The metaphorical basis of Zulu auxiliaries

Abstract

There is a close derivational relationship between certain verbs and tense and aspectual auxiliaries in Zulu. This relationship is highly motivated and the motivation is based on a metaphorical mapping of notions from the spatial domain onto the temporal domain. Not only are auxiliaries construed in terms of this metaphorical mapping, but the selection of particular motion and other verbs to function as auxiliaries, is determined by a constraint on metaphor.