Verb-particle Constructions in ɟībūō,a Soubré bété Variety: A Structural and Syntactic Study

Abstract

In this article, it is shown that verb-particle constructions constitute an important object of study for understanding the structural and syntactic organization of ɟībūō.Based on field data consisting of approximately 150 sentences elicited from three different informants through varied questioning techniques, and after cross-checking the data and conducting a descriptive analysis, this research identified the verb-particle forms, their functions, and their semantic values. Preliminary results suggest that these constructions play a central role in meaning modification between the bare verb and the verb-particle from. Concerning their distribution within the clause, a difference was observed depending on whether the sentence contains an auxiliary. After tallying occurrences, seven verbal particles were attested in ɟībūō.:kɷ́(on), kɾɷ́(face), zɔ̄(down), wɾú (head), mʉ́(inside), mɾʉ́(belly), and cɛ̄(hand), and three auxiliaries: jī(Inacc), jɛ̄(Acc) kʌ́(Inacc). All verb-particle forms are compatible with the auxiliaries, and their use exhibits no semantic ambiguity.