2012
XXIV, 372 pp.
10 maps, 28 b/w photos, numerous tables and graphs
Text language: English
This volume is a collection of articles based on papers which have been presented at the monthly Jos Linguistics Circle, held in the city of Jos in central Nigeria, together with an overview chapter surveying current linguistics research and language development in Nigeria.
The twelve articles are all written by specialists in Nigerian languages and treat a wide range of subjects. General linguistics topics include phonetics (Biu-Mandara labiocoronals, interdental approximants in Bauchi, and the explosive bilabial nasal of Ninkyop), phonology (vowel length in C’Lela and word-initial gemination in Cicipu), morphosyntax (focus strategies in Rigwe, tense/aspect/manner marking in Ukaan, and verbal nouns in Jukun), semantics (of ut‑Ma’in noun classes), and discourse (information structure encoded by verbal morphology in Central Kambari). Other chapters have sociolinguistic and interdisciplinary themes, including archaeology, Tarok oral traditions, and the use of Arabic script in present-day Nigeria.
The focus is on the minority languages of Nigeria: many of the languages discussed are severely underdescribed despite their fascinating properties, and this book will be a valuable resource for africanists and typologists alike.
CONTENTS
Roger Blench / Stuart McGill:
Preface
Part I – Introduction
Chapter I – Roger Blench:
Research and development of Nigerian minority languages
Part II – General issues
Chapter II – Roger Blench:
Understanding Nigerian prehistory through its linguistic geography
Chapter III – Matthew Harley:
Unusual sounds in Nigerian languages
Chapter IV – Selbut Longtau:
Their tongues still speak loud
Chapter V – Andy Warren-Rothlin:
Arabic script in modern Nigeria
Part III – Morphosyntax in the Nigerian Middle Belt
Chapter VI – Daniel Gya:
Focus in Rigwe syntax
Chapter VII – Sophie Salffner:
Tense, aspect and manner encoding in Ikaan
Chapter VIII – Anne Storch:
Jukun verbal nouns
Part IV – Topics in Kainji linguistics
Chapter IX – Stephen Dettweiler:
The case for writing vowel length in C’Lela
Chapter X – Rebecca Smith Paterson:
The semantics of ut Ma’in noun classes
Chapter XI – Stuart McGill:
The development of long consonants in Cicipu
Chapter XII – David Crozier:
From verb morphology to discourse in Central Kambari