New insights into aspectual morphology in Bilin

Abstract Bilin (ISO 639-3:byn), a Central Cushitic (Agaw) language of Eritrea, exhibits complex patterns of derivational and inflectional verbal morphology. In this article, three verb forms of Bilin, their semantics, morphosyntax, and history, are analysed in detail on grounds of both previous scholarly efforts, especially Reinisch (1881, Die Bilīn-Sprache in Nordost-Afrika . Wien: Carl Gerold’s Sohn), Palmer (1957. The verb in Bilin. Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies 19(1). 131–159), and Appleyard (2007. Bilin morphology. In Alan S. Kaye (ed.), Morphologies of Asia and Africa , 481–504. Penn State University Press), as well as data elicited through fieldwork. These three forms are the imperfective marker -sɨk , the habitualis suffix -tuk , and the converb -ɛk . It is shown that the Bilin verb paradigm is even richer than assumed, expressing not only tense, aspect, mood, person, and number, but possibly additional grammatical notions such as volitionality.