Some notes on the morphology of Zulu clan names

Abstract

Zulu clan names have a great deal of variation in their morphology. For example, Mzolo and Tolweni both refer to the same clan, as do Mthembu and aba Thenjini. One of the common variations is the locative inflection. With very few exceptions, the locative is only used with a plural noun class, and all plural forms can take the locative. The purpose of this article is threefold: to examine the potential for movement of a clan name between noun classes, to investigate the rules for locative inflection of clan names, and to look at the differences between the older forms of clan names, as given in Bryant and other early works, and modern forms.