Locative noun phrases of class 17 ku in Kirundi (JD62)

a corpus-based semantic study

Abstract

In Bantu languages, the locative nominal prefix of class 17 is generally used to express the place. The purpose of this study is to show that in Kirundi (JD62), a language spoken in Burundi, the locative noun phrases introduced by ku do not always express a real place and their semantic values are particularly extensive. For this paper, the analysis of the locative noun phrase’s semantic values based on Kirundi texts’ extracts from BantUgent corpus. Fifteen types of semantic values were identified from the sampled cases. In relation to the action expressed in a sentence, the ku locative noun phrase can express the theme, beneficiary, purpose, cause, manner, numeral, origin, patient, adjuvant, price, outcome, agent, reason, source and the point of view.