Annotating Tumbuka
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One of the challenges in glossing a Bantu language is the representation of the verb and its affixes. Bantu languages are agglutinating, and a verb in Chichewa can be preceded by up to 4 prefixes, and it can be followed by up to 3 suffixes. One way of representing verb affixation is through the use of verb schemata where the verb root is accompanied by slots (SLT) each of which hosts one or several affixes of a specific grammatical type.
| (NEG) | SUBJ.AGR | TA1 | (OM) | ROOT | (DS) | (TA2) | FV |
| SLT1 | SLT2 | SLT3 | SLT4 | SLT5 | SLT6 | SLT7 |
Only the subject agreement marker (subject class marker) in case of a realised subject, or a subject pro-form, a tense & aspect marker preceding the root
and a final vowel are obligatory, all other verb extensions are optional.
| Slot | Suffix | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Negation | ||
| 2 | Subject agreement or Subject pro-form | ||
| 3 | Tense & Aspect | ||
| 4 | Object marker | ||
| 5 | Derivation | ||
| 6 | Tense & Aspect | ||
| 7 | Final Vowel (Mood) |