Lingua : Journal of Linguistics and Language
Vol. 4 No. 2 (2026): June 2026

“Bring” Without a Dedicated Verb: Deictic Motion Constructions in Shupamem

Ernest Njifon Ngoupayou (Université de Dschang)



Article Info

Publish Date
30 Jun 2026

Abstract

There is not a counterpart of the verb “to bring” in Shupamem i.e. in this language, there is not a specific verb that means “to bring”. In this vein, this paper looks at the various strategies that are used to denote the action “of bringing” in Shupamem. Building on Shupamem data provided by nine informants through the elicitation namely questionnaires, interviews and documents, it is revealed that there is not a one-to-one correspondence of “to bring” in Shupamem, as it is the case in languages like French and English for instance. Fundamentally, Shupamem realizes “bring” meaning through deictic motion verbs rather than a dedicated transfer verb. In this language, there are three verbs that are used when one is asking someone to bring something or somebody. These three verbs are twó (to come), já (to come) and lú (go). In Shupamem, “bring” arises via deictic motion verbs plus an object NP, with imperative-specific constraints for já and interchangeability conditions for twó/lú. More specifically, when twó (to come) and lú (go) are followed by an NP it means “to bring”. Whereas in imperative sentences, when já (to come) is followed by an NP it means “to bring”. It is shown that já (to come) is only used in imperative structures. Finally, it is revealed that only twó (to come) and lú (go) are interchangeable and this is in both monoclausal and embedded structures.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

lingua

Publisher

Subject

Languange, Linguistic, Communication & Media

Description

Lingua : Journal of Linguistics and Language with ISSN Number 3032-3304 (Online) published by Indonesian Scientific Publication, is a leading scholarly journal that has undergone a rigorous peer-review process and is committed to open access publication. Established to advance the field of ...