Two concurrent systems of nominal classification in Ngəmba (Eastern Grassfields)
Alongside a reduced gender system of the Bantoid type, the Eastern Grassfields language Ngəmba (Cameroon) of the Ghomala’ cluster operates an incipient numeral classifier system that is restricted to a given set of nouns. The present paper provides a first analysis of its semantic, morphosyntactic a...
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Hamburg University Press
2024-12-01
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| Series: | Afrika und Übersee |
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| Online Access: | https://journals.sub.uni-hamburg.de/hup1/afrikaunduebersee/article/view/348 |
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| author | Solange Mekamgoum Roland Kießling |
| author_facet | Solange Mekamgoum Roland Kießling |
| author_sort | Solange Mekamgoum |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Alongside a reduced gender system of the Bantoid type, the Eastern Grassfields language Ngəmba (Cameroon) of the Ghomala’ cluster operates an incipient numeral classifier system that is restricted to a given set of nouns. The present paper provides a first analysis of its semantic, morphosyntactic and etymological profile and explores its relation to the concurrent gender system following the model of Fedden & Corbett 2017. Semantically, Ngəmba numeral classifiers categorize counted items for their shape and texture (saliently one-dimensional long and rigid vs. two-dimensional flat shape vs. three-dimensional globular), their partition (morsel vs. lump vs. slice) and their arrangement or aggregation (pile vs. bunch vs. tuft) with an instance of conflation with the notion of counterexpectual scantiness and inferior quality (meagre portion). On the etymological level, Ngəmba numeral classifiers develop from ordinary generic nouns denoting concepts such as head, horn, grain, stick, pod, pile and lump. Eventual loss of nominal properties indexes an incipient functional split of the lexical source item and the newly emergent word class of numeral classifier. While Ngəmba conforms with the profile of numeral classifier systems found in other Bantoid languages such as Tiv (Angitso 2020) and beyond (Kießling 2018) in these respects, it diverges by its morphosyntax in establishing a close bond between classifier and numeral to the exclusion of the enumerated noun.
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| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e14a60ba777b47f8a757bffc378e3bed |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 0002-0427 2749-0971 |
| language | deu |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | Hamburg University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Afrika und Übersee |
| spelling | doaj-art-e14a60ba777b47f8a757bffc378e3bed2024-12-21T11:31:13ZdeuHamburg University PressAfrika und Übersee0002-04272749-09712024-12-0197110.15460/auue.2024.97.1.348Two concurrent systems of nominal classification in Ngəmba (Eastern Grassfields)Solange Mekamgoum0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4990-0096Roland Kießling1https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4151-0210University of HamburgUniversity of HamburgAlongside a reduced gender system of the Bantoid type, the Eastern Grassfields language Ngəmba (Cameroon) of the Ghomala’ cluster operates an incipient numeral classifier system that is restricted to a given set of nouns. The present paper provides a first analysis of its semantic, morphosyntactic and etymological profile and explores its relation to the concurrent gender system following the model of Fedden & Corbett 2017. Semantically, Ngəmba numeral classifiers categorize counted items for their shape and texture (saliently one-dimensional long and rigid vs. two-dimensional flat shape vs. three-dimensional globular), their partition (morsel vs. lump vs. slice) and their arrangement or aggregation (pile vs. bunch vs. tuft) with an instance of conflation with the notion of counterexpectual scantiness and inferior quality (meagre portion). On the etymological level, Ngəmba numeral classifiers develop from ordinary generic nouns denoting concepts such as head, horn, grain, stick, pod, pile and lump. Eventual loss of nominal properties indexes an incipient functional split of the lexical source item and the newly emergent word class of numeral classifier. While Ngəmba conforms with the profile of numeral classifier systems found in other Bantoid languages such as Tiv (Angitso 2020) and beyond (Kießling 2018) in these respects, it diverges by its morphosyntax in establishing a close bond between classifier and numeral to the exclusion of the enumerated noun. https://journals.sub.uni-hamburg.de/hup1/afrikaunduebersee/article/view/348nominal classificationnumeral classifierscountingquantificationGrassfields BantuBamileke |
| spellingShingle | Solange Mekamgoum Roland Kießling Two concurrent systems of nominal classification in Ngəmba (Eastern Grassfields) Afrika und Übersee nominal classification numeral classifiers counting quantification Grassfields Bantu Bamileke |
| title | Two concurrent systems of nominal classification in Ngəmba (Eastern Grassfields) |
| title_full | Two concurrent systems of nominal classification in Ngəmba (Eastern Grassfields) |
| title_fullStr | Two concurrent systems of nominal classification in Ngəmba (Eastern Grassfields) |
| title_full_unstemmed | Two concurrent systems of nominal classification in Ngəmba (Eastern Grassfields) |
| title_short | Two concurrent systems of nominal classification in Ngəmba (Eastern Grassfields) |
| title_sort | two concurrent systems of nominal classification in ngəmba eastern grassfields |
| topic | nominal classification numeral classifiers counting quantification Grassfields Bantu Bamileke |
| url | https://journals.sub.uni-hamburg.de/hup1/afrikaunduebersee/article/view/348 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT solangemekamgoum twoconcurrentsystemsofnominalclassificationinngəmbaeasterngrassfields AT rolandkießling twoconcurrentsystemsofnominalclassificationinngəmbaeasterngrassfields |