Grammaticalisation of Subject Pronouns and the Emergence of Preverbal Particles: Effects on Kenyang Morphosyntax

Kenyang preverbal particles host phi-features of a preceding DP and an aspectual feature which is denoted by tone. Relevant literature on Kenyang (Niger-Congo group) treats them ambiguously as independent pronouns and subject markers; as subject markers only. Subjecting these particles to the independent pronominal tests shows that they are not independent pronouns but rather subject markers typical of many Bantu languages. An attempt to establish a grammatical pathway for the preverbal particles reveals that they are expressions somewhere on a continuum between independent pronouns and agreement markers. The preverbal particles are the reduced forms of the independent pronouns through the process of grammaticalisation. The remnant of this process as evident from the first person singular independent pronoun indicates that the grammaticalisation cline is not saturated yet but rather in a continuum. The consequence of this on Kenyang morphosyntax is that it alternates between a pro-drop and a non-pro-drop language. The minimalist program can accommodate non-pro-drop languages but not the otherwise without a review of some of its canons. This paper sets out to examine a hypothesis that traces the possible evolution of Kenyang preverbal particles within the grammaticalisation framework and its effects on Kenyang morphosyntax within the minimalist program.