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African language families and their structural properties  Sonja Bosch Department of African Languages University of South Africa [email_address] Workshop: Language Technologies for African Languages, EACL,  Athens, Greece. March 31 2009.
Goal of the workshop ,[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object]
Overview of tutorial ,[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object]
Introduction ,[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object]
Video: The History of Mankind ,[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],http:// www.bradshawfoundation.com /journey
Distribution of languages by area of origin   http:// www.ethnologue.com/ethno_docs/distribution.asp?by =area#1 7,000 828,105 100.0 5,723,861,210   100.0 6,912     Totals 800 4,675 0.1 6,124,341   19.0 1,310   Pacific 220,000 6,294,532 26.3 1,504,393,183   3.5 239   Europe 10,171 1,538,077 61.0 3,489,897,147   32.8 2,269   Asia 2,000 47,464 0.8 47,559,381   14.5 1,002   Americas 25,391 323,082 11.8 675,887,158   30.3 2,092   Africa Median Mean % Count   % Count Number of speakers   Living languages   Area
African Language Families http://encarta.msn.com/media_461520382_761565449_-1_1/African_Language_Families.html
Main research constraints shared by all African languages ,[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object]
Documentation for African languages ,[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object]
Four African Phyla ,[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object]
Classification of four African phyla ,[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object]
Four African Phyla ,[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object]
Niger-Congo ,[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object]
Niger-Congo structures  ,[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object]
Four African Phyla ,[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object]
Nilo-Saharan ,[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object]
Nilo-Saharan structures  ,[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object]
Four African Phyla ,[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object]
Afroasiatic ,[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object]
Afro-Asiatic structures ,[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object]
Four African Phyla ,[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object]
Khoisan   ,[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object]
Khoisan structures ,[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object]
Africanisms: special features of African languages ,[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object]
50 11. Noun “child” used productively to express diminutive meaning 82 10. Comparative construction [X is big/defeats/ surpasses/ passes Y] 40 9. Semantic polysemy ‘animal/meat’ 72 8. Semantic polysemy ‘hear/see/understand’ 74 7. Semantic polysemy ‘drink/pull/smoke’ 89 6. Nominal modifiers follow noun 76 5. Verbal derivational suffixes (pass, caus, appl. etc.) 39 4. ATR-based vowel harmony 80 3. Lexical or grammatical tones 36 2. Implosive stops 39 1. Labial-velar stops No. of languages with that property (from total of 99) Property used as criteria *RELATIVE FREQUENCY OF OCCURRENCE OF 11 TYPOLOGICAL PROPERTIES IN AFRICAN LANGUAGES
Conclusion ,[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object]
Recommended Reading Greenberg, J. H.  The languages of Africa . Bloomington: Indiana University, 1963.  Heine, B. & Nurse, D. 2000.  African languages : an introduction.  Cambridge [England]; New York: Cambridge University Press. Heine, B. & Nurse, D. 2008.  A Linguistic Geography of Africa . Cambridge [England]; New York: Cambridge University Press.
[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object]
References ,[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object]
Language endangerment in Africa   ,[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object],[object Object]

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African Language Families and their Structural Properties

  • 1. African language families and their structural properties Sonja Bosch Department of African Languages University of South Africa [email_address] Workshop: Language Technologies for African Languages, EACL, Athens, Greece. March 31 2009.
  • 2.
  • 3.
  • 4.
  • 5.
  • 6. Distribution of languages by area of origin http:// www.ethnologue.com/ethno_docs/distribution.asp?by =area#1 7,000 828,105 100.0 5,723,861,210   100.0 6,912     Totals 800 4,675 0.1 6,124,341   19.0 1,310   Pacific 220,000 6,294,532 26.3 1,504,393,183   3.5 239   Europe 10,171 1,538,077 61.0 3,489,897,147   32.8 2,269   Asia 2,000 47,464 0.8 47,559,381   14.5 1,002   Americas 25,391 323,082 11.8 675,887,158   30.3 2,092   Africa Median Mean % Count   % Count Number of speakers   Living languages   Area
  • 7. African Language Families http://encarta.msn.com/media_461520382_761565449_-1_1/African_Language_Families.html
  • 8.
  • 9.
  • 10.
  • 11.
  • 12.
  • 13.
  • 14.
  • 15.
  • 16.
  • 17.
  • 18.
  • 19.
  • 20.
  • 21.
  • 22.
  • 23.
  • 24.
  • 25. 50 11. Noun “child” used productively to express diminutive meaning 82 10. Comparative construction [X is big/defeats/ surpasses/ passes Y] 40 9. Semantic polysemy ‘animal/meat’ 72 8. Semantic polysemy ‘hear/see/understand’ 74 7. Semantic polysemy ‘drink/pull/smoke’ 89 6. Nominal modifiers follow noun 76 5. Verbal derivational suffixes (pass, caus, appl. etc.) 39 4. ATR-based vowel harmony 80 3. Lexical or grammatical tones 36 2. Implosive stops 39 1. Labial-velar stops No. of languages with that property (from total of 99) Property used as criteria *RELATIVE FREQUENCY OF OCCURRENCE OF 11 TYPOLOGICAL PROPERTIES IN AFRICAN LANGUAGES
  • 26.
  • 27. Recommended Reading Greenberg, J. H. The languages of Africa . Bloomington: Indiana University, 1963. Heine, B. & Nurse, D. 2000. African languages : an introduction. Cambridge [England]; New York: Cambridge University Press. Heine, B. & Nurse, D. 2008. A Linguistic Geography of Africa . Cambridge [England]; New York: Cambridge University Press.
  • 28.
  • 29.
  • 30.