Towards a phonological typology of the Kalahari Basin Area languages

Hirosi Nakagawa; Alena Witzlack-Makarevich; Daniel Auer; Anne Maria Fehn; Linda Ammann Gerlach; Tom Güldemann; Sylvanus Job; Florian Lionnet; Christfried Naumann; Hitomi Ono; Lee J. Pratchett

doi:10.1515/lingty-2022-0047

Towards a phonological typology of the Kalahari Basin Area languages

Hirosi Nakagawa, Alena Witzlack-Makarevich, Daniel Auer, Anne Maria Fehn, Linda Ammann Gerlach, Tom Güldemann, Sylvanus Job, Florian Lionnet, Christfried Naumann, Hitomi Ono, Lee J. Pratchett

Council of the Humanities

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

This article reports some results of the first large-scale, comprehensive survey of the phonological systems of the Khoisan languages of the Kalahari Basin Area. These languages are famous for their large sets of click phonemes, a typologically rare characteristic otherwise found only in a limited number of languages worldwide. They are also unique because the click phonemes carry a high functional load in terms of phonemic and lexical distinctions in the respective systems. Finally, these languages have strikingly similar and highly skewed root phonotactics. The article provides empirical support for a range of claims and speculations that have been made about these typologically rare systems of the Kalahari Basin Area.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	509-535
Number of pages	27
Journal	Linguistic Typology
Volume	27
Issue number	2
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1515/lingty-2022-0047
State	Published - Jul 1 2023

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

Language and Linguistics
Linguistics and Language

Keywords

African languages
Kalahari Basin Area
Khoe-Kwadi languages
Khoisan languages
Kx'a languages
Tuu languages
clicks
phonological typology

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10.1515/lingty-2022-0047

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title = "Towards a phonological typology of the Kalahari Basin Area languages",

abstract = "This article reports some results of the first large-scale, comprehensive survey of the phonological systems of the Khoisan languages of the Kalahari Basin Area. These languages are famous for their large sets of click phonemes, a typologically rare characteristic otherwise found only in a limited number of languages worldwide. They are also unique because the click phonemes carry a high functional load in terms of phonemic and lexical distinctions in the respective systems. Finally, these languages have strikingly similar and highly skewed root phonotactics. The article provides empirical support for a range of claims and speculations that have been made about these typologically rare systems of the Kalahari Basin Area.",

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doi = "10.1515/lingty-2022-0047",

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AU - Nakagawa, Hirosi

AU - Witzlack-Makarevich, Alena

AU - Auer, Daniel

AU - Fehn, Anne Maria

AU - Ammann Gerlach, Linda

AU - Güldemann, Tom

AU - Job, Sylvanus

AU - Lionnet, Florian

AU - Naumann, Christfried

AU - Ono, Hitomi

AU - Pratchett, Lee J.

PY - 2023/7/1

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AB - This article reports some results of the first large-scale, comprehensive survey of the phonological systems of the Khoisan languages of the Kalahari Basin Area. These languages are famous for their large sets of click phonemes, a typologically rare characteristic otherwise found only in a limited number of languages worldwide. They are also unique because the click phonemes carry a high functional load in terms of phonemic and lexical distinctions in the respective systems. Finally, these languages have strikingly similar and highly skewed root phonotactics. The article provides empirical support for a range of claims and speculations that have been made about these typologically rare systems of the Kalahari Basin Area.

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KW - Kalahari Basin Area

KW - Khoe-Kwadi languages

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KW - Tuu languages

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Towards a phonological typology of the Kalahari Basin Area languages

Abstract

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

Keywords

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