................................98
10.1.3.5 Lexical tone distinctions in Cv verbs....................................99
10.1.3.6 Cvyⁿ verbs...........................................................................101
10.1.3.7 Bisyllabic verbs...................................................................102
10.1.3.8 Triisyllabic verbs.................................................................103
10.2 Positive indicative AN categories.....................................................105
10.2.1 Perfective positive system (including perfect and stative).........105
10.2.1.1 Unsuffixed Perfective with all-low toned stem...................105
10.2.1.2 Unsuffixed Perfective with lexical tone and 3Sg -ẁ, 3Pl -mà
107
10.2.1.3 Variant third-person Perfective Cv̂:- with <HL> tone........108
10.2.1.4 Other variant third-person Perfectives................................109
10.2.1.5 Perfective-1a :-rɛ-̀ . Perfective-1b -tî-.................................110
10.2.1.6 Resultative -sô-....................................................................113
10.2.1.7 Experiential Perfect ‘have ever’ -tâ-...................................114
10.2.1.8 Recent Perfect -jɛ-̂ ...............................................................116
10.2.1.9 Reduplicated Perfective (Cì- plus {HL}, 3Sg -∅)..............117
10.2.1.10 Stative ({H}, 3Sg -ẃ)........................................................118
10.2.1.11 Reduplicated Stative (Cì- plus {HL}, 3Sg -ẁ)..................119
10.2.2 Imperfective positive system.....................................................122
10.2.2.1 Unsuffixed Imperfective (unreduplicated)..........................122
10.2.2.2 Reduplicated Imperfective (Cì-, 3Sg -m̀)............................126
10.2.2.3 Imperfective-1 (-:rà-)...........................................................127
8
10.2.3 Negation of indicative verbs......................................................129
10.2.3.1 Categories expressed by negative verbs..............................129
10.2.3.2 Negation of unreduplicated perfective-system verbs (-rí-).129
10.2.3.3 Negation of imperfective-system verbs (-m̀-dó-, -rà≡rá-)...131
10.2.3.4 Stative Negative (≡rá- without reduplication).....................132
10.3 Pronominal-subject suffixes for indicative verbs.............................133
10.3.1 Subject pronominal suffixes......................................................133
10.4 Clause-final temporal particles.........................................................136
10.4.1 Past ≡bɛ-̀ (≡bɛ-̂ ) and its conjugated forms.................................136
10.4.1.1 Past unsuffixed Imperfective (positive and negative).........137
10.4.1.2 Past Stative..........................................................................138
10.4.1.3 Past Perfect..........................................................................139
10.4.1.4 Past of Perfective-1a............................................................140
10.4.1.5 Past Imperfective-1.............................................................141
10.4.1.6 Past of ‘be’ and ‘have’........................................................142
10.4.2 ‘Still’, ‘up to now’, (not) yet’.....................................................143
10.5 Imperatives and Hortatives...............................................................143
10.5.1 Imperative and Prohibitive.........................................................143
10.5.2 Imperative stem..........................................................................144
10.5.3 Irregular imperative stems.........................................................147
10.5.4 Imperative Plural (positive) -ǹ (-nì)...........................................148
10.5.5 Prohibitive -rɛ-́ , Plural -rɛ-́ ǹ (-rɛ-́ nì)..........................................148
10.5.6 Hortatives (-ḿ, Pl -mâyⁿ) and their negation (-rɛ-̀ ḿ, -lɛ-̀ ḿ)......149
10.5.7 Third-person Hortative (-ý ∼ -ỳ) and its negation (-rɛ-́ ý)..........152
10.5.8 Third person Hortative form with 1Sg subject reference...........155
11 VP and predicate structure.........................................................157
11.1 Regular verbs and VP structure........................................................157
11.1.1 Verb types (valency)..................................................................157
11.1.2 Valency of causatives................................................................158
11.1.3 Verb Phrase................................................................................158
11.1.4 Fixed subject-verb combinations...............................................159
11.1.5 Idiomatic and cognate objects....................................................159
11.1.5.1 Formal relationships between cognate nominal and verb...160
11.1.5.2 Grammatical status of cognate nominal..............................163
11.1.6 ‘Do’ or ‘be done’ káyⁿ...............................................................163
11.2 ‘Be’, ‘become’, ‘have’, and other statives........................................164
11.2.1 Copula clitic ≡m̀ (≡∅) ‘it is …’.................................................164
11.2.1.1 Unconjugated positive forms..............................................164
11.2.1.2 Conjugated positive forms (1st/2nd persons)......................170
11.2.1.3 Conjugated positive forms (3Pl ≡∅-bɔ)́ ..............................171
11.2.1.4 Unconjugated negative ‘it is not …’ (≡m̀≡dá, ≡rá).............172
9
11.2.1.5 Conjugated negative ‘it is not …’ forms (1st and 2nd persons)
174
11.2.1.6 Conjugated negative ‘it is not …’ forms (3Pl)....................174
11.2.2 Existential and locative quasi-verbs and particles.....................175
11.2.2.1 Existential (yá)....................................................................175
11.2.2.2 Locational quasi-verbs (bù- ‘be’, ŋg̀ ó- ‘not be’).................176
11.2.2.3 Existential quasi-verbs with yá............................................178
11.2.3 ‘Be in, on’..................................................................................178
11.2.4 Stative stance verbs ‘be sitting’, ‘be lying down’......................179
11.2.5 ‘Doesn’t connect’ (dìmbà-ẁ≡rá-)..............................................179
11.2.6 Morphologically regular verbs...................................................180
11.2.6.1 ‘Remain’ (bé)......................................................................180
11.2.6.2 ‘Become, happen’ (táŋgí-)...................................................180
11.3 Quotative verb and quasi-verb..........................................................181
11.3.1 ‘Say’ (gǔyⁿ-)...............................................................................181
11.4 Adjectival predicates........................................................................181
11.4.1 Positive adjectival predicates with ‘be’ quasi-verb (bû-)...........183
11.4.2 Adjectival predicates with ‘be’ clitic (≡m, etc.).........................186
11.4.3 Negative adjectival and stative predicates (≡rá-).......................187
11.4.4 Past forms of adjectival predicates (≡bɛ:̂-, ≡bɛ-̀ ).......................189
11.5 Possessive predicates........................................................................190
11.5.1 ‘Have’ (yá só-, negative sò-ló-).................................................190
11.5.2 ‘Have possession of’ (sò-).........................................................192
11.5.3 ‘Belong to’ predicates (kɔ:̂ⁿ, yɔ-̂ m)............................................192
12 Comparatives...............................................................................195
12.1 Asymmetrical comparatives.............................................................195
12.1.1 ‘More, most’ (mɛǵ ɛ)́ ..................................................................195
12.1.2 ‘Surpass’ (láwá).........................................................................197
12.1.3 ‘Be better, more’ (ìrěw).............................................................197
12.2 Symmetrical comparatives...............................................................197
12.2.1 Expressions with gâyⁿ⇒ ‘like’..................................................197
12.2.2 ‘Equal; be as good as’ (bǎ-).......................................................198
12.2.3 ‘Equal(ly)’ (cí-cɛẃ , cɛẃ -cɛẃ )...................................................198
12.2.4 ‘Equal(ly)’ (bǎ⇒)......................................................................199
12.2.5 ‘Attain, equal’ (dɔ-́ )...................................................................199
12.3 ‘A fortiori’ (wê:y).............................................................................200
13 Focalization and interrogation...................................................201
13.1 Focalization......................................................................................201
13.1.1 Subject focalization....................................................................201
13.1.2 Object focalization.....................................................................203
10