Abstract Most studies of the Bantu verb have neglected detailed analyses of the less productive verb extensions including the neuter suffix -ik. This suffix is associated with the ‘stative’ construction in many Bantu languages, which usually also have a separate passive extension. Citonga (N15) and Citumbuka (N21) have shifted from using -iw, the reflex of the Proto-Bantu passive extension, to using the neuter extension -ik to derive passives. The same extension also derives anticausatives, facilitatives, and potential passives. Thus, in these languages, the extension -ik displays a high degree of polysemy. Underlying these polysemies are the properties shared by the derivatives of the extension. Subjects of the constructions derived by the extension -ik are patientive. This extension has both detransitivising and de-agentivising effects. In this article, I argue that -ik derivatives in Citumbuka and Citonga are situated within the middle voice continuum, falling short of deriving reflexives, reciprocals and autobenefactives.

中文翻译：

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Citumbuka（N21）和Citonga（N15）的中性延伸-ik多义性

摘要大多数班图语动词的研究都忽略了对效率较低的动词扩展词（包括中性后缀-ik）的详细分析。该后缀与许多班图语中的“静态”构造相关，后者通常也具有单独的被动扩展。Citonga（N15）和Citumbuka（N21）已从使用-iw（Proto-Bantu被动扩展的反射）转变为使用中性扩展-ik导出被动。相同的扩展也衍生出反原因，促进因素和潜在的被动因素。因此，在这些语言中，扩展名-ik显示高度的多义性。这些多义性的基础是扩展的衍生物共享的属性。由扩展名-ik派生的构造的主题是耐心的。该扩展既具有反过渡作用，又具有去反作用作用。