Idiotov writes: The way the labels ''vt'' (transitive verb) and ''vi'' (intransitive verb) are used in the dictionaries is not completely clear to me. As in other Mande languages, the distinction between transitive and intransitive verbs in Boko, Bokobaru and Busa is very straightforward and easy to make: If the verb has a preposed object then it is transitive, in all other cases it is intransitive.
I would like to submit that in Boko the majority of unqualified preposed objects should be regarded as part of the verb and not as an object. Some are formally incorporated, others are regarded as verb compounds. There are less than 200 verb stems, but thousands of these compound verbs. Writing the verb compound as one word aids comprehension and reading. For example 'mouth tie' means 'to fast'. It is written as and is an intransitive verb. The distinction between transitive and intransitive verbs is not straightforward.
Linguistic Field(s):
Language Documentation
Lexicography
linguistlist.org>
E-mail this message to a friend
