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Part of
Anthropological Linguistics: Perspectives from Africa
Edited by Andrea Hollington, Alice Mitchell and Nico Nassenstein
[Culture and Language Use 23] 2024
► pp. 223–252

Chapter 9
Kin-relational expressions of the Tima (Nuba Mountains, Sudan)

| University of Cologne
| University of Cologne

Tima, a language of the Nuba Mountains in Sudan, is severely endangered, as can be seen in many disappearing domains of the lexicon. One domain that is still relatively strong pertains to kinship. Continued use of this vocabulary can be linked to the high value still placed on social accountability among relatives. However, other aspects considered to be part of the handed-down social texture seem to be gradually falling into oblivion. This contribution on the lexical expression of kinship in Tima aims to describe the status quo concerning the structure of kinship units, i.e., the clan system, as well as the lexicon of kin relations. With regard to the latter, we also look at kin terms used in referential practices beyond the narrow domain of kin relatedness.

Keywords: kinship, kin terms, social relations, Tima
Article outline
  • 1.Situating Tima in the study of kinship
  • 2.Tima ethnographic background
  • 3.Kinship units: The Tima clan system
  • 4.Relational kin terms
    • 4.1Consanguineal kin terminology
    • 4.2Affinal kin terminology
    • 4.3Kinship-based naming practices
  • 5.Conclusion
  • Acknowledgments
  • Notes
  • Abbreviations
  • References
  • Appendix
Available under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives (CC BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license.

For any use beyond this license, please contact the publisher at [email protected].

Published online: 1 February 2024
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/clu.23.09vei
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