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Negation in Siwi

Domain:

natural language processing

Record type:

paper
Creator:
Sch
Publisher:
Language Science Press
Host:avatar
The paper focuses on the description of negation in Siwi, a Berber (Afroasiatic) language spoken in Siwa (Egypt). The Siwi negative system in declarative main clauses is strikingly symmetric, if compared to other Berber languages. Symmetry is also found between declaratives and non-declaratives, as they share the same negative marker. The paper explores many aspects of the system, including negation in non-main clauses and non-verbal predications. The final part presents some diachronic notes and a short comparison with some other Berber languages.