Tako or Takwa la Katiba? A Description of Verb-to-Noun Derivation in Bantu Languages: The Case of Kiswahili

Abstract

This paper describes verb-to-noun derivation in Kiswahili, a process in which nouns are formed from verbs. It places the derivational process squarely on the question of whether it is ' tako ' or ' takwa ' , with their plural forms ' matako ' or ' matakwa ' . The guiding question for this description is "how come the verb ' taka ' changes to ' takwa ' as opposed to ' tako ' while similar verbs change to nouns by -o suffixation?" Data were collected through observation, document review, and interviews. The findings justify the theoretical statement that derivation is less productive. Hence, applying a particular rule too broadly to other entities is relatively hard. In this view, derivation by -o suffixation, as well as by other processes, is limited to some verbs. Since derivation is less productive, Kiswahili has many verb-to-noun derivational processes as presented in this paper under four categories, namely verb-to-noun derivation Type 1 (suffixation of vowels -i, -o, -u, and -e), Type 2 (noun class prefixes), Type 3 (infinitive ku-) and Type 4 (miscellaneous nouns). Hence, the paper concludes that ' tako la katiba ' with its plural ' matako ya katiba ' is inappropriate, whereas ' takwa la katiba ' with its plural ' matakwa ya katiba ' is appropriate in Kiswahili.

Keywords: Tako, takwa, verb-to-noun derivation, Kiswahili

DOI: 10.56279/jlle.v16i2.8