The Nilo Saharan Languages

This volume contains 14 descriptive chapters and a collection of 4 transcribed texts in Mursi, a highly endangered language spoken in the Lower Omo Valley in Ethiopia.

No detailed description available for "Nilo-Saharan Proceedings".

Basic clause structures are illustrated and discussed in chapter seven, which includes declarative, interrogative, negative, imperative and exclamatory clauses. Copula clauses and verbless clauses are also discussed. Chapter eight deals with complex predicate structures, such as serialisation, consecutivisation and grammaticalisation. Chapter nine investigates and discusses complex clause structures, such as coordination, subordination, complementation and relativisation. Discourse features are analysed, exemplified and discussed in the last chapter. They include grounding, participant reference, marked focus, direct and indirect quotations and pragmatic particles. A conclusion at the end of each major section summarise the findings.

This book is an introduction to African languages and linguistics, covering typology, structure and sociolinguistics. The twelve chapters are written by a team of fifteen eminent Africanists, and their topics include the four major language groupings (Niger-Congo, Nilo-Saharan, Afroasiatic and Khoisan), the core areas of modern theoretical linguistics (phonology, morphology, syntax), typology, sociolinguistics, comparative linguistics, and language, history and society. Basic concepts and terminology are explained for undergraduates and non-specialist readers, but each chapter also provides an overview of the state of the art in its field, and as such will be referred to also by more advanced students and general linguists. The book brings this range of material together in accessible form for anyone wishing to learn more about this challenging and fascinating field.

Une source inconnue indique : "This book provides a comprehensive overview of current research in African languages, drawing on insights from anthropological linguistics, typology, historical and comparative linguistics, and sociolinguistics. It covers a wide range of topics, from grammatical sketches of individual languages to sociocultural and extralinguistic issues."