2001
XII, 359 pp.
1 map, 1 b/w photos, 8 illustrations, 49 tables, language index
Text languages: English, French
In the book dedicated to Professor Larry Michael Hyman (University of Berkeley/California, USA) articles with a broad range of topics are published. Their authors all share a deep gratitude for the inspirations and knowledge they have gained from the honoured professor, who has been working on Bantu for three decades. With the present work the editors want to encourage research on little known Cameroonian languages and provide a working tool for established scholars as well as advanced students of linguistics.
The book consists of four main parts – phonology, syntax, sociolinguistics and a part of general interest including guidelines and questionnaires. Each part is made up of articles on various – predominantely Cameroonian – language groups, i.e. Narrow Bantu, Grassfields Bantu, Bantu Zone A, Ekoid, Mambiloid and Chadic.
CONTENTS
PART 1 Phonology
Ngessimo M. Mutaka: Data building for a lexical phonology analysis of a Bantu language
Michel Kenmogne: Curiosities in the phonology of Bantu A languages
Stephen C. Anderson: Phonological characteristics of Eastern Grassfields languages
John R. Watters: Some phonological characteristics of Ejagham (Etung), an Ekoid Bantu language of Cameroon and Nigeria
Bruce Connell: An Introduction to the Mambiloid languages
James S. Roberts: Phonological features of Central Chadic languages
Richard Gravina: Features of a Chadic Language – the case of Mbuko Phonology
PART 2 Syntax
Edmond Biloa: Data building for a syntactic analysis of an African language
Pius N. Tamanji: Issues in the syntax of Grassfields Bantu languages
PART 3 Sociolinguistics
Ngessimo M. Mutaka: Reading notes on Wardhaugh’s “An Introduction to Sociolinguistics” – an African perspective
Frida Kong: Non human objects as participants in speech acts within the Nso cultural society
Comfort Che Ngum: Provoked thunder strikes in Bafut
Virginie Dangang: Communication entre les hommes et les animaux dans le village de Balengou à l’Ouest du Cameroun
Clotaire Mvakang: La communication avec les êtres vivants, non-humains chez les sanaga de Ngoro (Province du centre, département du Mbam / Kam)
Akeriweh: En dehors des êtres humains, qui peut parler dans notre culture?
Antoine Owona: Petit Nègre – un parler du français de la rue parlée au Cameroun
Jonas K. Diokdi: L’inventaire des couleurs et la subdivision des jours, des mois et des années dans la culture màsà
Louise A. Ngamgne: Fonctionnement des sociétés secrètes dans l’Ouest-Cameroun – le cas du famla
Bonaventure M. Sala: Fon’s acquisition of wives as a form of performative utterance – A case study of grassfield cultures in the Northwest province of the Republic of Cameroon
Virginie Dangang: L’expression des sentiments lors de la courtoisie d’une fille chez les Balengou du Cameroun
Frida Kong: Abuses in Nso’
Juliette Clarisse Mabou Fodop: Cérémonie d’exhumation dans le canton Bamendjou et aspects sociolinguistiques de l’exhumation dans ce canton
Jeanne Chantal Harerimana: La cérémonie de dot au Burundi
Jeanne Chantal Harerimana: L’acte d’accouchement et les rites qui l’entourent dans la société burundaise
Comfort Che Ngum: The announcement and fight of a natural calamity in Bafut
Clotaire Mvakang et al.: Les cérémonies d’initiation dans quelques tribus camerounaises (bafia, massa, bamiléké, beti-fang)
Lucy Kenfac: Communication between the living and the dead in the Bamileke and the Kenyang cultures
Béatrice Kouémou: L’usage de la parole chez les Bafang
Herman Misse: The Doualas and their sea
Béatrice Kouémou: La taxinomie du temps chez les Fe’fe’ du Cameroun
Ndzengue Lucia Nassuna: Taboo and euphemistic expressions in Ewondo
PART 4 General interest
Maurice Tadadjeu: Basic standardization of all unwritten African languages
Ngessimo M. Mutaka / Emmanuel Chia: Issues to investigate in Cameroonian linguistics
Ngessimo M. Mutaka: Hints for solving a phonology problem
Michel Kenmogne: Questionnaires and data gathering in phonology
Myles Leitch / Ngessimo M. Mutaka: Guidelines for creating conference handouts
Keith Snider: Linguistic factors in orthography design
Akinbiyi Akinlabi / Ngessimo M. Mutaka: Tone in the infinitive in Kinande – an OT analysis
Under these links you will find descriptions of further Cameroonian Bantu, Bantoid and Grassfields Bantu languages:
