SomehowGeekyPolyglot wrote:To me, the verb stem (in the meaning I use that term) also contains the ending vowel.
linguoboy wrote:What is that meaning and how does it differ from the definition of "stem" as it is generally used in linguistics?
To me and for my Surface Level Swahili purposes, a stem simply is what I marked as red in those following examples. And I do know that this isn't the same as providing a definition like "stem = ", but I still decided to answer that way.
ku
lala: to sleep
nina
lala: I sleep
ata
lala: he/she will sleep
I consider all those red letters, including the ending vowel, as the stem.
Because to me, the stem (like a tree's stem, even if you possibly wouldn't like the analogy in this context) is what I attach affixes to (usually before it and not after it).
To me, when one forms the subjunctive by changing the ending vowel to "-e", this simply means a change of one of the stem's letters because of something that requires it.
But if you told me that my own subjunctive example proves that the stem doesn't contain the ending vowel, then I'd simply state that there isn't much difference between what I am saying and what you are saying. It is more of two different ways to express the (almost) same idea.
SomehowGeekyPolyglot wrote:Yes, "-a" is the default verb end suffix, no doubt.
Also I am aware of "ku-" being the infinitive prefix that is kept when the verbs are very short.
To me, the verb stem (in the meaning I use that term) also contains the ending vowel.
And as for the rest, it doesn't matter too much to me if "-kuja" literally would be the verb stem, or if the very stem would be "-ja" only.
Even in the later case, because it is a very short verb, there still would be a "-ku-" affix which comes before "-ja", and the combination of those two still would be "-kuja", so it is treated like a "genuine Swahili verb stem starting with -ku", leading to the same result.
linguoboy wrote:This is false. The -ku- is retained only in some inflectional forms (e.g. definite present, past and future indicative), not across the board.
You are speaking of very short verbs only, right?
And can you cite another example of the -ku- being dropped, other than the imperative?
linguoboy wrote:One of the forms that lacks it (the imperative) is right there in your post! If you consider ku- and -a both "part of the stem" of kuja, then you have to account for what happens to them in njoo (beyong just calling it "irregular").
When learning a language, I focus on rules more than on exceptions.
The imperative of "kuja" (to come) is "njoo", but this is related to a certain reason other than being a very short verb only.
The imperative of "kula" (to eat) for example simply is "kula".
When someone, like me, considers all of "kuja" the verb's stem, then his explanation for what is happening in the case of "njoo" simply is: there is some stem change occurring, just as the stem also is changed from -a to -e when forming the
subjunctive of a verb ending in -a.