On OV and VO at the Bantu/Bantoid borderlands

Kerr, E.J. (2024)

Part of book or chapter of book

While most Niger-Congo languages have SVO word order, a few outliers display S(Aux)OV(X) patterns, either in restricted TAM contexts or across the board. These OV languages include a handful of Guthrie zone A40 languages of Cameroon (Tunen, Nyokon), Bantoid languages (Tikar), and broader Niger-Congo (e.g. Gur and Kru languages). For the A40 languages, Nyokon ([nvo]/A45, Cameroon) has VO order in most tenses but OV order in the past tense, while its neighbour Tunen ([tvu]/A44, Cameroon) has OV consistently. This paper presents new data on Tunen and Nyokon, using controlled elicitation to test the accuracy of previous TAM and information structure (IS)-based accounts. I provide evidence that OV is the most pragmatically-neutral word order in Tunen, consistent across TAM contexts. For Nyokon, OV versus VO order is shown to be dependent on the TAM pattern and not directly conditioned by IS. I show that both languages otherwise consistently pattern as head-initial in their syntax. Based on these results, I reflect on the potential grammaticalisation source(s) of their OV syntax. Finally, I note that Tikar appears to pattern similarly to Nyokon in having a TAM-based OV/VO system.

• Bantu
• Bantoid
• Niger-Congo
• syntax
• Information structure
• Descriptive linguistics
• Historical linguistics
• African linguistics

• All authors: Kerr, E.J.
• Editor(s): Huang, Y.; Kaldhol, N.H.; Lim, J.J.; Rose, S.; Struthers-Young, A.
• Date: 2024
• Title of host publication: Contemporary African Linguistics; ACAL in SoCAL
• Pages: 297 - 345
• ISBN (print): 9783985541010
• ISBN (electronic): 9783961104727
• DOI: doi:10.5281/zenodo.11210464
• Link: https://langsci-press.org/catalog/book/438
• Name: 11
• Sponsorship: NWO
• Grant number: 276-78-001