Vol. 35 No. 1 (2026): NJAS Special Issue: Auxiliary Verb Constructions in Bantu Languages
Special Issue: Auxiliary Verb Constructions in Bantu

The Development of Negative ‘have’ Auxiliaries in the Bantu Languages of the Middle and Lower Zambezi

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Aron Zahran
LLACAN (CNRS, Paris), INALCO & UGent
Maud Devos
Royal Museum for Central Africa (RMCA) / UGent
Rozenn Guérois
LLACAN (CNRS, Paris) & UKZN Durban

Published 2026-03-31

Keywords

  • defective verbs,
  • light verbs,
  • negation without negators,
  • negative existentials

Copyright (c) 2026 Aron Zahran, Maud Devos, Rozenn Guérois

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

The Development of Negative ‘have’ Auxiliaries in the Bantu Languages of the Middle and Lower Zambezi. (2026). Nordic Journal of African Studies, 35(1), 136–187. https://doi.org/10.53228/r3qmd434

Abstract

This paper studies the grammaticalization of possessive predicates into negative auxiliaries expressing main clause negation in the Bantu languages of the Middle and Lower Zambezi River region. Drawing on a convenience sample of languages from this linguistic area, the study identifies four distinct types of ‘have’ predicates that function as negative auxiliaries in a little-known pattern of asymmetric main clause negation in Bantu languages. Focusing on patterns of interlingual and intralingual variation, the paper considers the functional and conceptual homogeneity of the auxiliary constructions versus their formal heterogeneity, taking into account the sociolinguistic context of sustained language contact through migration, trade, and the movement of soldiers. The attested variation is moreover suggestive of a ‘negative possessive cycle’ highly reminiscent but still different from a better known ‘negative existential cycle’ which has been connected to long-standing contact situations among Bantu languages. The findings contribute to our understanding of negative auxiliary systems in Bantu, while at the same time offering insights into the mechanisms driving linguistic innovation in the region.

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