Abstract:
This study will investigate causative formation in three major Bantu languages;
KiSwahili, Kikuyu and Lingala. These three languages are from different subgroups
of Bantu, and thus one would expect to find differences between them in the ways in
which causatives are formed, as well as finding similarities common to all. KiSwahili
and Kikuyu are more closely linked to each other than to Lingala, and the author will
research whether this is reflected in the similarities and differences in the ways
causatives are formed.
Even within the most well-studied of the Bantu languages, KiSwahili, there are some
questions regarding causative formation which seem to remain unanswered, such as
why one verb root may take more than one type of causative suffix, but others may
not. The author will seek to provide explanations for some of these questions, as well
as investigating whether they are widespread, and reflected in the other Bantu
languages studied here, or restricted to KiSwahili only.
Comparative studies such as these have their place in Bible Translation. With the
implementation of the SIL initiative Vision 2025, which seeks to have a Bible
translation started in every language of the world which needs one by the year 2025,
there is a need for far greater teamwork than has existed before in translation work.
Groups are forming which aim to work together on related languages, pool resources,
and help each other in their respective translations. One such group is the Bantu
Initiative. A current target of this group is to provide a grammar template, helping
linguists to know what they can expect from a Bantu language in each area of the
grammar whilst at the same time illustrating the types of differences which exist. The
author hopes to be able to provide a basis for this Bantu grammar template in the area
of causatives, using the three languages studied to provide examples.
