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    Deverbal complemented nouns
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    Nouns corresponding to verbs form another subclass of nouns. The noun boer farmer corresponds to the verb boer to farm, and the noun gekla complaining to the verb kla to complain.

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    Deverbal nouns are nouns which may be related to a corresponding verb because of their similarity in form.

    In Afrikaans, verbs are typically not marked for tense, aspect or subject agreement, with the result that corresponding nouns and verbs often have the same form, which gives rise to polysemy. The noun boer farmer and the verb boer to farm in the sentence below serve as an example.

    Example 1

    Ek sien een van die boere van Rysmierbult boer deesdae met volstruise.
    I see one of the farmers of Rysmierbult farm these.days with ostriches
    I see that one of Rysmierbult's farmers is farming ostriches these days.

    This similarity in form can sometimes lead to ambiguous interpretations of a word as a noun or a verb. It is not clear, for example, if aan die werk on the work at work/working the following example should be interpreted as an adpositional phrase (PP), or an aspectual (progressive) verb phrases.

    Example 2

    Die Provinsiale Regering is tans aan die werk aan die problem.
    the Provincial Government be.PRS currently on the work on the problem
    The Provincial Government is currently working on the problem
    The same can be said for aan die slaap "asleep"/sleeping., aan die lewe alive/living en aan die stuur at the steer/steering ((Breed 2012:148).

    Furthermore, verbs can be nominalised by affixes. Ponelis (1979:484) distinguish three morphological types of deverbal nouns:

    a) ge-

    The ge- nominalisation are illustrated by the two examples below of the verbs stry to argue and eet to eat:

    Example 3

    a. Die ge·stry is so erg dat dit vir Roderick wakker maak.
    the NMLZ·argue be.PRS so bad that it for Roderick awake make
    The arguing is so bad, that it wakes Roderick.
    VivA-KPO
    b. En natuurlik word daar teen vyf-en-sewentig myl per uur gesels, en die grappe! En die ge·ëet, eet, eet!
    and obviously be.AUX.PASS.PRS there at seventy-five mile per hour talk.PASS and the jokes and the NMLZ·eat eat eat
    And of course there is talking at seventy-five miles per hour, and the jokes! And the continious eating!
    VivA-KPO

    b) -ery

    The two examples below illustrate the the -ery-nominalisation of the verbs inmeng to interfere and dans to dance.

    Example 4

    a. My skoonma se inmeng·ery maak my gek.
    my mother.in.law PTCL.GEN interfere·NMLZ make me crazy
    My mother-in-law's interference is driving me crazy.
    VivA-KPO
    b. My labrador lig sy kop, hy geniet my vrou se dans·ery net soos ek.
    my labrador lift his head he enjoy my wife PTCL.GEN dance·NMLZ just like I
    My labrador lifts his head, he is enjoying my wife's dancing just as much as I'm enjoying it.
    VivA-KPO

    c) -ing, -asie, -sie

    An example of each of these nominalisations are given below for the verbs aflewer to deliver, infiltreer to infiltrate and inspekteer to inspect respectively.

    Example 5

    a. Die eerste aflewer·ing van die pype het reeds plaasgevind.
    the first deliver·NMLZ of the pipes have.AUX already happen.PST
    The first delivery of the pipes were already made.
    VivA-KPO
    b. Afloop en infiltr·asie is twee kante van dieselfde muntstuk.
    runoff and infiltrate·NMLZ be.PRS two sides of the.same coin
    Runoff and infiltration are two sides of the same coin.
    VivA-KPO
    c. Tydens die inspek·sie het ons wel besoek daar afgelê.
    during the inspect·NMLZ have.AUX we indeed visit there lie.PST
    We made a visit there during the inspection.
    VivA-KPO
    References:
    • Breed, A2012Die grammatikalisering van aspek in Afrikaans: 'n semantiese studie van perifrastiese progressiewe konstruksies.Thesis
    • Ponelis, F.A1979Afrikaanse sintaksis.Van Schaik
    ABOUT THIS TOPIC
    Author(s):
    Adri Breed; Johanita Kirsten
    Category:
    Afrikaans Syntax
    Publication date:
    14 May 2020
    Keywords:
    deverbal nouns
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