Lexical Reconstruction in Central Chadic: A Comparative Study of Vowels, Consonants and Prosodies

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H. Ekkehard Wolff (Universität Leipzig)

Lexical Reconstruction in Central Chadic

A Comparative Study of Vowels, Consonants and Prosodies

H. Ekkehard Wolff (Universität Leipzig)

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English

Cambridge University Press
23 November 2023

Phonetics, phonology; Grammar, syntax; Writing systems, alphabets

Due to a long history of contact, the Chadic languages are the internally most diverse of the Afroasiatic language families, especially in terms of their sound systems. In this ground-breaking study, the author draws on his extensive research experience to unpack the morpho-phonological principles that underpin the languages' diverse prosody effects, arguing that massive variation results from diachronic processes called 'prosodification' of segmental units. The study compares data from 66 of the 79 known languages from the Central branch of the Chadic language family, most of them unwritten and under-researched. It traces language changes for 228 lexical items that can be reconstructed from the proto-language's basic vocabulary, unearthing typological features that link Central Chadic to its deep Afroasiatic heritage. It is accompanied by a set of online appendixes, providing the full analytical apparatus of all lexical reconstructions, with explicit identification of each of the diachronic sound changes and processes involved.

By: H. Ekkehard Wolff (Universität Leipzig)
Imprint: Cambridge University Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Weight: 881g
ISBN: 9781009346399
ISBN 10: 1009346393
Pages: 528
Publication Date: 23 November 2023
Audience: College/higher education , Further / Higher Education
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

H. Ekkehard Wolff is Professor and Chair Emeritus of African linguistics at Leipzig University. He is an expert on Chadic languages and African sociolinguistics with more than 200 publications to his credit. Recent publications include A Historical Phonology of Central Chadic (2022).