Multiple-reciprocity marking in the Kikongo Language Cluster

Abstract Bantu languages belonging to the Kikongo Language Cluster generally have two reciprocal markers. These are the reflex of Proto-Bantu *-an and a complex suffix ending in -an. Their functional distribution turns out not to be well understood in the existing literature. Through a pilot corpus study, the authors argue here that the complex marker is mainly used to convey prototypical reciprocal events, while simplex -an has evolved into a lexicalized ‘middle’ marker. They furthermore reconstruct the complex suffix *-izyan to Proto-Kikongo, identify its first element as a reflex of the compound causative suffix *-ɪd-i, and propose that its rise as a non-compositional marker of prototypical reciprocity is the outcome of a semantic generalization from ‘reciprocity of causation’ to ‘reciprocity’.