Reduplication

Stative Verbs

One common reduplication pattern in Sereer (to be fitted in wherever the writer would like) is the reduplication of an inflected stative verb stripped of its inflectional morphology (and, often exhibiting different allomorphs of its derivational morphology due to the different segmental context). Semantic distinctions between this and the use of an unreduplicated stative verb are not clear.

nqoox ne a ɓalga ɓalig. 'The bull is black.' (Note: ɓal-g-a ɓal-ig, *ɓal-ig-a ɓal-ig) (115)

qaarit ke a laaɓiira laaɓiir. 'The friends are generous.' (115)

This reduplication pattern cannot occur when subject extraction is marked on the verb with the suffix -u: qaarit ke a laaɓiira (laaɓiir) 'the friends are generous' but qaarit qum laaɓiiru (*laaɓiir)?, 'which friends are generous?' (115)