MIRATIVITY IN BANTU: THE CASE OF GĨKŨYŨ (E51) AND KISWAHILI (G42)

Abstract

This paper argues for the recognition of mirative marking in two Bantu languages: Gĩkũyũ and Kiswahili. It shows that the two languages use lexical particles to indicate mirativity. Gĩkũyũ uses kaĩ, githĩ, anga, ni, and otho, and Kiswahili has kwani, mbona, kumbe, and si. These particles indicate surprise, unexpectedness, counter-expectation and new realizations, among other attitudes. Mirative marking in the two languages depends on the availability of direct evidence in a context that may be supported by inference. Miratives in Gĩkũyũ and Kiswahili share features with exclamative and interrogative moods. However, the questions are not content questions; they are either polar or rhetorical ones. The interrogative features are more subdued than the exclamative characteristics particularly because miratives and exclamatives share the surprise property. At the end, it is suggested that more research on the pragmatics of the mirative particles and the connections of mirativity, evidentiality and epistemic modality is suggested.