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Abstract Noun Classes in Jola-Banjal
Wolfgang Berndt
©2015, SIL International
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Abstract Noun Classes
in Jola-Banjal
Wolfgang Berndt, SIL Senegal
The Lower Casamance…
…and the Banjal region
Usual Banjal noun class behaviour
• Noun class determined by initial C
• Each nominal has class prefix CV- or V• Most elements of NP concord with
head noun
• Verbs get prefix CV- or Vdepending on class of their subject
The noun classes in Banjal
Singular
Plural
1
a-
2
3
5a, b
e- (y-)
bu-/bi-, ba-
4
6
7a, b
9
fu-/fi-, fa-
ga-
8
6
11a, b ju-/ji-, ja10a
12a, b ñu-/ñi-, ña- 6
13
14
15
tidn-
Collective
gu-/u-/w- 3
e5b,10b ba-, masu-/siu- (w-)
3
gue-
u- (w-)
mu-/miu- (w-)
3
5b
e-
ba-
Class concord in a NP
e-jamen yauyu y-úmbam ya-ñuget me
SG-goat
DEM
CL-mine
“that black goat of mine”
REL-be.black SUB
si-jamen sausu s-úmbam sa-ñuget me
PL-goat
DEM
CL-mine
“those black goats of mine”
REL-be.black SUB
Class concord in a VP
Si-jamen sasu so nu-juh me figen
PL-goat
ART
PRO 2s-see
SUB yesterday
nihi si-tey si-jiŋ fatiya.
HAB CL-run CL-climb up
“The goats which you saw yesterday
usually run and climb.”
The 6 abstract noun classes
5
b-
place (vague)
10
m-
manner
12
ñ-
repetition
13
t-
place (precise)
14
d-
place (inside)
15
n-
time
Overlap with the ‘concrete’ classes
Singular
Plural
1
a-
2
3
5a, b
e- (y-)
bu-/bi-, ba-
4
6
7a, b
9
fu-/fi-, fa-
ga-
8
6
11a, b ju-/ji-, ja10a
12a, b ñu-/ñi-, ña- 6
13
ti14
d15
n-
Collective
gu-/u-/w- 3
e5b,10b ba-, masu-/siu- (w-)
3
gue-
u- (w-)
mu-/miu- (w-)
3
5b
e-
ba-
Abstract noun class markers…
• do not depend of a head noun
• generally occur in the same slots
(grammatical or morphological)
as the usual noun class markers
• pertain to adverbs rather than pronouns
• convey information about
place, time, manner or repetition
(depending on their class consonant)
Distributive C-an-ó-C-an ‘each’
yaŋ yánoyan
‘each house’
ñíit ñánoñan
‘each palm tree’
ánoan
‘everybody’ (NB: an ‘person’!)
funah-ó-funah
‘every day’
bánoban
‘everywhere’
[place]
tánotan
‘at each single place’ [precise place]
mánoman ‘in whatever way’
[manner]
nánonan
[time]
‘always’
NC objects vs. ‘abstract objects’ (adverbs)
si-naŋ sausu ban ji-tiñ so
CL-rice
DEM
FUT 2e-eat
“that rice, we will eat it”
y-aŋ
OBJ
yauyu ban ji-tiñ bo
CL-house DEM
FUT
2e-eat
there
“that house, we will eat there”
y-aŋ
yauyu ban ji-tiñ dó
CL-house DEM
FUT
2e-eat
in.it
“that house, we will eat inside”
What happens with numerals?
yanur
‘1’
fumangu fanur ‘one mango’
tiñ tanur
‘at the same place’
manur
‘together’
[manner]
ñanur
‘(at) once’
[repetition]
súuba
‘2’
ñáuba
‘twice’
[repetition]
What happens with demonstratives?
faufe
‘this one [i.e. noun of class f-]’
baubua
‘far over there’
[place]
dáuru
‘inside there’
[place inside]
mamu
‘like that’
[manner]
ñañe
‘this time’
[repetition]
-ce ‘other’
an ace
‘somebody else’
guce
‘others (people)’
fumangu fice
‘another mango’
tice
‘somewhere else’ [place]
Bi ñice!
‘See you soon!’ – litt.
‘until another time’ [repetition]
Abstract noun classes: locative and temporal
clauses that are formally relative clauses
Co = relative object pronoun
Bu-mangu babu bo nu-juh me, b-úmbam.
CL-mango.tree ART
OBJ 2s-see
SUB CL-mine
“The mango tree which you have seen [is] mine.”
Bare bo
but
na-ggan-ol me, a-bug-ut
bo.
where 3s-indicate-3s SUB 3s-be.born-NEG there
“But [the place] where she indicated him,
it was not there that she came from.”
Abstract noun classes: locative and temporal
clauses that are formally relative clauses
yaŋ yay dó nu-ĉin me
house ART in
2s-reside SUB
“the house in which you live”
funah fafu fo/no ni-jae me é-bbañul
day
ART OBJ/when 1s-go
SUB INF-come.back
“the day on which/when I’ll come back”
Nánonan no na-jug-om, ná-holi-holi.
ever
when 3s-see-1s
3s-be.afraid-RDP
“Whenever he sees me, he is afraid.”
The class t- of precise place (and precise times)
ti-nah ta-aro
tu-fu-nah
CL-sun REL-be.good
CL-CL-day
“an appropriate time”
(litt. a good sun)
tiñ
ta-aro
somewhere REL-be.good
“at a good place”
tale to
“at noon”
tiñ
somewh. REL-be.cold-ACC
“at a cool place”
nu-om-al maa
here REL.OBJ 1i-be-1i
tá-jebi-e
like.this
“here where we are right now”
Some remarks about the class n- of time
no
‘at that time’
No, ínjé añil.
‘At that time, I was a child.’
no
‘when’ (conjunction)
No nijoulo me tale, aw mbalet.
‘When I arrived here, you weren’t there.’
No nujae me éjoul, uvogom!
‘When you’ll arrive, call me!’
Some remarks about the class n- of time
• Human verb forms in singular are either
marked with initial n- or unmarked,
depending on mood & aspect.
• General tendency:
accomplished  marked
inaccomplished  unmarked
ni-tiñ-e / ni-ti-tiñ
i-tiñ-ut
ᵽan i-tiñ
mati i-tiñ
‘I have eaten’ [marked]
‘I haven’t eaten’
‘I will eat’
‘I won’t eat’
Last but not least:
The abstract noun class m- of manner
• rich paradigm (certain members don’t
have counterparts in any other NC)
• more diversified in Banjal
than in any other Jola language
• but not today!
Thank you
for your attention!