Concordance (Linguistics)

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Concordance (going back to Latin concordare = to agree) is a technical term from theoretical linguistics and, in languages ​​with so-called nominal classes, denotes the morphological correspondence of a verb or attribute with the noun that is intended as the initial term . The concordance of verbs and attributes with the nouns is done using affixes , i.e. prefixes and suffixes. The phenomenon is therefore comparable in its external appearance with the congruence in the Indo-European languages , but not completely equated with it. In many cases, concordance is understood as a special form of congruence.

features

Nominal classes are primarily found in the Niger-Congo languages , sometimes also in other language groups, and denote semantic categories (in a single language sometimes two to three dozen in number) to which all nouns are fixedly distributed. In concordance, the affixes of the clauses concordant with the noun mostly, but not always, outwardly match the corresponding affix of the noun; but they always designate the same nominal class behind it. In some cases (e.g. in the Fulfulde language ) prefixes may appear to have disappeared due to initial mutation , but indirectly leave traces of concordance.

With the concordance of the sentence elements involved, the syntactic affiliation of the word group concerned is marked, which creates cohesion on the text level . Concordance also includes categories such as number , person or gender , i.e. classes as they are known as morphosyntactic categories in the Indo-European languages. In contrast to these, in languages ​​with concordance no case is marked morphologically . Predicates only have additions that are either “unspecified” objects or are loosely attached to the sentence by postposition , less often by preposition .

Language example

An example from Swahili , a Bantu language :

Watu warefu wawili wanaingia nyumbani - "Two tall people go into the house"
Swahili: Wa -tu wa -refu wa -vili wa -na-ingia nyumba-ni
Literally: 2nd plural class - human 2nd plural class - large 2nd plural class - two 2nd plural class - present - go inside House - in

The subject is watu = people. The prefix wa- identifies the nominal class and the plural; In order to establish concordance, the more detailed provisions of watu must also be placed in front: the attributes “two” and “large” as well as the predicate “go”.

literature

  • Helmut Glück (Ed.), With the collaboration of Friederike Schmöe : Metzler Lexikon Sprache . 4th edition. Verlag JB Metzler, Stuttgart 2010, ISBN 3-476-02335-4 .
  • Hadumod Bußmann (Ed.) With the collaboration of Hartmut Lauffer: Lexikon der Sprachwissenschaft. 4th, revised and bibliographically supplemented edition. Kröner, Stuttgart 2008, ISBN 978-3-520-45204-7 .
  • Duden - The grammar . 8th edition. Duden Verlag, Mannheim 2009, ISBN 3-411-04048-3 .
  • David Sapir: A Grammar of Diola-Fogny. Cambridge 1968.
  • William AA Wilson: Guinea Languages ​​of the Atlantic Group. Description and Internal Classification. Frankfurt am Main 2007, ISBN 978-3-631-55170-7 .
  • Édouard Wintz: Dictionnaire français-dyola et dyola-français, précédé d'un essai de grammaire. Elinkine (Casamance) / Paris 1909.