| Peer-Reviewed

The Desemanticization of the Negative Morpheme ko in Dondo

Received: 25 June 2023     Accepted: 18 July 2023     Published: 27 July 2023
Views:       Downloads:
Abstract

This paper examines the desemanticization of the negative morpheme ko in the Dondo language, spoken in the Republic of Congo. The work is based on two main approaches, Chomsky’s Minimalist Framework and Sangeet Khemlani’s Theory of Negation. The study reveals that, semantically, ko is selected by simple declarative clauses or sentences to denote negation. It is argued that, semantically, when the negative morpheme ko reduces its negative reading impact on a phrase, the phrase it negates undergoes movement. It moves from the final to the initial position of the sentence since it does not negate the entire sentence; it just governs a part of a sentence which can move, as a constituent, from one position to another. However, it derives from the discussion that ko can also be used in any sentence type (namely simple or complex declarative and imperative sentences) to express insistence. The contextual meaning of ko can be paraphrased or disambiguated either by the exclamatory words eh! /inh/hum or the morpheme kwa (only). Next, it comes out that intonation plays an important role in the understanding of the contextual meaning of ko. Generally, the high intonation shows that the insistence expressed by ko encodes obligation, angriness, whereas the low intonation expresses supplication, happiness, or politeness. Hence, the desemanticization does not emanate from grammatical class change; it is rather determined by intonation. It is also demonstrated that ko may be duplicated in some contexts where the former expresses the negation and the latter lays emphasis on the supplication.

Published in International Journal of Language and Linguistics (Volume 11, Issue 4)
DOI 10.11648/j.ijll.20231104.14
Page(s) 119-125
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2023. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Dondo, Desemanticization, Contextual, Semantics, Neg, Ko, Intonation

References
[1] Guthrie, Malcom. (1948). The Bantu Languages of Western Equatorial Africa. London: Oxford University Press.
[2] Chomsky, A. N. (1995). The Minimalist Program, Cambridge: MIT.
[3] Kehmlani, S. (2012). Negation: A Theory of its Meaning, Representation, and Use. Journal of Cognitive Psychology, Code 5515, pp 1-51.
[4] Mpambou Moukembo, M. P. (2022). Negation in English and Dondo: A contrastive analysis, PhD These, Marien Ngouabi University.
[5] Bakala, J. P. (2004). Phonological Analysis of Dondo language. M. A. Thesis (C.A.P.E.S.), Marien Ngouabi University.
[6] Chomsky, A. N. (2015), The Minimalism Program, 20th ed, Cambridge MIT Press.
[7] Obiamalu, G. O. (2013). Aspects of the Morphosyntax of Igbo Functional categories: A Minimalist Approach, PhD, Azikiwe University, Awka, 2008057001P.
[8] Zwart, J. W. (1998). The Minimalist Program. J. Linguistics 34 (1998), p 213-226, Printed in the United Kingdom, 1998 Cambridge University Press.
[9] Nweke, J. A. (2011) “A Review of the Impact of the Minimalist Program on Igbo Noun Phrase”, educational and natural science, Knowledge Review Vol. 23 No. 2, pp 14-27.
[10] Wallage, P. (2017) Negation in Early English: Grammatical and Functional Change. Cambridge University Press.
[11] Cruse, A. (2006). A Glossary of Semantics and pragmatics. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
[12] Vojnić, V. (2018) Semantics and Pragmatics of Negation, Master, University of Rijeka Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences.
[13] Ndongo Ibara, Y. P. (2012). La Négation en Ɛmbɔsi. Humanités Gabonaises N° 03-2012-ISSN: 2223-8433, pp 219-236.
[14] Brandtler, J. (2006). On Aristotle and Baldness – Topic, Reference, Presupposition of Existence, and Negation. Lund University, Working Papers in Scandinavian Syntax, volume 77, p 177-204.
[15] Grice, H. P. (1968). Logic and Conversation. London: Harvard University Press.
[16] Ngapoula, K. (2020). Semantic and Pragmatic Analysis of Definiteness and Indefiniteness in English and εmbósì. Ph.D. Thesis, Marien Ngouabi University.
[17] Austin, J. L. (1962). How to Do Things With Words. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
[18] Allan, Q. (1998). Delexical Verbs and Degrees of Desemanticization, Word, 49: 1, 1-17, doi: 10.1080/00437956.1998.11673876.
[19] Ngapoula, K. (2023). Embosi Indefiniteness: A Pragmatic Analysis. International Journal of Linguistics, 15, 39-53. https://doi.org/10.5296/ijl.v15i3.20917.
Cite This Article
  • APA Style

    Kiba Ngapoula, Maixent Pascal Mpambou Moukembo. (2023). The Desemanticization of the Negative Morpheme ko in Dondo. International Journal of Language and Linguistics, 11(4), 119-125. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijll.20231104.14

    Copy | Download

    ACS Style

    Kiba Ngapoula; Maixent Pascal Mpambou Moukembo. The Desemanticization of the Negative Morpheme ko in Dondo. Int. J. Lang. Linguist. 2023, 11(4), 119-125. doi: 10.11648/j.ijll.20231104.14

    Copy | Download

    AMA Style

    Kiba Ngapoula, Maixent Pascal Mpambou Moukembo. The Desemanticization of the Negative Morpheme ko in Dondo. Int J Lang Linguist. 2023;11(4):119-125. doi: 10.11648/j.ijll.20231104.14

    Copy | Download

  • @article{10.11648/j.ijll.20231104.14,
      author = {Kiba Ngapoula and Maixent Pascal Mpambou Moukembo},
      title = {The Desemanticization of the Negative Morpheme ko in Dondo},
      journal = {International Journal of Language and Linguistics},
      volume = {11},
      number = {4},
      pages = {119-125},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ijll.20231104.14},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijll.20231104.14},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijll.20231104.14},
      abstract = {This paper examines the desemanticization of the negative morpheme ko in the Dondo language, spoken in the Republic of Congo. The work is based on two main approaches, Chomsky’s Minimalist Framework and Sangeet Khemlani’s Theory of Negation. The study reveals that, semantically, ko is selected by simple declarative clauses or sentences to denote negation. It is argued that, semantically, when the negative morpheme ko reduces its negative reading impact on a phrase, the phrase it negates undergoes movement. It moves from the final to the initial position of the sentence since it does not negate the entire sentence; it just governs a part of a sentence which can move, as a constituent, from one position to another. However, it derives from the discussion that ko can also be used in any sentence type (namely simple or complex declarative and imperative sentences) to express insistence. The contextual meaning of ko can be paraphrased or disambiguated either by the exclamatory words eh! /inh/hum or the morpheme kwa (only). Next, it comes out that intonation plays an important role in the understanding of the contextual meaning of ko. Generally, the high intonation shows that the insistence expressed by ko encodes obligation, angriness, whereas the low intonation expresses supplication, happiness, or politeness. Hence, the desemanticization does not emanate from grammatical class change; it is rather determined by intonation. It is also demonstrated that ko may be duplicated in some contexts where the former expresses the negation and the latter lays emphasis on the supplication.},
     year = {2023}
    }
    

    Copy | Download

  • TY  - JOUR
    T1  - The Desemanticization of the Negative Morpheme ko in Dondo
    AU  - Kiba Ngapoula
    AU  - Maixent Pascal Mpambou Moukembo
    Y1  - 2023/07/27
    PY  - 2023
    N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijll.20231104.14
    DO  - 10.11648/j.ijll.20231104.14
    T2  - International Journal of Language and Linguistics
    JF  - International Journal of Language and Linguistics
    JO  - International Journal of Language and Linguistics
    SP  - 119
    EP  - 125
    PB  - Science Publishing Group
    SN  - 2330-0221
    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijll.20231104.14
    AB  - This paper examines the desemanticization of the negative morpheme ko in the Dondo language, spoken in the Republic of Congo. The work is based on two main approaches, Chomsky’s Minimalist Framework and Sangeet Khemlani’s Theory of Negation. The study reveals that, semantically, ko is selected by simple declarative clauses or sentences to denote negation. It is argued that, semantically, when the negative morpheme ko reduces its negative reading impact on a phrase, the phrase it negates undergoes movement. It moves from the final to the initial position of the sentence since it does not negate the entire sentence; it just governs a part of a sentence which can move, as a constituent, from one position to another. However, it derives from the discussion that ko can also be used in any sentence type (namely simple or complex declarative and imperative sentences) to express insistence. The contextual meaning of ko can be paraphrased or disambiguated either by the exclamatory words eh! /inh/hum or the morpheme kwa (only). Next, it comes out that intonation plays an important role in the understanding of the contextual meaning of ko. Generally, the high intonation shows that the insistence expressed by ko encodes obligation, angriness, whereas the low intonation expresses supplication, happiness, or politeness. Hence, the desemanticization does not emanate from grammatical class change; it is rather determined by intonation. It is also demonstrated that ko may be duplicated in some contexts where the former expresses the negation and the latter lays emphasis on the supplication.
    VL  - 11
    IS  - 4
    ER  - 

    Copy | Download

Author Information
  • Department of Living Foreign Languages, Marien Ngouabi University, Brazzaville, Congo

  • Department of Living Foreign Languages, Marien Ngouabi University, Brazzaville, Congo

  • Sections