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The Bantoid Languages

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The Bantoid Languages THE BANTOID LANGUAGES Roger Blench DRAFT ONLY NOT TO BE QUOTED WITHOUT PERMISSION Roger Blench Kay Williamson Educational Foundation 8, Guest Road Cambridge CB1 2AL United Kingdom Voice/ Fax. 0044-(0)1223-560687 Mobile worldwide (00-44)-(0)7967-696804 E-mail [email protected] http://www.rogerblench.info/RBOP.htm The Bantoid languages: a monograph Draft not for circulation. Front matter TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION....................................................................................................................................... 1 2. THEORIES AND METHODS................................................................................................................... 1 2.1 Lexicostatistics and other mathematical methods ..............................................................................................1 2.2 Shared innovations ................................................................................................................................................2 2.3 Historical reconstruction.......................................................................................................................................3 3. HISTORICAL OVERVIEW...................................................................................................................... 3 4. [EAST] BENUE-CONGO........................................................................................................................... 8 4.1 Overview.................................................................................................................................................................8 5. BANTOID .................................................................................................................................................... 9 5.1 Overview.................................................................................................................................................................9 5.2 Dakoid...................................................................................................................................................................10 5.3 Mambiloid.............................................................................................................................................................12 5.3.1 Overview........................................................................................................................................ 12 5.3.2 Phonology ...................................................................................................................................... 14 5.3.3 Morphology.................................................................................................................................... 15 5.4 Tikar......................................................................................................................................................................15 5.4.1 Overview........................................................................................................................................ 15 5.5 Beboid ...................................................................................................................................................................17 5.5.1 Overview........................................................................................................................................ 17 5.5.2 Classification.................................................................................................................................. 19 5.5.3 Phonology ...................................................................................................................................... 20 5.5.4 Morphology.................................................................................................................................... 20 5.6 Buru.......................................................................................................................................................................20 5.7 Furu.......................................................................................................................................................................21 5.8 Tivoid ....................................................................................................................................................................22 5.8.1 Overview........................................................................................................................................ 22 5.8.2 Classification.................................................................................................................................. 23 5.8.3 Phonology ...................................................................................................................................... 23 5.9 Nyang [=Mamfe] ..................................................................................................................................................24 5.10 Ekoid ...................................................................................................................................................................25 5.11 Grassfields ..........................................................................................................................................................26 5.11.1 Introduction.................................................................................................................................. 26 5.11.2 Language groupings..................................................................................................................... 27 5.11.2.1 Ambele.................................................................................................................................... 27 5.11.2.2 Western Momo ....................................................................................................................... 29 5.11.2.3 Menchum ................................................................................................................................ 30 5.11.2.4 Narrow Grassfields ................................................................................................................. 30 5.11.2.4.1 General ........................................................................................................................... 30 5.11.2.4.2 Ring................................................................................................................................ 30 5.11.2.4.3 Momo ............................................................................................................................. 30 5.11.2.4.4 Eastern Grassfields......................................................................................................... 30 5.11.2.4.4.1 General .................................................................................................................... 30 5.11.2.4.4.2 Bamileke ................................................................................................................. 30 5.11.3.4.4.3 Ngemba cluster........................................................................................................ 31 5.11.3.4.4.4 Nun cluster .............................................................................................................. 31 5.11.3.4.4.5 Nkambe cluster........................................................................................................ 33 5.11.2.4.5 Synthesis ........................................................................................................................ 34 6. BANTU....................................................................................................................................................... 35 6.1 Overview...............................................................................................................................................................35 6.3 Jarawan.................................................................................................................................................................36 6.4 and the rest ...........................................................................................................................................................38 i The Bantoid languages: a monograph Draft not for circulation. Front matter BIBLIOGRAPHY ......................................................................................................................................... 38 ii The Bantoid languages: a monograph Draft not for circulation. Front matter TABLES Table 1. Categories of innovation in historical linguistics................................................................................ 2 Table 2. Bantoid languages in Koelle (1854).................................................................................................... 5 Table 3. Summary of data sources on Dakoid languages................................................................................ 11 Table 4. Possible fossil suffixes in Daka......................................................................................................... 12 Table 5. Extinct or moribund languages of the Mambila region..................................................................... 14 Table 6. Affixes in Mambiloid (adapted from Blench 1993).......................................................................... 15 Table 7. Possible fossil
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