Verb extensions in kisukuma, jinakiiya dialect

This research describes the five productive verb extensions in JmakTiya, viz., the applicative, causative, passive, reciprocal and reduplication. Guthrie (1967 - 1971), specifically in his third volume (1970:13) classifies Kisukuma as a member of a language group F.20 (Kisukuma - Kinyamwezi) in which Kisukuma is assigned F.21, whereas the dialect under investigation is coded F.21.C. Thus, five questions based on the forms, meanings, argument structure, thematic roles, repetition as well as order and co-occurrence of these extensions are set to guide the research. The analysis of data reveals that the applicative has the forms -il-/-el- which are governed by the principle of Vowel Harmony. The causative forms directly emanate from two Proto-Bantu PB forms *-/- and where *-i- is the most productive in the dialect. Similarly, the passive forms in Jinakilya emanate from PB *-u- and *-ibu-. Furthermore, this research maintains that the reflexive -I- is the reciprocal in JfinakYiya, hence, it is considered as an extension regardless of the rejection of its form as an extension posed by a number of Bantuists. Reduplication, on the other hand, besides being different in form from other extensions, is also regarded as an extension in this research. Hence, as the data reveal it has the following form: (EX)+RT+(EX(S))+FV, which is copied once or twice, depending on the type of the stem. It is also found that with the exception of 7APP-APP which is uncertain, there is no extension repetition in sequences such as *CAUS-CAUS, *PASS-PASS, *REC-RJEC, or *APP-CAUS-APP, *CAUS-APP-CAUS, and anywhere in the derivation except optionally in reduplication. REC is always optional and exceptional in that it is never repeated in Jinakilya. In the light of the findings and conclusions, several recommendations are put forward. Among them is the need for an exhaustive examination of two, three or four combinations for providing a full understanding of extension co-occurrence and ordering. There is also a need to work more on extensions for every Kisukuma dialect in order to have a proper generalization across the language.