" DESCniC'I'IVK COMPLKMK^'T " IN SIROX(JA. 4^3 



It may 'perhaps state the prohlem more clearly if we look at a 

 few examples, in SiRonga and Zuhi . 



V 



In'SiRonga: gobodoh, to sit ^]own sad, may come from ku 

 goba, to frighten. 



hiugi, expressing the idea ■ ot someone passing quickly 

 before one, may come from lorn go, to lay something 

 across something else Cp. butiikushu and bulu- 

 }:uska in Zulu. So with kingiliingt, to repeat the 

 action expressed hy huigi. 



hiimelelo, expressing the idea of sudden appearance, if 

 it be rightly regarded as a descriptive complement, 

 must originate in the verb ku humelela, to appear. 



nkwanka, to be yellow, may be a modified reduplicate of 

 the descriptive complement nkwa, having the same 

 sense. 



In Zulu, take : 



bamu, to wade, verb bamiiza, to wade. 



hcngu. toss wildly about, and benguhi, with same sense. 



bobo, make a hole, and boboka, get a hole bored; boboza, 

 make a hole. And very many more might be cited. 

 The impression made on my mind by a study of the lists is 

 that it is far more likely that the descriptive complements are 

 primitive than that they are worn-down verbs. It will, of course, 

 be impossible to quote largely from the lists; that would swell 

 this paper to impossible dimensions; but the following may be 

 suliicient to support my contention. 



In SiRonga. 



dziDi, idea of redness. Cp. ku dzuka, to be red, to blush. 



nkwa, idea of yellowness. Cp. yikicayika, descriptive com- 

 plement, conveying idea of yellowness. 



su, noise made in scaring birds. Cp. Ku suktita, to scare 

 birds. 



tlec, to muster soldiers, Cp. ku iJe})isa, same meaning. 



dzi, upright position. Cp. ku dzimeka, to be upright. 



swpe, idea of clarity, pellucidness. Cp. swcta, noun of 

 di-ma class, clearness, purity of water. 



In ScSotho: 



Iin re phaJi, to lash with a whip. Cp. noun fiephali. whip. 



kJii, to be dirty (of mouth). Cp. verb ho khiba, to have a 

 dirty mouth. 



He, to stand amazed. Cp. tie, interjection of astonish- 

 ment. 



kaka, idea of meeting. Cp kaknuawi, another descrip- 

 tive complement, with apparently the reciprocal 

 verbal ending -auaiui. To come together. 



ijeke, throw. Cp. tjckcfe, descriptive complement 

 mean"ng to throw over the shoulder. 



pfiha, smash. Cp. verbs ])Khathi, to break in pieces; 

 speak nnxch;^ p^hatJa, to say, tell. , - 



FF 



