Bantu Historical Linguistics: Theoretical and Empirical Perspectives (Center for the Study of Language and Information - Lecture Notes)

This collection brings together most of the world's leading Bantuists, as well as some of the most promising younger scholars interested in the history, comparison, and description of Bantu languages. The Bantu languages, numbering as many as 500, have been at the center of cutting-edge theoretical research in phonology, morphology, syntax and semantics. Besides the issues of classification and internal sub-grouping, this volume treats historical and comparative aspects of many of the significant typological features for which this language group is known: vowel height harmony, noun classes, elaborate tense-aspect systems, etc. The result is a compilation that provides the most up-to-date understanding of these and other issues that will be of interest not only to Bantuists and historical linguists, but also to those interested in the phonological, morphological and semantic issues arising within these highly agglutinative Bantu languages. Towards A Historical Classification Of East African Bantu Languages / Derek Nurse -- Subclassifying Bantu / Christopher Ehret -- Classifications Lexicostatistiques : Bantou, Bantou Et Bantoïde / Yvonne Bastin & Pascale Piron -- A Note On Historical And Geographical Relations Among The Bantu Languages / Michael Mann -- Contact And Lexicostatistics In Comparative Bantu Studies / Thomas J. Hinnebusch -- Nasal Vowel Creation Without Nasal Consonant Deletion, And The Eventual Loss Of Nasal Vowels Thus Created : The Pre-bantu Case / John M. Stewart -- The Historical Interpretation Of Vowel Harmony In Bantu / Larry M. Hyman -- Remarks On The Sound Correspondences Between Proto-bantu And Tswana (s.31) / Denis Creissels -- Vowel Systems And Spirantization In S.w. Tanzania / Catherine Labroussi. Katupa's Law In Makhuwa / Thilo C. Schadeberg -- Unresolved Puzzles In Bantu Historical Tonology / Gérard Philippson -- L'augment En Bantou Du Nord-ouest / Claire Grégoire & Baudouin Janssens -- Les Formes Nomino-verbales De Classes 5 Et 15 Dans Les Langues Bantoues Du Nord-ouest / Pascale Hadermann -- Future And Distal -ka-'s : Proto-bantu Or Nascent Form(s)? / Robert Botne -- Tense And Aspect In Lacustrine Bantu Languages / Derek Nurse & Henery Muzale -- The Genesis Of Verbal Negation In Bantu And Its Dependency On Functional Features Of Clause Types / Tom Güldemann. Edited By Jean-marie Hombert & Larry M. Hyman. Based On Papers Presented At A Conference Held At The Université Lumière Lyon2 On May 30-june 1, 1996. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. English, With Three Papers In French. Half Title......Page 1 Title......Page 3 Contents......Page 5 Preface......Page 7 Nurse: Towards a Historical Classification of East African Bantu Languages......Page 11 Ehret: Subclassifying Bantu: the evidence of stem morpheme innovation......Page 53 Bastinet, Piron: Classifications lexicostatistiques: bantou, bantou et bantoide. De l'interet des 'groupes flottants'......Page 159 Mann: A note on historical and geographical relations among the Bantu languages......Page 175 Hinnebusch: Contact and lexicostatistics in Comparative Bantu studies......Page 183 Steward: Nasal vowel creation without nasal consonant deletion, and the eventual loss of nasal vowels thus created: the pre-Bantu case......Page 217 Hyman: The historical interpretation of vowel harmony in Bantu......Page 245 Creissels: Remarks on the sound correspondences between Proto-Bantu and Tswana (S.31)......Page 307 Labroussi: Vowel systems and spirantization in S.W. Tanzania......Page 345 Schadeberg: Katupa's Law in Makhuwa......Page 389 Philippson: *HH and *HL Tone Patterns in Bemba and the Bemba Tone System......Page 405 Gregoire, Janssens: L'augment en bantou du nord-ouest......Page 423 Hadermann: Les formes nomino-verbales de classes 5 et 15 dans les langues bantoues du Nord-Ouest......Page 441 Botne: Future and distal -ka-'s: Proto-Bantu or nascent form(s)......Page 483 Nurse, Muzale: Tense and aspect in Lacustrine Bantu languages......Page 527 Guldemann: The genesis of verbal negation in Bantu and its dependency on functional features of clause types......Page 555 Language Index......Page 599