The Oxford Handbook of African Languages (Oxford Handbooks)

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. Africa is believed to host at least one third of the world's languages, usually classified into four phyla - Niger-Congo, Afro-Asiatic, Nilo-Saharan, and Khoisan - which are then subdivided into further families and subgroupings. This volume explores all aspects of research in the field, beginning with chapters that cover the major domains of grammar and comparative approaches. Later parts provide overviews of the phyla and subfamilies, alongside grammatical sketches of eighteen representative African languages of diverse genetic affiliation. The volume additionally explores multiple other topics relating to African languages and linguistics, with a particular focus on extralinguistic issues: language, cognition, and culture, including colour terminology and conversation analysis; language and society, including language contact and endangerment; language and history; and language and orature. This wide-ranging handbook will be a valuable reference for scholars and students in all areas of African linguistics and anthropology, and for anyone interested in descriptive, documentary, typological, and comparative linguistics. Cover 1 Contents 6 Part I: Introduction 36 1. Introduction 38 Part II: Domains of grammar 46 2. Phonology and phonetics 48 3. Tone 65 4. Morphology 83 5. Syntax 101 Part III: Language comparison 124 6. African language types 126 7. Dialectology and linguistic geography 139 8. Reflections on the history of African language classification 160 Part IV: Language phyla and families 172 9. Niger-Congo, with a special focus on Benue-Congo 174 10. Atlantic 196 11. Mande 209 12. Kwa 219 13. Gur 226 14. Bantu and Bantoid 240 15. Adamawa 255 16. Ubangi 266 17. Kordofanian 274 18. Afro-Asiatic overview 304 19. Egyptian 310 20. Berber 316 21. East Cushitic 325 22. North Cushitic 335 23. Central Cushitic 343 24. South Cushitic 358 25. Omotic 366 26. Chadic 376 27. Ethio-Semitic 394 28. Nilo-Saharan and its limits 399 29. Saharan 418 30. Eastern Sudanic 427 31. Central Sudanic 443 32. Khoisan 454 33. Linguistic isolates 463 Part V: Language structures: case studies 472 34. Bom-Kim 474 35. Dan 486 36. Biali 498 37. Yukuben 512 38. Bende 530 39. Waja 542 40. Zande 556 41. Zenaga 565 42. Sidaama 578 43. Kolisi 588 44. Iraqw 612 45. Wandala 633 46. Kumam 646 47. Baale 665 48. Songhay Languages 679 49. Cara 689 50. ǁXʼegwi 705 51. Sandawe 717 Part VI: Language, cognition, and culture 728 52. Ideophones 730 53. Color term systems: Genetic vs. areal distribution in sub-Saharan Africa 739 54. Experiencer construction 750 55. Language and ethnobotany 767 56. Distinctive languages 785 57. Conversation analysis 800 58. Cognition and language 815 Part VII: Language and society 830 59. Indigenous African scripts 832 60. Language policy and politics 848 61. Language and education 856 62. Language endangerment, documentation, and revitalization 868 63. Language birth: Youth/town language 878 64. Language contact 893 65. Mixed languages: The case of Maʼa/Mbugu 906 66. African languages in the diaspora 913 67. Pidgin and creole languages 924 68. Sign languages 934 69. Arabic in Africa 940 70. Orthography standardization 952 71. Pragmatics and communication 973 72. African languages in information and communcations technology 984 Part VIII: Language and history 994 73. Words, things, and meaning: Linguistics as a tool for historical reconstruction 996 74. Language and archaeology 1008 Part IX: Language and orature 1018 75. Narratives 1020 76. Proverbs 1029 77. Poetry 1051 Author Index 1062 Language Index 1084 Subject Index 1098 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. Africa is believed to host at least one third of the world's languages, usually classified into four phyla - Niger-Congo, Afro-Asiatic, Nilo-Saharan, and Khoisan - which are then subdivided into further families and subgroupings. This volume explores all aspects of research in the field, beginning with chapters that cover the major domains of grammar and comparative approaches. Later parts provide overviews of the phyla and subfamilies, alongside grammatical sketches of eighteen representative African languages of diverse genetic affiliation. The volume additionally explores multiple other topics relating to African languages and linguistics, with a particular focus on extralinguistic issues: language, cognition, and culture, including colour terminology and conversation analysis; language and society, including language contact and endangerment; language and history; and language and orature. This wide-ranging handbook will be a valuable reference for scholars and students in all areas of African linguistics and anthropology, and for anyone0interested in descriptive, documentary, typological, and comparative linguistics