SOAS Research Online

Abstract

On the basis of evidence from the Kaceccereere dialect of Southern Zaria in Northern Nigeria, this study aims to reveal some of the principles that underly Fulfulde (or Fula) verbal morphology, and thus to Improve on the ad hoc nature of earlier descriptions. It shows that many morphological issues may be resolved by reference to the syntax and phonology of the language, and that there is also a need for morpho-syntactic and morpho-phonological levels of description. In thus accounting for the morphology, certain new categories and principles are established for Fulfulde. Most important amongst these are the syntactic categories of topic and focus; and the morpho-phonologicil principle termed the 'suffixal precedence hierarchy', which determines the surface-form of certain verbal suffixes when they co-occur. An attempt Is also made first to identify morpho-syntactic properties such as active, middle and passive, positive and negative, which are terms In categories such as voice and polarity; and then to explain the principles that underly the morphological realisation of such properties in the various tenses, or 'conjugations' of Fulfulde.