48
Languages and Literature of Africa
UNIVERSITÀ DEGLI STUDI DI NAPOLI "L'ORIENTALE"
Overview
Date/time interval
Syllabus
Course Objectives
The course aims to provide students with:
a) an in-depth understanding of the main fieldwork methodologies applied to the study of African languages;
b) theoretical and practical tools for the collection, analysis, and documentation of linguistic data in African contexts, with particular attention to ethical, logistical, and socio-cultural aspects;
c) the ability to independently design and manage a linguistic research project, from fieldwork planning to the processing of collected data;
d) skills in using techniques for recording, transcribing, and annotating linguistic data, including the use of specialized software;
e) awareness of issues related to the preservation and promotion of minority and endangered languages in Africa;
f) critical skills to analyze and discuss case studies and recent research in the field of African linguistics.
Course Prerequisites
A basic knowledge of linguistics and proficiency in at least one African language are essential.
Teaching Methods
The course comprises theoretical lectures and practical sessions.
Assessment Methods
In addition to a midterm test focused on the topics covered—consisting of both multiple-choice and open-ended questions—the final evaluation also includes the writing of a paper on a topic assigned or agreed upon with the instructor. The paper is an academic essay and is therefore intended to assess the student's ability to produce a piece of work marked by formal correctness and methodological rigor, also with a view to future thesis or research work. The student is encouraged to present their work to the other participants at the end of the course and to discuss it during the exam. The exam is designed to assess the knowledge acquired as well as the candidate’s critical and analytical abilities in relation to the issues addressed during the course, including how these relate to the student's curriculum.
Texts
Austin, Peter K. and Julia Sallabank. 2011. The Cambridge Handbook of Endangered Languages, Cambridge: CUP.
Blench, Roger. 2007. "Endangered Languages in West Africa", in Matthias Brenzinger (ed.), Language Diversity Endangered, Berlin & New York: Mouton de Gruyter, 140-162.
Brenzinger, Matthias. 2007. "Endangered Languages in Southern and Eastern Africa", in Matthias Brenzinger (ed.), Language Diversity Endangered, Berlin & New York: Mouton de Gruyter, 179-204.
Connell, Bruce. 2007. "Endangered Languages in Central Africa", in Matthias Brenzinger (ed.), Language Diversity Endangered, Berlin & New York: Mouton de Gruyter, 163-178.
Dingemanse, Mark. 2015. "Folk definitions in linguistic fieldwork", in Essegbey, James, Brent Henderson, and Fiona Mc Laughlin (eds), Language Documentation and Endangerment in Africa, Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins, 215-238.
Edwards, John. 2010. Minority languages and Group Identity, Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins [capitolo 5. "Towards a typology of minority-language settings", 73-104]
Himmelmann, Nikolaus P. 1998. "Documentary and descriptive linguistics", Linguistics 36: 161-195
Leemann, Adrian, P´eter Jeszenszky, Carina Steiner, Melanie Studerus and Jan Messerli. 2020. "Linguistic fieldwork in a pandemic: Supervised data collection combining smartphone recordings and videoconferencing", Linguistics Vanguard 6(s3): 20200061 (16 pages)
Read, Dwight W. 2013. "A New Approach to Forming a Typology of Kinship Terminology Systems: From Morgan and Murdock to the Present", Structure and Dynamics, 6(1) (28 pages)
Thieberger, Nicholas. 2012. The Oxford Handbook of Linguistic Fieldwork, Oxford: OUP.
Contents
1. Ethnolinguistic diversity and vitality in Africa
2. The difference between linguistic description and documentation
3. Definition of field and fieldwork
4. The choice of language or languages
5. Collaboration with community members and the choice of field assistants
6. Psychological aspects of fieldwork
7. Ethical aspects of fieldwork
8. Logistical aspects in organizing and planning fieldwork
9. Field equipment: microphones, video cameras, and recording techniques
10. Data collection and archiving
11. Metadata compilation
12. Transcription and analysis: ELAN software
13. Lexicographic data compilation: FLEx software
14. Collection and analysis of kinship terminologies: case studies from West African languages
15. Orthographic choice: general aspects and case study of Kushi (West Chadic, Nigeria)
16. Working with legacy material
17. Writing a linguistic documentation project
Course Language
Italian and English
More information
The course consists of lectures and theoretical lessons, practical exercises, and individual and group work. Additional readings will be assigned during the course to explore specific topics covered in class in greater depth. Meetings with experts on specific subjects are also planned. The working languages are Italian and English.