DP-internal and V-external Agreement Patterns in Bantu: Re-statement of the Facts on Eastern Bantu Languages

Abstract

Based on the Minimalist Program, the present paper examines the phifeaturesand their specifications in Bantu DPs and IPs. Data are mainlydrawn from four Eastern Bantu languages: Kiswahili [G42], Kimakonde[P23], Kisukuma [F21] and Ruhaya [JE22]. It is argued that Bantulanguages differ from Indo-European ones in that the head-noungenerally precedes all dependents, i.e., determiners and modifiers, inmost Bantu languages, and maintain the number feature. Secondly, theagreement patterns in Bantu languages reveal a slightly differentstructure from that found in Indo-European languages in relation in twoissues: (i) DP-internal agreement patterns, in which number is markedon the head-noun, and to (ii) V-external agreement, which is controlledby the semantic content of the head-noun as well as its number feature(embedded in lexical nominal-heads). It is thus appropriate to maintainNPs in Bantu, instead of shifting to DPs.