Lexical structures, lexical semantics

This chapter describes important advances have been made in studies of Bantu lexical semantics,present a broad overview of the ‘state-of-the-art’ of research in Bantu lexical semantics, while also pointing out areas where further research is called for.The bulk of the chapter is dedicated to describing key issues in major word classes, including nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs and adverbials, locatives and spatial terms, and ideophones. Also briefly discussed are derivational strategies and their semantic effects, and studies in historical lexical semantics and their cross-disciplinary significance.