The verb phrase in the Kerebe language

The present article focuses on the Tanzanian Bantu language Kerebe and its morphologically complex verb phrase, which is presented in a descriptive framework. The description includes affirmative verb forms of general verbs and of copulas, negation and verbal extensions. The morphological complexity is reflected in the tense-aspect-mood (TAM) system, in copula markings and in verbal derivations. The analysis is based on a grammatical sketch of the Kerebe language written by the French Catholic priest Eugène Hurel (Hurel 1909) and two Internet-accessible word lists. Since Hurel describes Kerebe as being spoken in the beginning of 1900s, there was also a need to consult a mother-tongue speaker in order to verify the relevance of the data to present-day language items.