The Syntax of Arguments in Sukuma

Abstract

Previous studies have primarily focused on the phonological, morphological, and morphosyntactic aspects of the Sukuma language (cf., e.g., Batibo, 1985; Matondo, 2003, 2006; Jackson, 2013; Alqarni, 2017; Luhende, 2018; Simon & Masanja, 2025), but a significant gap remains in relation to syntactic argument structure and movement processes. Hence, this study fills this gap by analysing the syntactic positions of arguments, their movement patterns, and the role of INFL in Case assignment, as accounted for within the Government and Binding (GB) framework. A sample of four native Sukuma speakers was deliberately selected based on their proficiency in the language. Data were collected using documentary review and unstructured interview. The study adopted a qualitative approach and a case study design, using the Kimunasukuma dialect as a representative of other Sukuma dialects. Sentences are analysed using syntactic trees that reflect the three levels of projection represented in the X-bar schema. The study reveals that the type of verb determines the number of arguments used in a sentence. Additionally, a syntactic argument may be moved from a non-Case-receiving position to a Case-receiving position to satisfy the Case filter. It is also shown that the moved element leaves a co-indexed trace (ti) to fulfil the requirements of the structural preserving principle. Furthermore, the study displays that INFL assigns nominative Case to external arguments while verbs and prepositions are used to assign accusative and oblique Case to internal arguments, respectively. Consequently, the article contributes to the field of linguistics by examining the syntactic properties of arguments, an area that has been least explored in Sukuma grammar.