
Contents
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31.1 Introduction 31.1 Introduction
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31.2 Phonology 31.2 Phonology
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31.2.1 Segmental units 31.2.1 Segmental units
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31.2.2 Phonotactic constraints 31.2.2 Phonotactic constraints
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31.2.3 Suprasegmental units 31.2.3 Suprasegmental units
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31.3 Word classes 31.3 Word classes
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31.4 Verb morphology 31.4 Verb morphology
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31.4.1 Verb derivation 31.4.1 Verb derivation
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31.4.2 Verb inflection 31.4.2 Verb inflection
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31.5 Nominal morphology 31.5 Nominal morphology
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31.5.1 Nominal derivation and compounding 31.5.1 Nominal derivation and compounding
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31.5.2 Nominal inflection 31.5.2 Nominal inflection
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31.5.2.1 Number 31.5.2.1 Number
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31.5.2.2 State 31.5.2.2 State
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31.5.2.3 Case 31.5.2.3 Case
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31.6 Morphology of pronouns 31.6 Morphology of pronouns
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31.6.1 Personal pronouns 31.6.1 Personal pronouns
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31.6.2 Demonstratives 31.6.2 Demonstratives
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31.6.3 Interrogative pronouns or pro-forms 31.6.3 Interrogative pronouns or pro-forms
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31.6.4 Pronoun m̀bá 31.6.4 Pronoun m̀bá
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31.7 Simple clauses 31.7 Simple clauses
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31.7.1 Affirmative declarative verbal clauses 31.7.1 Affirmative declarative verbal clauses
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31.7.1.1 Independent verbal clauses 31.7.1.1 Independent verbal clauses
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31.7.1.2 Sequential indicative and subjunctive clauses 31.7.1.2 Sequential indicative and subjunctive clauses
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31.7.1.3 Adjuncts marked by preposition and/or postposition 31.7.1.3 Adjuncts marked by preposition and/or postposition
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31.7.1.4 Idiomatic use of body-part nouns 31.7.1.4 Idiomatic use of body-part nouns
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31.7.2 Negation 31.7.2 Negation
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31.7.3 Questions 31.7.3 Questions
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31.7.4 Commands 31.7.4 Commands
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31.7.5 Nonverbal sentences with demonstrative identifier 31.7.5 Nonverbal sentences with demonstrative identifier
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31.8 Subordination and coordination 31.8 Subordination and coordination
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31.8.1 Coordination 31.8.1 Coordination
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31.8.2 Relative clauses 31.8.2 Relative clauses
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31.8.3 Adverbial clauses 31.8.3 Adverbial clauses
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31.8.4 Direct speech and ideophones 31.8.4 Direct speech and ideophones
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31.9 Pragmatics 31.9 Pragmatics
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31.9.1 Focus 31.9.1 Focus
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31.9.2 Topic and antitopic 31.9.2 Topic and antitopic
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Acknowledgements Acknowledgements
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31 Berta
Get accessTorben Andersen is Associate Professor Emeritus of Linguistics in the Department of Communication and Psychology at Aalborg University. For four decades he has been engaged in research on Nilo-Saharan languages spoken in Northeastern Africa through fieldwork in Sudan, South Sudan, Ethiopia, and DR Congo. His research interests include phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, pragmatics, and historical linguistics. He has published extensively on Nilo-Saharan languages in African linguistics journals such as Journal of African Languages and Linguistics and Studies in African Linguistics, and in general linguistics journals such as Studies in Language, Lingua, Linguistics, Phonology, and Diachronica. He is currently working on reference grammars of Western Nilotic languages, including Dinka.
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Published:22 May 2023
Cite
Abstract
This chapter is a description of Berta, a Nilo-Saharan language spoken in Benishangul-Gumuz Region. The description is based on the Mayu dialect. Berta is a tone language with tones having both lexical and grammatical functions. There are two major word classes, nouns and verbs, while adjectival concepts are expressed by verbs. Nouns are inflected for number, state and case, and verbs are inflected for mood and tense, and they may be marked as being applicative. There are several verbal derivational categories, including centripetal, reciprocal, and causative. In noun phrases, modifiers follow the head, which is in a construct state. Berta has both prepositions and postpositions. Independent declarative clauses have an obligatory preverbal topic position that may be occupied by a noun phrase unmarked for case, whether a subject, and object, or an adverbial, while a postverbal subject has a marked nominative case. There are two types of sequential clauses, which are syntactically dependent on the preceding discourse, but which are not subordinate clauses.
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