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