13 DEGEMA SUBJECT MARKERS: ARE THEY PREFIXES OR PROCLITICS? Ethelbert E. Kari University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria eekari99@yahoo.com What used to be considered subject prefixes attached to verbs in Degema 1 are reanalysed as subject clitics. This reanalysis is based on the fact that the so-called prefixes attach to more than one grammatical category. From the comments of some reviewers, it seems that not eve- ryone is convinced by the later analysis. In this paper, 2 fresh evidence is presented in support of the claim that the so-called prefixes are indeed subject clitics. This fresh evidence comes from the deletion and optionality of the so-called subject prefixes. Whereas noun class prefixes, for instance, attach to nouns only and constitute an obligatory part of the morphology of nouns, the so-called subject prefixes, like independent words, are observed to undergo deletion or are optionally present in certain constructions. This behaviour suggests that the so-called subject prefixes do not constitute an obligatory part of Degema verb morphology, even though they are bound and so require the presence of a host to attach themselves to. For the fact that the so- called subject prefixes can be deleted or that they are optional suggests that they are (subject) clitics rather than (subject) prefixes, in spite of their bound nature. Les éléments qui ont jusqu’ici été vus comme préfixes sujet rattachés aux verbes en de- gema sont ici réanalysés comme clitiques sujet. Cette réanalyse se base sur le fait que ces élé- ments dits préfixes se rattachent à des item de plus d’une catégorie grammaticale. D’après les remarques de certains de nos lecteurs, il semble que tous ne sont pas convaincus par cette der- nière analyse. Nous présentons ici de nouvelles données qui supportent notre proposition que les éléments dits préfixes sont en fait des clitiques sujet. Tandis que par exemple les préfixes des classes nominales se rattachent uniquement à des substantifs et font donc obligatoirement partie de la morphologie des noms, les éléments dits préfixes sujet, tout comme certains item indépendants, peuvent être effacés, et sont facultatifs dans certaines tournures. Ce comporte- ment donne à penser que les éléments dits préfixes sujet ne constituent nullement une compo- sante obligatoire de la morphologie verbale du degema, bien qu’étant dépendants et exigeant donc la présence d’un item hôte auquel se rattacher. En somme, le fait que les éléments dits préfixes sujet peuvent être effacés donne à penser qu’il s’agit de clitiques (sujet) plutôt que de préfixes (sujet). 0. INTRODUCTION What we call clitics (see Kari 1997, 2003a, 2004b, among other works by the same author) used to be considered affixes (cf. Thomas 1966 and Kari 1991). The reanalysis is based on the fact that the so-called affixes attach to more than one gram- matical category (cf. Zwicky 1977 and Zwicky and Pullum 1983). These categories are auxiliary verbs, preverbal adverbs, pronouns and main verbs. Kari discusses two types of clitics, proclitics 3 (subject clitics) and enclitics (non-subject) clitics. Subject 1 Degema is an endangered Delta Edoid language of the Niger-Congo phylum. It has two highly mutually intelligible dialects—Usokun and Atala—spoken in Usokun-Degema and Degema Town communities re- spectively in Degema Local Government Area of Rivers State of Nigeria. The population that speaks De- gema is slightly above 20,000 (going by the 1991 Nigerian population census figures). The linguistic data in this paper are drawn from the Usokun dialect. Our discussion in this paper is eclectic. 2 I am grateful to the anonymous JWAL reviewer for his invaluable comments. I am also grateful to the same JWAL reviewer for translating the abstract for me into French. Furthermore, my gratitude goes to Ozo-mekuri Ndimele. I have benefited immensely from his wealth of knowledge about language and lin- guistics. All shortcomings in this paper are entirely mine. 3 Proclitics in Degema cannot be considered as merely free forms that are affected by surface harmony. If we understand free forms to be forms that can occur in isolation, like free roots, with identifiable meanings, then proclitics in Degema are not free forms, since they cannot occur in isolation with any identifiable meanings but must obligatorily attach to a host for the full realization of their meanings. In other words, the meanings of these proclitics are compositional, fully realized only in the context of a host. Furthermore,