Die südlichen Lwoo-Sprachen

Beschreibung, Vergleich und Rekonstruktion

Author: Gerald Heusing. Series edited by: M. Lionel Bender †, Franz Rottland †, Norbert Cyffer.

Series: NISA Nilo-Saharan – Studies in Language and Context Volume 19

2004
18 pp. Roman, 383 pp.
1 map, 4 graphs, 58 tables, numerous overviews
Text language(s): German
Format: 160 x 240 mm
640 g
Paperback
€ 69.80

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The present book focusses on the languages Acholi (Uganda), Adhola (Uganda), Alur (Uganda and Democratic Republic of Congo), Kumam (Uganda), Lango (Uganda) and Luo (Kenya and Tanzania). They comprise the group of Southern Lwoo languages and belong to the western branch of the Nilotic language family. The languages are synchronically and diachronically described.

Chapter 1 (Introduction) presents information concerning the state of research and the objectives of the book. In addition, it furnishes the reader with background information towards the individual languages, the sources of information and the writing conventions which are used. Chapter 2 (Phonology) starts with a discussion about the analysis of palatal and bilabial segments between consonants and vowels. It continues with the description of the inventory, distribution, phonetic realisation and quantity of vowels.

With regard to the consonants, first of all an answer is given to the question whether palatal plosives or postalveolar affricates are found in the languages. It follows the description of the inventory, distribution and phonetic realisation of the consonants. Problematic cases like implosives, labiovelars, dentals, nasal compounds and fricatives are dealt with separately. Also morphophonological aspects are treated in this chapter. They comprise the following topics: vowel harmony, consonant harmony and consonant polarity.

Suprasegmental characteristics like word accent, inventory and distribution of tonemes as well as tone sandhi are described, compared and reconstructed in chapter 3 (Tonology). Additionally, a relative chronology of the reconstructed tone rules is introduced. Selected aspects of word-building are presented in chapter 4 (Morphology) which covers dependent and independent subject and object pronouns, cardinal numbers and derived abstract lexemes.

Chapter 5 (Lexicon) is dedicated to the vocabulary. Here, 103 lexemes are compared and reconstructed. Chapter 6 (Internal Typology and Classification) presents an internal typology developed with the help of 20 phonological, tonological and morphological features as well as an internal classification of the Southern Lwoo languages. The book closes with a comprehensive bibliography.

 

Further analyses of Nilotic languages have been published in the same series:

Accompanying material:

• A Functional Grammar of Dholuo (ISBN 978-3-89645-130-9)
• A Grammar of Kenya Luo (Dholuo) (ISBN 978-3-927620-70-4)
• The Noun Morphology of Western Nilotic (ISBN 978-3-89645-139-2)

Cross-reference:

• Advances in Nilo-Saharan Linguistics (ISBN 978-3-89645-140-8)
• Cherang’any (ISBN 978-3-89645-666-3)
• Cherangany–English and English–Cherangany Dictionary (ISBN 978-3-89645-224-5)
• Insights into Nilo-Saharan Language, History and Culture (ISBN 978-3-89645-660-1)
• Nilo-Saharan – Models and Descriptions (ISBN 978-3-89645-665-6)
• Nilo-Saharan Issues and Perspectives (ISBN 978-3-89645-667-0)

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