Bantu languages are of interest to linguists because of their extensive verbal morphology and their complex tense/aspect systems. The goal of this project is to produce a detailed description and analysis of the verb system of Chisukwa, an endangered Bantu language spoken in Malawi. Evidence from Bantu languages suggests that different societies conceptualize, organize, and talk about events in different ways. This is most clear when observing the interaction of tense/aspect markers with different verb types. Through fieldwork in Malawi, the student will identify the various verb types in Chisukwa, define the aspectual/temporal properties of the verb types, differentiate tense/aspect markers, and determine how these markers interact with different verb types. Project work will involve up to eighteen months of study in Malawi, working with native speaker consultants using both direct and contextualized elicitation sessions to gather data in Chisukwa. Other methods include the recording, transcribing and translating of oral narratives such as stories, personal histories, and folktales, as well as the recording of daily conversations. The data will be recorded both in notebooks and in a computer database. Analysis will be ongoing throughout the duration of the project both in the field and in close collaboration with linguists at the Centre for Language Studies at the University of Malawi in Zomba. The dissertation research will accomplish three goals: (1) contribute to the theoretical understanding of the role of temporal relations in the conceptual organization of human experience, (2) document and preserve aspects of an endangered and undocumented Malawian language, and (3) contribute a comprehensive analysis to the growing pool of knowledge about Bantu tense/aspect systems. This project will benefit not only the academic community of the United States, but also the academic community in Malawi and the Sukwa community itself. Copies of all materials produced will be deposited at the Centre for Language Studies in Malawi and institutions within the Sukwa community. In addition, the materials will be used as a basis for eventually producing a Chisukwa grammar and other pedagogical materials for the community.
