Table 12 - uploaded by Pius W. Akumbu
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This paper describes the variety of Babanki (henceforth called Kejom) spoken by native Fulfulde speakers born and raised in Kejom communities. Kejom is a Center Ring Grassfi elds Bantu language spoken in two villages (Kejom Ketinguh and Kejom Keku) in northwestern Cameroon. This paper describes the practice in Kejom Ketinguh. The Fulɓe are Fulfulde...
Citations
... Since noun classes are not exempt from being copied from one language to another, and given that from a historical account there has been intense contact between Fulani and Grassfields, we probably have a case of borrowing here. As a matter of fact, a Fulani dialect of Babanki emerged due to contact (Akumbu & Asonganyi 2010). The pervasiveness of the schwa in Ring languages could equally be the result of contact not only with Fulfulde but also with Adamawa languages like Samba Leko where the schwa is omnipresent (Fabre 2004). ...
Although the genetic unity of Ring Grassfields Bantu languages has been well demonstrated, intriguing discrepancies appear within the group. Such differences align with the theory of diversity. According to this theory, an accurate description and explanation of the structural diversity of a genetic group combines linguistics, geography, history, sociology, and typology; hence the holistic approach assumed here. This paper analyses linguistic diversity in five Ring languages (Aghem, Babanki, Babungo, Lamnso', Wushi) based on four structural features: head/dependent marking, morphological complexity, word order, and alignment of the subject-object relations in the clause (accusative, ergative, etc.). An aspect of phonology, namely, spirantisation, is also brought into discussion. The analysis reveals convergences and divergences both within each subgroup and within the entire Ring group. One salient feature subject to convergence includes a generalised suffixal noun class system in the South Ring; as for divergence, the absence of subject-verb agreement typical of Proto-Niger-Congo is retained in Babungo and Wushi (South Ring) but not in the other languages. Wushi stands out in a way that suggests that it is the most archaic language of the group. Further research on sociolinguistic features and social behaviour is needed to deepen our understanding of the linguistic configuration of the region.
... Shift from Mande to Songhay (Farias 2013) has left lexical and morphosyntactic traces on Songhay ( Creissels 1981, Nicolaï 2005), and Gur and Songhay may once have been in contact ( Souag 2012). The Atlantic language Fulfulde is spoken widely over West Africa and its speakers have been in contact with Songhay ( Gottschligg 2002), Kanuri ( Mohammadou 1997), Hausa ( Baldi 2014), Mbum ( Markgraf 2017), Grassfields Bantu ( Akumbu & Asonganyi 2010), and even Sudanese Arabic speakers ( Abu-Manga 1986). similar linguistic density across Nigeria and Cameroon. ...
There are a large number of African languages and language families which display the linguistic effects of previous contact. This study provides a detailed survey of pre-modern contact patterns in different geographic zones across the continent. Contact patterns in Northern, Central and Southern Africa are complex, yet still less dense than those found across Africa's middle belt, where the continent is widest. This middle belt includes Northeast Africa, East Africa, the Rift Valley, and the sub-Saharan fragmentation belt, also known as the Sudanic Zone. Disentangling the contact patterns in this middle belt will be a long process that will necessarily go hand in hand with the reconstruction of Niger-Congo and Nilo-Saharan language phyla.
This study includes a survey of the linguistic effects of contact, and a survey of those contacts that might be attributed to various kingdoms and empires. Kingdoms and empires undoubtedly had linguistic effects, but these effects vary greatly, depending on the patterns of social interactions which actually took place during the periods of political dominance. In some cases, there is evidence of language shift, while in other cases, there has been only a slight effect on the lexicon. In other cases, convergent grammatical systems have been found. Language shift may occur in a single generation and does not require an extensive period of political domination to occur.
Medieval and classical periods in African history are a particular focus of this survey of language contact patterns seen on the African continent. The effects of languages associated with empires and kingdoms are shown to vary widely, with many such languages remaining influential even in the present day. Disentangling earlier patterns of language contact is a necessary step for those interested in reconstructing and classifying African languages. The great time depth and diversity found within each of the major African language phyla is mirrored by a dizzying array of contact patterns both within and across these phyla.
Language contact - the linguistic and social outcomes of two or more languages coming into contact with each other - has been pervasive in human history. However, where histories of language contact are comparable, experiences of migrant populations have been only similar, not identical. Given this, how does language contact work? With contributions from an international team of scholars, this Handbook - the first in a two-volume set - delves into this question from multiple perspectives and provides state-of-the-art research on population movement and language contact and change. It begins with an overview of how language contact as a research area has evolved since the late 19th century. The chapters then cover various processes and theoretical issues associated with population movement and language contact worldwide. It is essential reading for anybody interested in the dynamics of social interactions in diverse contact settings and how the changing ecologies influence the linguistic outcomes.
