Parts of Speech in Kinyarwanda

Traditional grammar holds that parts of speech have broad semantic definitions: verbs are actions, nouns are entities, adjectives are states of being, and prepositions denote locations (Baker, 2003). This view is problematic, however, given that semantic concepts are lexicalized differently across languages. For example, through my field work with a native speaker of Kinyarwanda (Bantu family, spoken in  Central Africa), I have found that in this language, states can be lexicalized as adjectives, nouns, or verbs: (1) umugabo ni munini “The man is big” ADJECTIVE MAN IS LARGE (2) imbwa n’ umweru  “The dog is white” NOUN DOG IS WHITE (3) imbwa yera “The dog is white” VERB  DOG BE.WHITE The state of “being big” appears as an adjective, while the state of “being white” can be both a noun (2) and  a verb (3). The difference in category is appears to be motivated by the relative permanence of the state in  question. A changing (or changeable) state is encoded as a verb (3). To reflect a permanent/unchanging  state, an adjective or noun is used (1­2). Because the inventory of adjectives in Kinyarwanda is extremely  limited, many “adjectival” permanent states are encoded as nouns. This alternation demonstrates the central role of Aspect (defined as a linguistic function that “characterizes the relationship of a predicate to  the time interval over which it occurs” (Chung and Timberlake 1985:213)) in the lexicalization process. Aspect in Kinyarwanda takes the form of a verbal suffix, thereby necessitating the use of a verb when the state undergoes some sort of change. This phenomenon provides evidence that parts of speech are defined  at least in part by a language’s syntactic requirements above and beyond broader semantic generalizations.