This book is the first general introduction to African languages and linguistics to be published in English. It covers 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 nonspecialist readers, but each chapter also provides an overview of the state of the art in its field, and as such will be referred to by more advanced students and general linguists.
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"It should be in any academic library that supports curricula in linguistics, African languages, or broader programs of African studies." Choice
"This book provides a thorough introduction to African languages and linguistics, covering typology, structure and sociolinguistics." African Sun Times
"The contributors are outstanding scholars, and they provide excellent and easy-to-read pieces...At present, no other text offers such a broad coverage of the diverse African language families; hence, this volume is an extraordinary resources for students and scholars interested in the study of African languages...This volume is a succesful introduction to African languages and linguistics." Anthropological Linguistics
"The book has a substantial bibliography and extremely useful indexes of authors, language names, and subjects. It should be in any academic library that supports curricula in lingustics, African languages, or broader programs of African studies. It may well be assigned as a textbook, so should certainly be in the regular stacks, but is easy enough to use and covers so much information that it could also serve well in reference collection." Choice
"This book provides a thorough introduction to African languages and linguistics, covering typology, structure and sociolinguistics." African Sun Times
"The contributors are outstanding scholars, and they provide excellent and easy-to-read pieces...At present, no other text offers such a broad coverage of the diverse African language families; hence, this volume is an extraordinary resources for students and scholars interested in the study of African languages...This volume is a succesful introduction to African languages and linguistics." Anthropological Linguistics
"The book has a substantial bibliography and extremely useful indexes of authors, language names, and subjects. It should be in any academic library that supports curricula in lingustics, African languages, or broader programs of African studies. It may well be assigned as a textbook, so should certainly be in the regular stacks, but is easy enough to use and covers so much information that it could also serve well in reference collection." Choice
Book Description
This book is the first general introduction to African languages and linguistics to be published in English. It covers 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.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
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for students of linguistics,
By Yago (Colorado, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: African Languages: An Introduction (Paperback)
This book has been generally well compiled, and well written. Be aware, though, that while it is a good introduction for "undergraduate students" it is still intended for college students of linguistics, as you will find much terminology relating to linguistics and little attempt to explain that terminology. If you are interested in a hair-splitting comparison-based analysis of african languages according to their lexical, syntactical, and morphological features, this book is for you. If you're interested in actually learning one of these african languages, this book isn't for you.
The book does claim to have something for everyone (intersted in african languages), such as a section on socio-linguistics. And that may be true. In the end, though, it would probably serve most people as an only-occasionally-consulted reference book for the library, as it does have an extensive index of languages by name, and a subject index, allowing you to locate, for example, the page discussing ergativity. I have to admit that I'm not in the best position to critique "scholarly publications" on linguistics. I am only passively interested in the science of linguistics. However I am very interested in languages, and I still found most sections of this book a little too tedious for my background.
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Inside This Book
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Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs):
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genitival modifier, clause constituent order, linguistic stratigraphy, noun phrase level, institutional multilingualism, negation marking, phrasal affixes, individual multilingualism, dialect cluster, language standardisation, regular sound correspondences, verbal extensions, associative constructions, basic word order, noun class systems, obstruent clusters, linguae francae, possessive affixes, voiced implosives, serial verbs, serial verb constructions, floating tones, phoneme systems, case affixes, subject markers Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Central Sudanic, West African, Northern Sudanic, East Sudanic, South Africa, Classical Arabic, Cross River, Central African Republic, Grassfields Bantu, West Atlantic, Eastern Sudanic, Kalahari Khoe, South Central, Bernd Heine, Burkina Faso, Central Nigerian, Ekoid Bantu, Lionel Bender, Derek Nurse, Eastern Nilotic, Southern Cushitic, Southern Sotho, Standard Hausa, Central Khoisan, Lake Chad New!
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
genitival modifier, clause constituent order, linguistic stratigraphy, noun phrase level, institutional multilingualism, negation marking, phrasal affixes, individual multilingualism, dialect cluster, language standardisation, regular sound correspondences, verbal extensions, associative constructions, basic word order, noun class systems, obstruent clusters, linguae francae, possessive affixes, voiced implosives, serial verbs, serial verb constructions, floating tones, phoneme systems, case affixes, subject markers Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Central Sudanic, West African, Northern Sudanic, East Sudanic, South Africa, Classical Arabic, Cross River, Central African Republic, Grassfields Bantu, West Atlantic, Eastern Sudanic, Kalahari Khoe, South Central, Bernd Heine, Burkina Faso, Central Nigerian, Ekoid Bantu, Lionel Bender, Derek Nurse, Eastern Nilotic, Southern Cushitic, Southern Sotho, Standard Hausa, Central Khoisan, Lake Chad New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 67
books:
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19
books
cite this book:
See all 19 books citing this book
- Current Approaches to African Linguistics (Publications in African Languages & Linguistics) (v. 7) by Hutchinson in Back Matter
- Studies in Compensatory Lengthening (Publications in Language Sciences) by Leo Wetzels in Back Matter
- Essays in Linguistics by GREENBERG (Joseph) in Back Matter
- Human Contact Through Language and Linguistics (Duisburger Arbeiten Zur Sprach- Und Kulturwissenschaft, Bd. 31) by Birgit Smieja in Back Matter
- The Rise and Fall of Languages by R. M. W. Dixon in Back Matter
See all 67 books this book cites
- Along the Routes to Power: Explorations of Empowerment Through Language (Contributions to the Sociology of Language 92) by Martin Putz in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- Navigating World History: Historians Create a Global Past by Patrick Manning on page 87, and Back Matter
- Auxiliary Verb Constructions (Oxford Studies in Typology and Linguistic Theory) by Gregory D. S. Anderson in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- Navigating World History: Historians Create a Global Past by Patrick Manning on page 90, and Back Matter
- Variation and Universals in Biolinguistics (North Holland Linguistics Series) (North-Holland Linguistic Series: Linguistic Variations) (North Holland Linguistics Series - Linguistic Variations) by Lyle Jenkins on page 34, and page 37
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