The Phonetic Manifestation of -ile Suffix across Bantu Languages: The Case of Nyasa-Tanganyika Corridor
Abstract
This paper investigates the phonetic manifestation of -ile suffix across three
selected Bantu languages forming the Nyasa-Tanganyika corridor. The study is
guided by the Theory of Utterance selection whose underlying thesis vests on
the assumption that speakers subconsciously change linguistic forms towards
simplified ones. Data were collected from written texts, narrative stories and
interviews. The findings indicate that three phonetic forms of the suffix which
are -ite, -ile and -ie exist across these languages. In Ndali the suffix manifests
itself into -ite and -ile under varying conditions. It is also indicated that the
suffix acquires irregular phonetic shape as a result of its suffixation to
irregular verbs which are defined differently across the languages under
investigation.
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