Grammaticalization and subjectification in the semantic domain of possibility in Kirundi (Bantu, JD62)

Abstract

This article is a first systematic study of the expression of possibility in Kirundi, more specifically of its verbal markers. Possibility is traditionally seen as one of the core components of the semantic domain of modality. The onomasiological approach of this modal sub‑domain has resulted in the identification of four verbal potential markers, i.e., the auxiliaries ‑bâsh‑ and ‑shobor‑, the semi‑auxiliary ‑shobok‑, and the TAM affix ‑oo‑. These four markers of possibility manifest different degrees of grammaticalization along the full verb > auxiliary > affix cline. Grammaticalization in the structural domain seems to be correlated with semantic change, both within and beyond the semantic domain of possibility. The related verbs ‑shobor‑ and ‑shobok‑, which have no or little remaining lexical uses, cover the entire semantic domain of possibility in contrast to ‑bâsh‑ which has still clearly distinct lexical uses (‘to be active, to be healthy’) and only conveys participant‑inherent possibility. The inflectional affix ‑oo‑, covering the entire domain of possibility and having developed other modal and non‑modal meanings, manifests the most advanced semantic generalization. Moreover, ‑oo‑ underwent the strongest subjectification within the semantic domain of possibility and even developed different intersubjective uses. Hence, the most grammaticalized marker of possibility in Kirundi not only underwent the strongest semantic generalization, but its meaning is also the most (inter)subjectified.