A Grammatical Overview of Lingála

Michael Meeuwis
University of Ghent

Lingála is a Bantu language of Zone C, with a total of approximately 25 million native speakers and lingua franca users. It is spoken in the western and northern parts of the DR Congo (including in Kinshasa), in the Republic of the Congo (including in Brazzaville), and in northern Angola. It is also widely used among members of the Central-African diaspora throughout the Western world. Lingála’s origins go back to the pidginization of Bobangi in the 1880s, an episode to which it still owes a reduced system of noun-class agreement, as well as grammatical and lexical generalizations. Its grammar and lexicon later expanded under the influence of other languages. The system of noun-class agreement has remained limited, while many other grammatical sub-systems, such as verbal TA categories and the organization of verbal derivations, nowadays display considerable complexity.

A wide range of grammaticalization processes are still ongoing, affecting nouns, pronouns, numerals, as well as verbs. Of note are Lingála’s profuse application of nominal prefix stacking, especially with the near-generalized prefix ba-, the rigidity of the use of the connective with some adnominals in the noun phrase, and the range of periphrastic verb forms, among others.

Michael Meeuwis is professor of African languages and linguistics at the University of Ghent, Belgium. He has published widely on the grammar and history of Lingála.

ISBN 9783862880232. LINCOM Studies in African Linguistics 81. 209pp. 2010.

Zialo: the Newly-Discovered Mande Language of Guinea

Kirill Babaev
Russian Academy of Science, Moscow

The book is the first grammar description of the newly discovered language of Zialo, spoken by some 25,000 people in the Republic of Guinea in West Africa. The language belongs to the South-Western group of the Mande language family. Before 2010, no grammar, article or vocabulary of Zialo was ever published.

The book presents a survey of the language according to the contemporary standards of language descriptions. Phonology, morphonology, tonology, morphology and syntax are analysed, with a specific focus to the syntactic structure of the language. The book also gives a brief insight into the linguistic geography of Zialo, its dialectal diversity, neighbours and language contacts. The description is supported by over 600 phrasal examples, all of which are fully glossed according to the Leipzig rules of glossing. All word or phrase examples throughout the text are fully tone-marked. The grammar is followed by Appendices including three sample texts in Zialo with glosses, he 100-item Swadesh list of basic lexicon, and the Zialo to English and French vocabulary, consisting of over 2,000 entries.

The bibliography list covers about 200 reference papers. The book contains two maps (of the South-Western Mande languages, and the Zialo language), three diagrams and over 30 charts.

ISBN 9783862880164 (Hardbound). LINCOM Studies in African Linguistics 82. 260pp. 2010.

Temne Phonology and Morphology

M. Sorie Yillah

University of Tabuk

Temne is a southern West Atlantic language which is spoken in the Northern Province of Sierra Leone. The aim of this study is primarily descriptive: to provide a systematic account of the sounds and forms of the language.

Chapter 1 presents a general introduction to the segmental phonology of Temne. Chapter 2 examines the morphophonology of the specifier system of the noun phrase and provides a new classification of the singular / plural, definite / indefinite pairings. In Chapter 3, the pronominal system and in Chapter 4, Numerals, Prepositions, and Adverbials are discussed. In Chapter 5 the verbal complex is examined. Although this study does not contain an explicit tonology chapter, the author deals with tone rules throughout whenever they shed light on phonological or morphological processes, e.g., the reattachment of the tones of deleted segments. The tone is always marked.

ISBN 9783862880485. LINCOM Studies in African Linguistics 83. 211pp. 2011.

Encoding Emotions in African Languages

Gian Claudio Batic

Department of African Studies
University of Naples "L'Orientale"

This edited book deals with the linguistic encoding of emotions in the following African languages: the Bantu-Botatwe group, Wolof, Dogon, Hausa, Igbo, Nigerian English Pidgin, Tupuri, and Akan. The contributions included in the volume present a variety of approaches and research perspectives ranging from historical linguistics and ethnoliniguistics to cultural-cognitive and discourse analysis. Each chapter develops a different topic discussing it in detail and from (what we believe to be) an original standpoint.

Contents:

1. Affect in Ancient Africa: Historical Linguistics and the Challenge of 'Emotion Talk’, Karthryn M. de Luna - 2. From Body to Emotion in Wolof: a Phraseology Process, Olivier Bondéelle - 3. Structural Correlates of ‘liver’ Expressions in Dogon Emotional Vocabulary, Laura McPherson and Kirill Prokhorov - 4. Emotions, Colours and Qualities: an Overview of Hausa Ideophones, Sergio Baldi - 5. The Syntax and Semantics of Igbo Verbs of Emotion, Maduabuchi Agbo - 6. Nigerian Pidgin and the Construction of Emotions in Clinical Encounters, Akin Odebunmi - 7. Fear as a Factor in Including Outsiders among the Tupuri (Chad), Elisa Fiorio - 8. Emotion Language in Akan: the Case of Anger, Gladys Nyarko Ansah - 9. Love Encoding in Hausa: Sources and Conceptual Models, Gian Claudio Batic.

ISBN 9783862880492. LINCOM Studies in African Languages 84. 160pp. 2011.

Readings in African Dialectology and Applied Linguistics

Felix Abídèmí Fábùnmi & Akeem Ségun Sàláwù (eds.)
Obafemi Awolowo University

Readings in African Dialectology and Applied Linguistics is a resource book that covers a wide range of topics on African Dialectology, Dialect-Syntax, Syntax and Phonology, Sociolinguistics, Applied Linguistics and Literary Criticism. It is also an outlet for researchers in the field of microcomparative African Dialectology. The goal is to stimulate cooperation in the study of dialect syntax and dialectology within the purview of African Studies. The presentations in this book are approached in various ways: empirical viewpoints, thematic analysis, micro- and macro comparative studies, etc.

The book consists of thirty chapters written by scholars from different linguistic disciplines but with focus on African dialectology. It is divided into four sections, each section containing chapters that address specific thematic issues. Section One contains eight chapters that address issues on African dialect syntax. Section Two has nine chapters which focus on applied linguistics, dialectology and literary criticism. Section Three, which has five chapters, deals with sociolinguistics issues. The last section contains eight chapters; it focuses syntactic and phonological issues.

The book is edited by two Nigerian scholars, Felix Abídèmí Fábùnmi and Akeem Ségun Sàláwù, both of the Department of Linguistics and African Languages, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife.

ISBN 9783862884179. LINCOM Studies in African Linguistics 85. 542pp. 2013.

Morphosyntaxe du kuwaataay

Langue atlantique du Senegal

Jules Jacques Georges Coly
University of Cologne

Le kuwaataay, langue d’environ 6.000 locuteurs, appartient à la famille atlantique du phylum Niger-Congo. Elle est membre du groupe jóola dont les langues du même nom constituent la majorité des langues – autrement - connues sous l’appellation ‘bak’. Ces sont toutes parlées au sud du fleuve Gambie dans la région naturelle de la Casamance au Sénégal. S’il est vrai que ces langues ont très tôt attiré l’attention de nombreux voyageurs, linguistes, ethnographes etc., il n’en demeure pas moins qu’un nombre infime d’entre-elles a fait l’objet d’une documentation poussée. Aussi, le kuwaataay n’échappe t-il pas à ce lot. Dès lors, la présente étude morphosyntaxique constitue non seulement une contribution majeure dans la description du kuwaataay, langue dont la documentation reste à ce jour pratiquement inexistante, mais encore un ouvrage important pour la comparaison des langues atlantiques.

L’ouvrage comporte les chapitres suivants : (1) Introduction, (2) Phonologie, (3) Morphophonologie, (4) Système nominal, (5) Système verbal, (6) Autres catégories grammaticales, (7) Types de prédications, (8) Modifications de la valence, (9) Localisation, direction et manière, (10) Phrase complexe et (11) Topicalisation, Focalisation et Interrogation.

ISBN 9783862883981. LINCOM Studies in African Linguistics 86. 312pp. 2012.

Setswana Syntax

A survey of word group structures

Vol I.

Casper J.H. Krüger

This contribution is an attempt to describe the syntax of Setswana and word group structures in particular. Setswana is an African language spoken in the north-western regions of the Republic of South Africa (RSA) and in Botswana, a neighbouring state to the west of the RSA. It includes approximately seven closely related dialects and it is roughly estimated that it is spoken by about three million speakers. Setswana is an agglutinating language in which the system of noun classes, 18 in total, (characterised by prefixes for singular and plural) is a distinctive feature. These classes dominate the morphological and syntactic system of the language by means of agreement morphemes (also called concordial morphemes), which are derived from the prefixes of the different noun classes. They provide agreement between the functional classes of subjects, objects, predicates, pronouns and qualifiers of various types. It has no case system or gender system.

The following aspects have to be paid attention to since they cause problems in describing syntax and word group structures as every grammarian would know (cf. Krüger, CJH: 2006. Introduction to the Morphology of Setswana. Lincom Europa: Studies in African Linguistics):

(a) The controversial problem of word division and word identification as expressed by the conjunctive (official system for Nguni), the disjunctive (official system for Sotho) and the semi-conjunctive systems of word division used in the South-Eastern Zone of African Languages. The latter is found to be the most suitable system for describing the features of word groups.

(b) The controversial problem of developing a suitable word class system, which is necessary for a systematic and consistent description of syntactic structures. The different word class systems in use, are caused by the above mentioned orthographic systems.

(c) The development of an appropriate model or approach for consistent description of word groups and their formation in which the findings of (a) and (b) above, play a vital role (cf. ch.1.12).

Prof. Krüger is professor emeritus of African Languages at the North-West University (Potchefstroom Campus) South Africa, and Extraordinary Professor at the Research unit for Language and Literature at the same university. After his retirement he was also appointed in a temporary capacity at the Mamelodi campus of the then Vista University in Tshwane for a period of four years.

Vol 1: ISBN 9783862884544. Lincom Studies in African Linguistics 87. 272pp. 2013.

Casper J.H. Krüger

This contribution is an attempt to describe the syntax of Setswana and word group structures in particular. Setswana is an African language spoken in the north-western regions of the Republic of South Africa (RSA) and in Botswana, a neighbouring state to the west of the RSA. It includes approximately seven closely related dialects and it is roughly estimated that it is spoken by about three million speakers. Setswana is an agglutinating language in which the system of noun classes, 18 in total, (characterised by prefixes for singular and plural) is a distinctive feature. These classes dominate the morphological and syntactic system of the language by means of agreement morphemes (also called concordial morphemes), which are derived from the prefixes of the different noun classes. They provide agreement between the functional classes of subjects, objects, predicates, pronouns and qualifiers of various types. It has no case system or gender system.

The following aspects have to be paid attention to since they cause problems in describing syntax and word group structures as every grammarian would know (cf. Krüger, CJH: 2006. Introduction to the Morphology of Setswana. Lincom Europa: Studies in African Linguistics):

(a) The controversial problem of word division and word identification as expressed by the conjunctive (official system for Nguni), the disjunctive (official system for Sotho) and the semi-conjunctive systems of word division used in the South-Eastern Zone of African Languages. The latter is found to be the most suitable system for describing the features of word groups.

(b) The controversial problem of developing a suitable word class system, which is necessary for a systematic and consistent description of syntactic structures. The different word class systems in use, are caused by the above mentioned orthographic systems.

(c) The development of an appropriate model or approach for consistent description of word groups and their formation in which the findings of (a) and (b) above, play a vital role (cf. ch.1.12).

Prof. Krüger is professor emeritus of African Languages at the North-West University (Potchefstroom Campus) South Africa, and Extraordinary Professor at the Research unit for Language and Literature at the same university. After his retirement he was also appointed in a temporary capacity at the Mamelodi campus of the then Vista University in Tshwane for a period of four years.

Vol 2: ISBN 9783862884575. Lincom Studies in African Linguistics 88. 540pp. 2013.

Critical Issues in the Study of Linguistics, Languages & Literatures in Nigeria

A Festschrift for Conrad Max Benedict Brann

Ozo-mekuri Ndimele, Imelda Icheji Lawrence Udoh & Ogbonna Anyanwu (eds.)
University of Port Harcourt, University of Uyo

The book contains thirty-five (35) well-researched papers on virtually all genres in the study of languages, linguistics and literatures in Nigeria. The papers were carefully selected from a pool of over 100 papers read at the 21st Annual Conference of the Linguistic Association of Nigeria which was devoted to Professor Emeritus Conrad Max Benedict Brann to celebrate his immense contribution to quality scholarship, particularly in sociolinguistics and language education in Nigeria. These 35 papers are representatives of the current state of research in linguistics, languages and literatures in Nigeria. The book addresses the needs of a variety of readers. First, it will serve as an invaluable reference material for researchers interested in the study of both secular and formal areas of linguistics as well as literatures in Nigeria. It will also cater for the needs of absolute beginners in the study of languages, linguistics and literatures. There are a number of papers focusing on language documentation, which is a new focus of interest in the study of languages in Nigeria. A great many Nigerian languages, including the three (3) major ones: Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba, are at varying stages of endangerment, which makes language documentation in Nigeria an urgent exercise.

ISBN 9783862884599. Lincom Studies in African Linguistics 89. 601pp. 2013.