DOCSLIB.ORG

Topics in Uduk Phonology and Morphosyntax

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Topics in Uduk Phonology and Morphosyntax Topics in Uduk Phonology and Morphosyntax Don Killian [email protected] University of Helsinki Finland September 2015 Key Words General Terms: dissertation, descriptive grammar, language typology, phonology, morphosyntax Additional Key Words and Phrases: language description, African languages, Nilo-Saharan languages Copyright ©Don Killian 2015 Department of World Cultures, African Studies University of Helsinki ISBN 978-951-51-1489-1 (paperback) ISBN 978-951-51-1490-7 (PDF) Helsinki 2015 Abstract This dissertation investigates the grammar and phonology of Uduk, a language belonging to the Koman branch of the Nilo-Saharan language family. Uduk is spoken by approximately 20 to 25,000 speakers, whose community homeland was in the southern part of the former Blue Nile Province of Sudan. Due to continuing war conditions since the late 1980s, the majority are now living scattered in the international diaspora, as well as in refugee camps in Ethiopia and South Sudan. The description provides an analysis of the phonology, morphology, and syntax based on thirteen months of fieldwork between 2011 and 2014. Included in the grammatical description are sixteen glossed texts, to help illustrate the grammar in context. Most major aspects of the language are described and analyzed in detail. This includes the segmental and suprasegmental phonology, nouns and noun phrases, pronouns and agreement marking, nominal and verbal modifiers, verbs and verb phrases, major clause types, and clause linking. Uduk has a rich phonology; the main dialect of Uduk has 55 contrastive con- sonant phonemes, 21 of which occur as a result of the secondary feature labi- alization. There are three contrastive tone levels in Uduk, and seven possible register/contour melodies on a single TBU. There is also a complex interaction between consonants and tone which has given rise to a depressor consonant effect. This is one of the first Nilo-Saharan languages known to have such. Argument structure and morphosyntax are equally interesting. Uduk has morph- ologically marked cases for both Accusative as well as Ergative, depending on the constituent order. Uduk nouns exhibit grammatical gender, the assignment of which has nearly no semantic correlations, even minimal ones relating to an- imacy or biological sex. Uduk verb forms use polysemous grammatical suffixes which mark either the location of an action or its internal aspect, and spatial deixis and aspect are heavily intertwined. Spatial orientation and location thus form a fundamental part of basic verbal inflectional categories. In addition to morphological marking on the basic verb root, many verbs ad- ditionally carry discontinuous incorporated nouns called Partarguments. Par- targuments are typically body parts, and may function either to classify an argument or then to change the basic meaning of the verb. These as well as other linguistic features make this description a valuable re- source for Nilo-Saharan linguists as well as those interested in the typology of African languages. Tiivistelmä Tämä väitöskirja tarkastelee nilosaharalaisen kielikunnan komakielten haaraan kuuluvan udukin kielen kielioppia ja fonologiaa. Udukilla on noin 20 000 - 25 000 puhujaa, joiden muodostaman kieliyhteisön alkuperäinen asuinalue sijaitsi aikoinaan Sudanin entisen Sinisen-Niilin provinssin eteläosassa. 1980- luvun lopulta jatkuneiden sotatoimien vuoksi suurin osa kielen puhujista on ha- jaantunut useiden valtioiden alueille sekä pakolaisleireille Etiopiassa ja Etelä- Sudanissa. Tämä väitöskirja tutkii udukin fonologiaa, morfologiaa ja syntaksia, ja siinä käytetty aineisto perustuu kolmentoista kuukauden kenttätyöhön, joka on to- teutettu vuosien 2011 ja 2014 välillä. Kieliopin kuvaukseen sisältyy kuusitoista kieliopillisesti analysoitua tekstiä, jotka havainnollistavat kielioppia käyttökon- tekstissaan. Kieliopin tärkeimmät ilmiöt on tässä tutkimuksessa kuvailtu ja analysoitu yksi- tyiskohtaisesti. Näihin kuuluvat segmentaalinen ja suprasegmentaalinen fonolo- gia, nominit ja nominilausekkeet, pronominit ja kongruenssi, nomini- ja ver- bimääreet, verbit ja verbilausekkeet, tärkeimmät lausetyypit sekä lauseiden yhdistäminen. Udukin fonologia on rikasta: valtamurteessa on 55 eri konsonanttifoneemia, joista 21 realisoituu sekundaarisen labialisaation seurauksena.Kielessä on kolme toonin perustaajuutta ja seitsemän mahdollista rekisterin/kontuurin sävelkulkua yhdessä toonia kantavassa yksikössä. Lisäksi konsonantit ja toonit vaikuttavat toisiinsa monimutkaisella tavalla, joka on tuottanut kieleen niin sanotun toonia madaltavan konsonantin vaikutuksen. Uduk on yksi ensimmäisistä nilosahar- alaisista kielistä, jossa tämä ilmiö on tavattu. Argumenttirakenne ja morfosyntaksi ovat yhtä lailla kiinnostavia. Udukissa voidaan merkitä morfologisesti sekä akkusatiivi- että ergatiivisija riippuen kon- stituenttien järjestyksestä. Udukissa nomineilla on kieliopillinen suku, jonka merkinnällä ei ole juuri minkäänlaista semanttista korrelaatiota edes elollisu- uden tai biologisen sukupuolen suhteen. Udukin verbimuodoissa käytetään polyseemisiä kieliopillisia suffikseja ilmaise- maan joko toiminnan sijaintia tai sen aspektia ja spatiaalinen deiksis ja aspekti ovat voimakkaasti sidoksissa toisiinsa. Näin ollen spatiaalisen orientaation ja lokaation merkintä on yksi tärkeimmistä verbien taivutuskategorioista. Verbivartaloon liittyvän morfologisen merkinnän lisäksi moniin verbeihin yhdis- tyy liitenomineja, osa-argumentteja. Ne ovat tyypillisesti kehonosien nimityk- siä ja voivat joko antaa tietoa argumentin luokasta tai muuttaa verbin perus- merkitystä. Yllä mainittujen ja eräiden muiden udukin kieliopin erityispiirteiden ansiosta tämä tutkimus toimii arvokkaana tietolähteenä nilosaharalaisten kielten tutk- ijoille sekä Afrikan kielten typologiasta kiinnostuneille kielitieteilijöille. Contents 1 Introduction 1 1.1 Demographics and Sociolinguistic Situation . 1 1.2 Classification . 3 1.3 Geography . 4 1.4 Historical and Cultural Notes . 6 1.5 Previous Research . 8 1.6 A typological overview of Uduk . 9 1.6.1 Phonology . 9 1.6.2 Basic Alignment and Word Order . 10 1.6.3 Morphosyntax . 12 1.6.3.1 Nominal and pronominal morphology . 12 1.6.3.2 Verbal morphology . 13 1.6.3.3 Syntax . 15 2 Segmental Phonology 17 2.1 Introduction . 17 2.2 Phonotactics . 19 2.3 Consonants . 20 2.3.1 Consonant Inventory . 20 2.3.2 Evidence for Consonantal Contrasts . 21 2.3.3 Interpretation of Labialization . 23 2.3.4 Distributional Restrictions . 25 2.3.5 Consonant Harmony . 27 2.3.6 Phonological Processes . 28 2.3.6.1 Word-final unreleased glottalized consonants . 29 2.3.6.2 Consonant Lenition . 29 2.3.6.3 Nasal Assimilation . 29 2.3.6.4 Plosive Insertion . 30 2.3.6.5 Automatic Labialization . 30 2.3.6.6 Processes Across Morpheme Boundaries . 30 2.3.7 Voiced Plosives . 31 2.4 Vowels . 32 2.4.1 Vowel Inventory . 32 2.4.2 Vowel Length . 33 2.4.3 Vowel Distribution . 34 2.4.4 Phonological Processes . 35 2.4.4.1 Vowel Insertion . 35 2.4.4.2 Vowel Assimilation . 35 2.5 Segmental Phonology of Loan Words . 37 i ii CONTENTS 3 Suprasegmental Phonology 39 3.1 Introduction . 39 3.2 Tone Inventory . 40 3.3 Diachronic Tonal Change and Depressor Consonants . 41 3.4 Tone in Lexical Roots . 45 3.4.1 Nouns . 45 3.4.2 Verbs . 46 3.4.3 Stative Verbs . 47 3.4.4 Other Tonal Patterns . 47 3.5 Leftward Realignment . 48 3.6 Tonal Interactions in Morphology . 51 3.6.1 Tone in Agreement Marking . 52 3.6.2 Tone Lowering . 52 3.6.2.1 Imperative . 52 3.6.2.2 Individuative . 53 3.6.2.3 Identification . 54 3.6.2.4 Genitive . 54 3.6.2.5 Associative . 55 3.6.2.6 Accusative . 56 3.6.2.7 Ergative . 57 3.6.3 Number-marking through tone . 59 4 Nominal Morphology and Phrase Structure 61 4.1 Introduction . 61 4.2 Number marking . 62 4.2.1 Introduction . 62 4.2.2 Associative Plural . 64 4.2.3 Individuative and Collective . 65 4.3 Gender . 67 4.3.1 Gender Marking . 70 4.4 Case . 73 4.4.1 Introduction . 73 4.4.2 Accusative . 76 4.4.3 Ergative . 78 4.4.4 Genitive . 84 4.4.5 Associative . 86 4.4.5.1 Associative Nasal . 88 4.5 Nominal Derivation and Compounding . 90 4.6 Generic Nouns . 93 4.6.1 Tō and mò .......................... 93 4.6.2 Definite Generic Nouns . 95 4.6.3 Indefinite Generic Nouns . 96 4.7 The Nominal Phrase . 96 4.7.1 Introduction . 96 4.7.2 Ordering inside the NP . 97 4.7.3 Agreement in the NP . 98 4.7.4 Attributive Possession and Association . 100 4.7.5 Prepositional phrases . 108 4.7.6 Relational noun phrases . 110 CONTENTS iii 5 Pronouns 113 5.1 Personal . 113 5.2 Pronominal clitics . 116 5.3 Possessive . 118 5.4 Emphatic . 119 5.5 Relative . 120 5.6 Reflexive and Reciprocal . 122 6 Modifiers and Modifying constructions 123 6.1 Introduction . 123 6.2 Prenominal modifiers . 123 6.3 Quantifiers . 129 6.3.1 Numerals . 129 6.3.2 Ordinal Numbers . 132 6.3.3 Other Quantifiers . 133 6.4 Color terms . 134 6.4.1 Adjectival Colors . 134 6.4.2 Other Color terms . 136 6.5 Modifiers derived from Stative verbs . 138 6.6 Ideophones . 139 6.7 Comparative Constructions . 140 6.8 Similative Constructions . 142 6.9 Adverbial constructions . 143 7 Demonstratives 149 7.1 Introduction . 149 7.2 Adnominal Demonstratives . 152 7.3 Adverbial Demonstratives . 156 7.4 Locative Demonstratives . 158 7.5 Predicative Demonstratives . 162 8 Verbal Predicates 167 8.1 Introduction . 167 8.2 The Structure of Verb Forms . 168 8.2.1 Finite verb core . ..
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Dissertations, Department of Linguistics
    UC Berkeley Dissertations, Department of Linguistics Title Theoretical and Typological Issues in Consonant Harmony Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9q7949gn Author Hansson, Gunnar Publication Date 2001 eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California Theoretical and Typological Issues in Consonant Harmony by Gunnar Ólafur Hansson B.A. (University of Iceland) 1993 M.A. (University of Iceland) 1997 M.A. (University of California, Berkeley) 1997 A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Linguistics in the GRADUATE DIVISION of the UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY Committee in charge: Professor Sharon Inkelas (Chair) Professor Andrew Garrett Professor Larry M. Hyman Professor Alan Timberlake Spring 2001 The dissertation of Gunnar Ólafur Hansson is approved: Chair Date Date Date Date University of California, Berkeley Spring 2001 Theoretical and Typological Issues in Consonant Harmony © 2001 by Gunnar Ólafur Hansson Abstract Theoretical and Typological Issues in Consonant Harmony by Gunnar Ólafur Hansson Doctor of Philosophy in Linguistics University of California, Berkeley Professor Sharon Inkelas, Chair The study of harmony processes, their phonological characteristics and parameters of typo- logical variation, has played a major role in the development of current phonological theory. Consonant harmony is a much rarer phenomenon than other types of harmony, and its typological properties are far less well known. Since consonant harmony often appears to involve assimilation at considerable distances, a proper understanding of its nature is crucial for theories of locality in segmental interactions. This dissertation presents a comprehensive cross-linguistic survey of consonant harmony systems. I show that the typology of such systems is quite varied as regards the properties that assimilate.
    [Show full text]
  • Historical Linguistics and the Comparative Study of African Languages
    Historical Linguistics and the Comparative Study of African Languages UNCORRECTED PROOFS © JOHN BENJAMINS PUBLISHING COMPANY 1st proofs UNCORRECTED PROOFS © JOHN BENJAMINS PUBLISHING COMPANY 1st proofs Historical Linguistics and the Comparative Study of African Languages Gerrit J. Dimmendaal University of Cologne John Benjamins Publishing Company Amsterdam / Philadelphia UNCORRECTED PROOFS © JOHN BENJAMINS PUBLISHING COMPANY 1st proofs TM The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American 8 National Standard for Information Sciences — Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48-1984. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Dimmendaal, Gerrit Jan. Historical linguistics and the comparative study of African languages / Gerrit J. Dimmendaal. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. 1. African languages--Grammar, Comparative. 2. Historical linguistics. I. Title. PL8008.D56 2011 496--dc22 2011002759 isbn 978 90 272 1178 1 (Hb; alk. paper) isbn 978 90 272 1179 8 (Pb; alk. paper) isbn 978 90 272 8722 9 (Eb) © 2011 – John Benjamins B.V. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, by print, photoprint, microfilm, or any other means, without written permission from the publisher. John Benjamins Publishing Company • P.O. Box 36224 • 1020 me Amsterdam • The Netherlands John Benjamins North America • P.O. Box 27519 • Philadelphia PA 19118-0519 • USA UNCORRECTED PROOFS © JOHN BENJAMINS PUBLISHING COMPANY 1st proofs Table of contents Preface ix Figures xiii Maps xv Tables
    [Show full text]
  • A Grammar of Luwo Culture and Language Use Studies in Anthropological Linguistics
    A Grammar of Luwo Culture and Language Use Studies in Anthropological Linguistics CLU-SAL publishes monographs and edited collections, culturally oriented grammars and dictionaries in the cross- and interdisciplinary domain of anthropological linguistics or linguistic anthropology. The series offers a forum for anthropological research based on knowledge of the native languages of the people being studied and that linguistic research and grammatical studies must be based on a deep understanding of the function of speech forms in the speech community under study. For an overview of all books published in this series, please see http://benjamins.com/catalog/clu Editor Gunter Senft Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen Volume 12 A Grammar of Luwo. An anthropological approach by Anne Storch A Grammar of Luwo An anthropological approach Anne Storch University of Cologne John Benjamins Publishing Company Amsterdam / Philadelphia TM The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of 8 the American National Standard for Information Sciences – Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ansi z39.48-1984. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Storch, Anne. A Grammar of Luwo : An anthropological approach / Anne Storch. p. cm. (Culture and Language Use, issn 1879-5838 ; v. 12) Includes bibliographical references and index. 1. Luwo language (South Sudan)--Grammar. 2. Luwo language (South Sudan)--Parts of speech. 3. Anthropological linguistics. I. Title. PL8143.S76 2014 496’.5--dc23 2014027010 isbn 978 90 272 0295 6 (Hb ; alk. paper) isbn 978 90 272 6937 9 (Eb) © 2014 – John Benjamins B.V. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, by print, photoprint, microfilm, or any other means, without written permission from the publisher.
    [Show full text]
  • Download Download
    Studies in African Linguistics Volume 33, Number 2 Fall 2004 TABLE OF CONTENTS Torben Andersen Jumjum phonology 133 Chris Collins The absence of the linker in double object 163 constructions in Nluu Margaret Dunham On the verbal system in Langi, a Bantu 199 language of Tanzania (F.33) Eileen Kilpatrick & The importance of word order in 235 Leoma Gilley explaining tone patterns in A vokaya verbs Publications received 261 Upcoming meetings on African languages/linguistics 267 Notice on supplement 268 Guidelines for contributors inside back cover Studies in African Linguistics Volume 33, Number 2,2004 JUMJUM PHONOLOGY' Torben Andersen Aalborg University This article describes the basic aspects of the phonology of Jumjum, a little­ known Western Nilotic language. The treatment includes syllable structure and word shapes, vowels and vowel harmony, consonants and consonant assimila­ tion, and tones and tonal processes. 1. Introduction Jumjum is a little-described Western Nilotic language spoken in the southern part of Blue Nile Province in Sudan. It belongs to the group of languages which Ev­ ans-Pritchard (1932) called Southern Burun, and which also includes Mabaan and Ulu. In Kohler's (1955) internal subgrouping of the Western Nilotic languages, Southern Burun and the neighbouring Northern Burun languages constitute one of three branches of Western Nilotic, the two other branches being Dinka-Nuer and the Luo languages. There are no previously published studies of Jumjum, except for two short word lists in Evans-Pritchard (1932: 28-31) and Bender (1971: 268).1 The data on which this article is based were collected during two trips to Khartoum in 2002 and 2004.
    [Show full text]
  • Topics in Uduk Phonology and Morphosyntax
    CORE Metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk Provided by Helsingin yliopiston digitaalinen arkisto Topics in Uduk Phonology and Morphosyntax Don Killian [email protected] University of Helsinki Finland September 2015 Key Words General Terms: dissertation, descriptive grammar, language typology, phonology, morphosyntax Additional Key Words and Phrases: language description, African languages, Nilo-Saharan languages Copyright ©Don Killian 2015 Department of World Cultures, African Studies University of Helsinki ISBN 978-951-51-1489-1 (paperback) ISBN 978-951-51-1490-7 (PDF) Helsinki 2015 Abstract This dissertation investigates the grammar and phonology of Uduk, a language belonging to the Koman branch of the Nilo-Saharan language family. Uduk is spoken by approximately 20 to 25,000 speakers, whose community homeland was in the southern part of the former Blue Nile Province of Sudan. Due to continuing war conditions since the late 1980s, the majority are now living scattered in the international diaspora, as well as in refugee camps in Ethiopia and South Sudan. The description provides an analysis of the phonology, morphology, and syntax based on thirteen months of fieldwork between 2011 and 2014. Included in the grammatical description are sixteen glossed texts, to help illustrate the grammar in context. Most major aspects of the language are described and analyzed in detail. This includes the segmental and suprasegmental phonology, nouns and noun phrases, pronouns and agreement marking, nominal and verbal modifiers, verbs and verb phrases, major clause types, and clause linking. Uduk has a rich phonology; the main dialect of Uduk has 55 contrastive con- sonant phonemes, 21 of which occur as a result of the secondary feature labi- alization.
    [Show full text]
  • The Historical-Comparative Status of East Sudanic 1 Research History and Inventory 2 Linguistic Evidence
    1 14th Nilo-Saharan Linguistics Colloquium Department of African Studies, University of Vienna, 30 May - 1 June 2019 2 (III) Greenberg's (1963) concept today widely accepted among Africanists (but see Köhler The historical-comparative status of East Sudanic 1955, Heine 1970) albeit with revisions > Tables 1+2 Tom Güldemann - subsumes today ca. 100 languages, which represents about half of the Nilo-Saharan total Humboldt University Berlin and MPI for the Science of Human History Jena - languages partly described poorly until today > inhibits conclusive historical assessment - 10-12 lineages, currently widest consensus about 10 including extinct ancient Meroitic 1 Research history and inventory - disagreement about internal classification (I) originates in pre-Greenbergian classifications but there divergent conceptualizations: Lineage No. 1 2 3 Areal affiliation according to Güldemann (2018a) a) Westermann (1911, 1912), Struck (1911/2) establish concept: Macro-area Accretion zone - genealogical entity of Sudanic in which East(ern) is contrasted to the West(ern) 'core' (Kuliak) 3 X East Sudan-Gregory Rift - East(ern) comprises particularly Nilotic, Nubian and geographic neighbors like Kunama Taman 4 X X Chad-Ethiopia > Westermann (1935, 1940) abandons wide Sudanic concept by excluding Nilotic and Nyimang 2 X X Chad-Ethiopia Nuba Mountains doubting membership of Nubian, Kunama etc. (cf. Murray's (1920) wide "Nilotic") Nara 1 X X Chad-Ethiopia Ethiopian escarpment b) Tucker (1940) builds directly on Westermann's later views: Northern Meroitic
    [Show full text]
  • Beja Versus Nilo-Saharan: on the Lexical Witness of Mutual Contacts
    FOLIA ORIENTALIA VOL. 51 2014 Václav Blažek Department of Linguistics and Baltic Studies Faculty of Arts, Masaryk University, Brno Czech Republic [email protected] BEJA VERSUS NILO-SAHARAN: ON THE LEXICAL WITNESS OF MUTUAL CONTACTS Abstract. In the article the mutual lexical connections between Beja and Nilo-Saharan neighbors, namely Nile-Nubian, Kunama and Nara, are summarized and analyzed from the point of view to determine the orientation of vector of borrowing. Keywords: Beja, Nilo-Saharan, Nubian, Kunama, Nara = Barea, language contact, lexical borrowing. In the recent time, namely in the 19th and 20th centuries, the Beja dialects were in a direct contact with three Nilo-Saharan groups: A. Nubian, represented by its northernmost branches, Nobiin and Kenuzi & Dongola; B. Kunama; C. Nara (= Barea). The main purpose of this study is to map these mutual contacts and to determine the vectors of borrowings. For this reason the Cushitic or Afroasiatic cognates for Beja and Nilo-Saharan cognates for Nubian, Kunama and Nara are analyzed. Most of the present comparisons were proposed by Reinisch 1874, 1890, 1895, 1911 (R74, R90, R95, R11), and summarized by Murray 1923 (M) A. Beja-Nubian lexical parallels 1. Beja émbaḍ, émbaj “(Stroh)matte” (R95, 16) = b’aḍ & umb’aḍ “birsh matting” (Roper) Nubian: KDM nébid “mat, bedding”, K also níbit (R11, 111; M 128). The primary source should be sought in Egyptian (New Kingdom) nbd “flechten; Flechtwerk, Geflochtenes (Korb, Sieb etc.)” (Wb. II, 246), Demotic nbt “to 319 Václav Blažek wrap; wicker-work”, Coptic Bohairic nubt “to weave”, nebti “plait, tress” (Černý 1976, 107).
    [Show full text]
  • Complete Paper
    Grammatical Change and Emblematic Features in Western Nilotic Anne Storch University of Cologne 1. Irregularity and grammatical change1 Apart from internal dynamics, language change is specifically attributed to a number of external factors that all deal with the transmission of language and culture. Language contact is usually regarded as the major external stimulus for linguistic change. Research during the past ten years very much focused on linguistic areas as a specifically intensive and long-lasting form of contact. The more models of genetic relationships remain hard to prove as linguistic realities —e.g. in the cases of Atlantic and Nilo-Saharan— the more it has to be taken into account that a complex contact history and a history of linguistic taboos, manipulations and language planning contribute to a blurred picture of language origins in Africa. In particular, extreme contact situations such as in linguistic areas are very likely to have produced intertwined languages (Bakker & Mous 1994), linguistic isolates, and perhaps new language families. In exploring linguistic areas we may grasp the importance of social history in language classification. The concepts of language attitude and social history here imply the presence of cultural and social proscription in language change. Besides internal motivations for grammatical change, different borrowing routines exist in any natural language, such as convergence with varying specific (not any) contact languages, intra-dialectal diffusion depending on prestige, and numerous strata of loans besides strata without lexical loans. Consequently, there are competing changes in the grammatical system which are finally responsible for the accumulation or the discharge of linguistic residue.
    [Show full text]
  • Occasional Papers in the Study of Sudanese Languages #9
    OCCASIONAL PAPERS in the study of SUDANESE LANGUAGES No. 9 The Sounds and Tones of Fur Constance Kutsch Lojenga and Christine Waag................................ 1 Issues in Toposa Orthography Martin C. Schröder........................................................................... 27 A Journey in Orthography Evaluation - My Otuho Experience John Duerksen.................................................................................. 39 Kadugli-Krongo Ed Hall and Marian Hall .................................................................. 57 Dinka - Nuer Orthographies John Duerksen.................................................................................. 69 Bongo-Bagirmi Languages in Sudan Janet Persson .................................................................................. 77 Orthographies of Moru-Ma'di languages Eileen Kilpatrick.............................................................................. 85 Phonology of the These Language May Yip............................................................................................ 93 A Brief Description of the Current Talodi Orthographies Tanya Spronk................................................................................. 119 Phonology and Orthography in Gaahmg Timothy M. Stirtz........................................................................... 127 Didinga Orthography Nicky de Jong................................................................................. 145 The Lwoian Family Leoma G. Gilley............................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Studies in African Linguistics Volume 32, Number ],2003 DYNAMICS OF
    Studies in African Linguistics Volume 32, Number ],2003 DYNAMICS OF INTERACTING POPULATIONS: LANGUAGE CONTACT IN THE LWOO LANGUAGES OF BAHR EL-GHAZAL* Anne Storch Institut fur Afrikanische Sprachwissenschaften Johann Wolfgang Goethe-University Number inflection systems in Western Nilotic languages appear highly complex and diverse. Comparative work on Nilotic and other Nilo-Saharan families has shown that these languages have a morphologically tripartite system with marked plurals and a bare root singular, marked singulatives constructed from unmarked collectives, and a replacement pattern with morphologically marked singulars and plurals. Historical comparison of the formatives used to construct the different number categories has proven difficult. A number of little-explored Western Nilotic languages of Bahr el-Ghazal have been in contact with Niger-Congo (pre­ dominantly Ubangi) languages and have undergone typological as well as specific grammatical changes. An investigation into the historical and present contact situations is needed in order to shed light on how the number inflection systems of these languages were created historically. Sprachbund phenomena include the dif­ fusion of a ka- plural prefix into the Belanda languages, while a convergence phe­ nomenon whose origin is probably more recent is the gradual loss of suffixing singulatives in the Lwoo languages that are in contact with Niger-Congo, which itself does not use singulatives. Retentions and innovations within the system of , This is an expanded version of a paper presented at the Nilotic Languages Workshop at the Max Planck-Institute, Leipzig, in summer 2002. The author wishes to express her gratitude to AI-Amin Abu-Manga, Thorben Andersen, Gerritt Dimmendaal, Leoma Gilley, Clement Mur'ba Wau, Doris Payne, Mechthild Reh, Rainer Vossen, Herrmann Jungraithmayr, David Odden and an anonymous referee for their many helpful comments and their assistance in many ways.
    [Show full text]
  • Theoretical and Typological Issues in Consonant Harmony by Gunnar Ólafur Hansson BA
    Theoretical and Typological Issues in Consonant Harmony by Gunnar Ólafur Hansson B.A. (University of Iceland) 1993 M.A. (University of Iceland) 1997 M.A. (University of California, Berkeley) 1997 A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Linguistics in the GRADUATE DIVISION of the UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY Committee in charge: Professor Sharon Inkelas (Chair) Professor Andrew Garrett Professor Larry M. Hyman Professor Alan Timberlake Spring 2001 The dissertation of Gunnar Ólafur Hansson is approved: Chair Date Date Date Date University of California, Berkeley Spring 2001 Theoretical and Typological Issues in Consonant Harmony © 2001 by Gunnar Ólafur Hansson Abstract Theoretical and Typological Issues in Consonant Harmony by Gunnar Ólafur Hansson Doctor of Philosophy in Linguistics University of California, Berkeley Professor Sharon Inkelas, Chair The study of harmony processes, their phonological characteristics and parameters of typo- logical variation, has played a major role in the development of current phonological theory. Consonant harmony is a much rarer phenomenon than other types of harmony, and its typological properties are far less well known. Since consonant harmony often appears to involve assimilation at considerable distances, a proper understanding of its nature is crucial for theories of locality in segmental interactions. This dissertation presents a comprehensive cross-linguistic survey of consonant harmony systems. I show that the typology of such systems is quite varied as regards the properties that assimilate. In spite of this variation, they share a remarkably uniform typo- logical profile. For example, the default directionality is anticipatory, with progressive har- mony arising from stem-control effects.
    [Show full text]
  • Annotated Swadesh Wordlists for the West Nilotic Group (East Sudanic Family)
    [Text version of database, created 31/01/2018]. Annotated Swadesh wordlists for the West Nilotic group (East Sudanic family). Languages included: Nuer [wnl-nue]; Dinka [wnl-dnk]; Thok Reel [wnl-rel]; Mabaan [wnl-mab]; Jumjum [wnl-jum]; Kurmuk [wnl-krm]; Mayak [wnl-may]; Shilluk [wnl-shl]. DATA SOURCES I. General Bender 1971 = Bender, Lionel M. 1971. The Languages of Ethiopia: A New Le- xicostatistic Classification and Some Problems of Diffusion. In: Anthropological Linguistics 13(5): 165-288. // A lexicostatistical study of most of the languages of Ethiopia. Includes slightly modified Swadesh wordlists for a large number of Cushitic, Omotic, Ethiosemitic, and Nilo-Saharan (Nilotic, Surmic, Koman, etc.) languages. Unfortunately, the survey suffers from numerous inaccuracies of phonetic transcription and semantic glossing, making it practically unusable as a primary source for any of the languages concerned. Storch 2005 = Storch, Anne. 2005. The Noun Morphology of Western Nilotic. Köln: Rüdiger Köppe Verlag. // A monograph on the synchronic and diachronic mechanisms of nominal paradigm formation in West Nilotic languages. Includes a lot of illustrative data, much of it collected by the author in person. II. Nuer Kiggen 1948 = Kiggen, J. 1948. Nuer-English Dictionary. Nederland: Drukkeri van het Missiehuis, Steyl bij Tegelen. // As of now, this source remains the single largest officially published document on Nuer lexicography. Precise dialect is not indicated, although the dictionary occasionally indicates dialectal variants. Accuracy of transcription is debatable, since the author clearly did not have a full comprehension of the extremely complicated vowel system of Nuer. 1 Frank 1999 = Frank, Wright Jay. 1999. Nuer Noun Morphology. M.
    [Show full text]