A preliminary exploration of verbal affix ordering in Kikongo, a Bantu language of Angola

Abstract

Linguists agree that in Bantu languages, the verb morphology is more complex than noun morphology owing to the nature and number of affixes a verb can host. In fact, verbal affixes in Bantu languages have enjoyed prominence in the study of syntax in recent years. There are mainly three reasons for this: first, the effects of the affixes on the predicate argument structure of the verb that hosts them, and second, the theoretical implications-their status and place in the study of syntax in particular and of grammar/linguistics in general; and third, their ordering in the verb stem. Despite the recognition of the complexity of the affix's capability to combine, there are a few studies that attempt to be exhaustive in their analysis. This article will examine the affix ordering in Kikongo. Due to the colonial policy on Bantu languages in Angola, Kikongo, and, indeed, most other Bantu languages in that country, has not been sufficiently studied. Thus, this article can be regarded as a contribution to the current debate on the status and place of verbal suffixes in Bantu languages in particular, and to the study of these languages in Angola in general.