Morpho-Syntactic Aspects of the Verb in Gikuyu - A Bantu Language (Paperback)

This book looks at two controversial issues in linguistics today: the status morphemes as either derivational or inflectional, and the place of morphology in the grammar of a language. Drawing data from Gikuyu, a Bantu language, the study argues that verbal extensions in the language are largely derivational and suggests some criteria that would give more accurate results concerning the said distinction. On morphology, it is argued that it should not be subsumed under syntax since syntactic theories do not always fully account for empirical morpho-syntactic phenomena.Alternative analysis is suggested in some cases. The book offers useful linguistic insights to university students and linguists interested in descriptive and theoretical issues in morph-syntax in general and Bantu in particular.