Historical Linguistics and the Comparative Study of African Languages
| University of Cologne
This advanced historical linguistics course book deals with the historical and comparative study of African languages. The first part functions as an elementary introduction to the comparative method, involving the establishment of lexical and grammatical cognates, the reconstruction of their historical development, techniques for the subclassification of related languages, and the use of language-internal evidence, more specifically the application of internal reconstruction. Part II addresses language contact phenomena and the status of language in a wider, cultural-historical and ecological context. Part III deals with the relationship between comparative linguistics and other disciplines. In this rich course book, the author presents valuable views on a number of issues in the comparative study of African languages, more specifically concerning genetic diversity on the African continent, the status of pidginised and creolised languages, language mixing, and grammaticalisation.
[Not in series, 161] 2011. xviii, 421 pp.
Publishing status: Available
© John Benjamins Publishing Company
Table of Contents
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Preface
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ix–xi
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Figures
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xiii
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Maps
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xv
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Tables
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xvii
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Part I. The comparative method
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3–22
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23–58
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59–92
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93–114
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5. Semantic change
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115–140
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141–152
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153–176
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Part II. The linguistic manifestation of contact
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179–212
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213–236
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237–252
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253–264
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265–280
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Part III. Studying language change in a wider contex
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283–306
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307–332
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333–346
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347–372
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References
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373–406
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Appendix
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407–408
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Language and language family index
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409–417
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Subject index
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419–421
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“This study is an amazingly rich introduction to historical linguistics and African comparative linguistics. From the first chapter on, it has great depth, wonderful tables with sound correspondences, cognate sets, language classifications, and maps of material that is only rarely discussed in mainstream (historical) linguistics. At the same time, the book is very readable and accessible to students as well as an incredible resource for scholars. It is a delight to read!”
Elly van Gelderen, Arizona State University
“The history and the genealogical relationships of the languages of Africa are better and better understood, but it is high time that the overall picture is once again presented on the basis of the latest results. Gerrit Dimmendaal is eminently suited to guide the reader and student through the maze of facts and factoids concerning the complex history of the languages of the continent, in particular the processes of contact and mixture.”
Pieter Muysken, Radboud University Nijmegen
“For historical linguists with even a passing interest in Africa, or even a desire to see how historical linguistics applies outside of Indo-European, this is a recommended book.”
Michael Cahill, SIL, in Studies in Language 36(4): 907-914
Cited by
Cited by 31 other publications
No author info given
2012. PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED.
Language in Society 41:1 ► pp. 155 ff. 
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2014.
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Ackerman, Farrell
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Bakker, Peter
2016. You got Gungbe, but we got the numbers.
Journal of Pidgin and Creole Languages 31:2 ► pp. 419 ff.
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Bakker, Peter
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In The Palgrave Handbook of Romani Language and Linguistics,
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2020.
In The Handbook of Language Contact,
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Bostoen, Koen, Bernard Clist, Charles Doumenge, Rebecca Grollemund, Jean-Marie Hombert, Joseph Koni Muluwa & Jean Maley
2015. Middle to Late Holocene Paleoclimatic Change and the Early Bantu Expansion in the Rain Forests of Western Central Africa.
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In Lexical Polycategoriality [Studies in Language Companion Series, 182],
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► pp. 79 ff.
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2020. Pour une histoire des peuplements pré- et protohistoriques du Sahel.
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Journal of Pidgin and Creole Languages 34:1 ► pp. 126 ff.
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2016. Nesset, Tore. 2015. How Russian Came To Be the Way It Is: A Student’s Guide to the History of the Russian Language.
Journal of Historical Linguistics 6:1 ► pp. 114 ff.
Igartua, Iván
2019. Loss of grammatical gender and language contact.
Diachronica 36:2 ► pp. 181 ff.
Kießling, Roland
2018.
In The Diachrony of Classification Systems [Current Issues in Linguistic Theory, 342],
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Moran, Steven
2016. Commentary: Issues of time, tone, roots and replicability.
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NASSENSTEIN, NICO
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World Englishes 35:3 ► pp. 396 ff.
O’Hagan, Zachary, Natalia Chousou-Polydouri & Lev Michael
2019. Phylogenetic classification supports a Northeastern Amazonian Proto-Tupí-Guaraní Homeland.
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Payne, Doris L.
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2021. Genetic differentiation between and within Northern Native American language groups: an argument for the expansion of the Native American CODIS database.
Forensic Sciences Research ► pp. 1 ff.
Whiteley, Peter M., Ming Xue & Ward C. Wheeler
2019. Revising the Bantu tree.
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Subjects & Metadata
Linguistics
BIC Subject: CFF – Historical & comparative linguistics
BISAC Subject: LAN009000 – LANGUAGE ARTS & DISCIPLINES / Linguistics / General