The Kikamba multiple applicative: a problem for the lexical functional grammar analysis

Abstract

The applicative construction is characterized by the presence of a verbal affix in the verb morphology which signals the presence, in the sentence, of a nominal, not contained within the argument structure of the base verb. Two main theoretical approaches have been used for the analysis of this construction namely: Government and Binding-based approaches and Lexical Functional Grammar-based approaches. This article describes the multiple applicative construction in Kikamba and examines the implications of the facts established to the analysis of the applicative construction in Bantu presented by the Lexical Functional Grammar approaches.