The acquisitive -pata in Swahili

This study examines the usage of the Swahili verb -pata ‘get’ as an auxiliary, shedding light on its multifaceted roles. The examination of its structural variation and functional extensions is based on data from different Swahili varieties. Drawing from a broad and versatile body of previous research on Swahili, this study posits the development of -pata from an erstwhile lexical verb to a light verb used in lexicalized constructions and further to an auxiliary. Combined with an infi nitive verb, the auxiliary -pata is shown to convey three different yet interrelated functional concepts: modal possibility, an inchoative aspect and an experiential aspect. In addition, it demonstrates correlations with purpose clauses and (negative) phasal polarity. The description and analysis of the formal, functional and historical characteristics of the acquisitive -pata in Swahili serves as the first study dedicated to this type of linguistic construction in Swahili and in Bantu languages more generally.