Semelfactivity in Igbo

发布者：唐美发布时间：2020-12-30浏览次数：102

Author:

Aboh, S. C. & A. J. Onuorah

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Work Unit:

University of Nigeria, Nigeria; University of Nigeria, Nigeria

Issue:

Vol.8 No.2 (Serial No.13) 2020 _Contents

Page:

56-63

Date:

2020-12-30

Abstract:

This paper examines semelfactivity in the Igbo language. It seeks to highlight semelfactive verbs and other semelfactive sentential elements. The data for the study were obtained through introspection which were confirmed by two native speakers of Igbo and were analysed descriptively. From the study, it was discovered that the semelfactive verbs in Igbo that co-occur with bound verb complements for emphasis are takwu ‘whisper’, lo ‘swallow’, nwụ ‘die’ and hụpe ‘glimpse’ whereas kọ ‘scratch’, tabi ‘blink’, ze ‘sneeze’, kụ ‘knock’, ti ‘shout’, wuli ‘jump’ (wu ‘jump’. -li ‘upward’ as opposed to wuda ‘jump downwards)’, gba ‘kick’, nyụ ‘fart’ and kwa ‘cough’ that take inherent complement verbs. The research also revealed that na mberede ‘suddenly’ and na ntabi anya ‘in a twinkle of an eye’ are semelfactive adverbials in the Igbo language. Based on the findings, the paper concludes that in Igbo, semelfactivity entails a one-time action and a spontaneous or instantaneous action.

Key Words:

semelfactivity, semelfactive verbs, adverbials, Igbo, complements

DOI:

doi: 10.26478/ja2020.8.13.4

References:

Agbo, M. 2010. Verb Classification and Aktionsart in Igbo [J]. California Linguistic Notes, 35(1):1-21.
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Katalin, K. 2011. Remarks on Semelfactive Verbs in English and Hungarian [J]. Argumentum, 7:121-128.
Nesset, T. 2013. The History of the Russian Semelfactive: The development of a radial category [J]. Journal of Slavic Linguistics, 21(1):123-69.
Nwachukwu, P. A. 1987. The Argument Structure of Igbo Verbs [M]. Cambridge: Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Song Jinxiao. 2014. Semelfactive Verbs in Mandarin Chinese [OL]. Retrieved from https://jinxiasong.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/202a-final-paper_jinxiao-
  song.pdf.
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