Distal demonstratives in Nairobi Swahili: An emerging relative particle?

This paper investigates the use of the distal demonstrative -le in relative clauses (either as a pronominal head noun or modifier of the head noun) in Nairobi Swahili. It has previously been suggested that the demonstrative functions as a kind of “pseudo-relativiser” (Shinagawa 2019) in Sheng (a youth variety of Swahili spoken in Nairobi), partly because of its frequent use in relative clause contexts and partly because there are demonstrative-based relative particles in other Bantu languages. In this paper, I argue that the demonstrative does not at this stage function as a relative particle but rather co-occurs with relative clauses because both constructions are used for focus. That being said, it may be on its way to grammaticalising as per Van de Velde’s Bantu relative agreement cycle (2021), especially given the pragmatic origins of many grammaticalisation processes (Traugott 1988).