Negation in Mano

International audience This paper describes the negation system in Mano, a Southern Mande language. Negation in declarative, non-verbal and non-main clauses in Mano is asymmetric both because negation involves a change in the TAM constructions (constructional asymmetry) and because the inventory of negative constructions is reduced with respect to the inventory of affirmative constructions (paradigmatic asymmetry). In non-declarative constructions, several negative constructions do not have affirmative counterparts, resulting in paradigmatic asymmetry. Mano indefinite quantifiers distinguish between full and partial negation. Another unusual feature is a dedicated negative particle gɔ̰ ̀á̰ which is used only in conditional constructions.Mano does not have any negative derivation or negative coordinators and just one negative polarity item, féì ‘nothing’.