The Babanki pronoun system

Abstract Pronominal systems of Grassfields Bantu languages stand out in a cross-linguistic perspective by their high degree of referential precision when it comes to specifying the internal composition of groups, as instantiated by the device of pronoun compounding. A comparison of available descriptions of Grassfields Bantu pronoun systems reveals a high degree of diversity with respect to categorical distinctions and compounding principles. Thus, cumulative pronoun compounding in which individual meanings of components are simply added on top of each other is attested side by side with incorporative compounding in which this is not the case, but rather the first pronominal component establishes a unifying bond by also incorporating the reference of the second component. Insights into the principles of pronoun compounding have rarely been exploited for the understanding of synchronic variation of pronoun systems across Grassfields and their historical dynamics. The present contribution seeks to remedy this situation for Babanki of the Central Ring group, following the descriptive lines of Gehling (2004. ‘ Ich ’ , ‘ du ’ und andere: eine sprachtypologische Studie zu den grammatischen Kategorien “ Person ” und “ Numerus ”. Münster: Lit) and Cysouw (2009. The paradigmatic structure of person marking . Oxford University Press) and fertilizing the historical study of Grassfields pronoun systems by synchronic insights from compounding in Babanki.