Diachronic semantics of the modal verb -sóból- in Luganda : a corpus-driven approach

dc.contributor.authorKawalya, Deo
dc.contributor.authorBostoen, Koen
dc.contributor.authorDe Schryver, Gilles-Maurice
dc.date.accessioned2014-07-07T12:59:06Z
dc.date.available2014-07-07T12:59:06Z
dc.date.issued2014
dc.description.abstractIn this article the semantic evolution of the modal verb -sóból- in Luganda is examined through the analysis of a diachronic corpus spanning the last 120 years. It is shown that the usage frequency of this verb increased exponentially between the early 20th century and the present, and that its use as a lexical verb has dramatically decreased during the same time span. The corpus data furthermore substantiate that its modal uses have been extended from the exclusive expression of dynamic possibility until the 1960s to deontic possibility. Methodologically, this is the first full-scale article within the young field of Bantu corpus linguistics in which a corpus-driven study is performed on a diachronic corpus. The approach is not only shown to be feasible, but the encouraging results will hopefully entice colleagues working on the Bantu languages to undertake the building and analysis of such diachronic corpora for linguistic purposes.en_US
dc.description.librarianhb2014en_US
dc.description.urihttp://benjamins.comen_US
dc.identifier.citationKawalya, D, Bostoen, K & De Schryver, GM 2014, 'Diachronic semantics of the modal verb -sóból- in Luganda : a corpus-driven approach', International Journal of Corpus Linguistics, vol. 19, no. 1, pp. 60-93.en_US
dc.identifier.issn1384-6655 (print)
dc.identifier.issn1569-9811 (online)
dc.identifier.other10.1075/ijcl.19.1.03kaw
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2263/40594
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.publisherJohn Benjamins Publishingen_US
dc.rightsJohn Benjamins BVen_US
dc.subjectModalityen_US
dc.subjectPossibilityen_US
dc.subjectGrammaticalisationen_US
dc.subjectDiachronic corpus analysisen_US
dc.subjectBantuen_US
dc.titleDiachronic semantics of the modal verb -sóból- in Luganda : a corpus-driven approachen_US
dc.typePostprint Articleen_US

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