A grammar of the verb in Mbum (Adamawa language, Cameroon)

本项目侧重于蒙巴语(中央阿达马瓦、蒙博族、南蒙博族)中的动词和述语，目的是在功能类型学的框架内对这种喀麦隆语进行专题描述。对这种语言的音系学分析是可用的(Hagège 1970)。从类型学的角度来看，阿达马瓦语族语言和蒙巴语的动词系统具有许多有趣的特征：声调极性区分不同论元结构的词干，高度复杂的(语音)动词词(包括体标记)，以及大量涉及复杂谓词的策略，更具体地说，系列动词结构。仔细研究蒙巴语语言中的这些后一种结构，将会在该领域产生重要的证据。来自相关语言Kare(East Mburn Sub-Group)和DII(Central Ada-mawa，Duru Club)的证据指出，连动动词结构(以下简称SVC)是所谓的“叙述性SVC”类型，其中运动动词作为结构的一部分，为整个事件提供了一定的空间框架(Markgraf 2011)。到目前为止，这种类型的SVC已被记录在巴布亚-新圭尼亚(Pawley和Lane 1998)的语言中，对各种语言的空间和时间概念化领域的研究可能会有一些兴趣(见Givón 1991，Talmy 2000)。从预期研究中收集的结果也将用于在中央Adamawa内部(以及仍在进行的项目“Grundlagenforschung in den Ada-maasprachen”的结果)和更远的地方进行类型学比较。

Focusing on verb and predication in Mbum (Central Adamawa, Mbum Group, Southern Mbum Sub-Group), this project aims at the monographic description of this Cameroonian language within the framework of a functional-typological approach. A phonological analysis of that language is available (Hagège 1970). In a typological perspective, the verbal systems of Adamawa Group languages in general and of the Mbum language as a case in point have a number of interesting features: Tonal polarity that distinguishes stems with different argument structures, highly complex (phonological) verb words (accumulation of clitic elements, including aspect markers), and a multitude of strategies involving complex predicates in general and, more specifically, serial verb constructions.A closer look at these latter structures in languages of the Mbum Group will yield important evidence in that field. Evidence from the related languages Kare (East Mbum Sub-Group) and Dii (Central Ada-mawa, Duru Cluster) point to serial verb constructions (henceforth SVC) the so-called "narrative SVC" type, where motion verbs as part of the structure supply a certain spatial framing to the overall event (Markgraf 2011). SVC's of this type have been documented so far for languages of Papua-New Gui-nea (Pawley and Lane 1998), and might be of some interest for studies in the field of conceptualizing space and time in various languages (see Givón 1991, Talmy 2000).The results gleaned from the intended research will also be used for a typological comparison within Central Adamawa (along with results from the still ongoing project "Grundlagenforschung in den Ada-mawasprachen"), and beyond.