The South Cushitic or Rift languages of Tanzania are a branch of the Cushitic languages. The most numerous is Iraqw, with half a million speakers. Scholars believe that these languages were spoken by Southern Cushitic agro-pastoralists from Ethiopia, who began migrating southward into the Great Rift Valley in the third millennium BC.[1]
The original homeland of Proto-South Cushitic was in Southwest Ethiopia. South Cushitic speakers then migrated south to lake Turkana and further south, entering Tanzania in 2000BC.[2][3]
Classificationedit
The Rift languages are named after the Great Rift Valley of Tanzania, where they are found.
Hetzron (1980:70ff) suggested that the Rift languages (South Cushitic) are a part of Lowland East Cushitic. Kießling & Mous (2003) have proposed more specifically that they be linked to a Southern Lowland branch, together with Oromo, Somali, and Yaaku–Dullay. It is possible that the great lexical divergence of Rift from East Cushitic is due to Rift being partially influenced through contact with Khoisan languages, as perhaps evidenced by the unusually high frequency of the ejective affricates /tsʼ/ and /tɬʼ/, which outnumber pulmonary consonants like /p,f,w,ɬ,x/. Kießling & Mous suggest that these ejectives may be remnants of clicks from the source language.
The terms "South Cushitic" and "Rift" are not quite synonymous: The Ma'a and Dahalo languages were once included in South Cushitic, but were not considered Rift. Kießling restricts South Cushitic to West Rift as its only indisputable branch. He states that Dahalo has too many East Cushitic features to belong to South Cushitic, as does Ma'a. (The Waata and Degere may once have spoken languages similar to Dahalo.) He deems Kw'adza and Aasax in turn insufficiently described to classify as even Cushitic with any certainty.[4]
Iraqw and Gorowa are close enough for basic mutual intelligibility. Alagwa has become similar to Burunge through intense contact, and so had previously been classified as a Southern West Rift language. Aasax and Kw'adza are poorly attested and, like Dahalo, maybe the result language shift from non-Cushitic languages.
Several additional and now extinct South Cushitic languages are deduced from their influence on the Bantu languages that replaced them.[5] Two of these, Taita Cushitic, appear to have been more distinct from the current Rift languages than other related languages. They are similar to an earlier form of Rift, which Nurse (1988) calls "Greater Rift".[6]
Notesedit
^Derek Nurse, Thomas T. Spear (1985). The Swahili: Reconstructing the History and Language of an African Society, 800-1500. University of Pennsylvania Press. p. 34. ISBN081221207X.
^Isichei, Elizabeth (13 April 1997). A History of African Societies to 1870. Cambridge University Press. ISBN9780521455992.
^Clark, John Desmond; Brandt, Steven A. (January 1984). From Hunters to Farmers: The Causes and Consequences of Food Production in Africa. University of California Press. ISBN9780520045743.
^Roland Kießling, "South Cushitic links to East Cushitic", in Zaborski ed, 2001, New Data and New Methods in Afroasiatic Linguistics
^Gabriele Sommer (1992). "A survey of language death in Africa". In Matthias Brenzinger (ed.). Language Death: Factual and Theoretical Explorations with Special Reference to East Africa. Walter de Gruyter. pp. 392–394. ISBN3110870606.
^Marianne Bechhaus-Gerst (1988). Fritz Serzisko (ed.). Cushitic-Omotic: Papers from the International Symposium on Cushitic and Omotic Languages, Cologne, January 6-9, 1986. Buske Verlag. pp. 95 & 99. ISBN3871188905.
Referencesedit
BLAŽEK, Václav. 2005. Current progress in South Cushitic Comparative Historical Linguistics. Folia Orientalia 42, no. 1, pp. 177–224. (Poland. ISSN 0015-5675)
Ehret, Christopher. 1980. The Historical Reconstruction of Southern Cushitic Phonology and Vocabulary. (Kolner Beitrage zur Afrikanistik). Reimer Verlag.
Kiessling, Roland. 1995. Verbal Inflectional Suffixes in the West Rift Group of Southern Cushitic. In: Cushitic and Omotic Languages, ed. by C. Griefenow-Mewis und R. M. Voigt. Köln, 59–70.
Kiessling, Roland. 2000. Some salient features of Southern Cushitic (Common West Rift). Lingua Posnaniensis 42: 69-89
Kiessling, Roland. 2001. South Cushitic links to East Cushitic. In: New Data and New Methods in Afroasiatic Linguistics - Robert Hetzron in memoriam; ed. by Andrzej Zaborski. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, 95–102.
Kiessling, Roland. 2002. Wille, Initiierung und Kontrolle: zur Morphosemantik von Experiensverben im Südkuschitischen. In: Aktuelle Forschungen zu afrikanischen Sprachen (Tagungsband des 14. Afrikanistentags), ed by Theda Schumann, Mechthild Reh, Roland Kießling & Ludwig Gerhardt. Köln: Rüdiger Köppe, 171–192.
Kiessling, Roland. 2003. Infix genesis in Southern Cushitic. In: Selected Comparative-Historical Afrasian Linguistic Studies in memory of Igor M. Diakonoff; hrsg. v. Lionel M. Bender, Gabor Takacs & David Appleyard. München: Lincom, 109–122.
Kiessling, Roland. 2004. Tonogenesis in Southern Cushitic (Common West Rift). In: Stress and Tone – the African Experience, edited by Rose-Juliet Anyanwu. Frankfurter Afrikanistische Blätter 15: 141–163.
Nurse, Derek. 1988. "Extinct Southern Cushitic Communities in East Africa". In: Bechhaus-Gerst, M. & F. Serzisko (eds), Cushitic-Omotic: Papers from the International Symposium on Cushitic and Omotic Languages. St. Augustin, Jan. 6-9 1986. Hamburg. Helmut Buske. 93–104.
Roland Kießling and Maarten Mous. 2003. The Lexical Reconstruction of West-Rift (Southern Cushitic)
Mous, Maarten (2003). The Making of a Mixed Language: The Case of Ma'a/Mbugu.
External linksedit
Was there ever a Southern Cushitic Language (Pre-)Ma'a?
February 15, 2024
south, cushitic, languages, south, cushitic, rift, languages, tanzania, branch, cushitic, languages, most, numerous, iraqw, with, half, million, speakers, scholars, believe, that, these, languages, were, spoken, southern, cushitic, agro, pastoralists, from, et. The South Cushitic or Rift languages of Tanzania are a branch of the Cushitic languages The most numerous is Iraqw with half a million speakers Scholars believe that these languages were spoken by Southern Cushitic agro pastoralists from Ethiopia who began migrating southward into the Great Rift Valley in the third millennium BC 1 South CushiticRiftGeographicdistributionTanzaniaLinguistic classificationAfro AsiaticCushiticSouth CushiticSubdivisionsTaita Cushitic extinct Nyanza Rift extinct clarification needed West Rift East Rift extinct Glottologsout3054 Contents 1 Urheimat 2 Classification 3 Notes 4 References 5 External linksUrheimat editThe original homeland of Proto South Cushitic was in Southwest Ethiopia South Cushitic speakers then migrated south to lake Turkana and further south entering Tanzania in 2000BC 2 3 Classification editThe Rift languages are named after the Great Rift Valley of Tanzania where they are found Hetzron 1980 70ff suggested that the Rift languages South Cushitic are a part of Lowland East Cushitic Kiessling amp Mous 2003 have proposed more specifically that they be linked to a Southern Lowland branch together with Oromo Somali and Yaaku Dullay It is possible that the great lexical divergence of Rift from East Cushitic is due to Rift being partially influenced through contact with Khoisan languages as perhaps evidenced by the unusually high frequency of the ejective affricates tsʼ and tɬʼ which outnumber pulmonary consonants like p f w ɬ x Kiessling amp Mous suggest that these ejectives may be remnants of clicks from the source language The terms South Cushitic and Rift are not quite synonymous The Ma a and Dahalo languages were once included in South Cushitic but were not considered Rift Kiessling restricts South Cushitic to West Rift as its only indisputable branch He states that Dahalo has too many East Cushitic features to belong to South Cushitic as does Ma a The Waata and Degere may once have spoken languages similar to Dahalo He deems Kw adza and Aasax in turn insufficiently described to classify as even Cushitic with any certainty 4 Rift West Rift North Iraqwoid GorowaIraqwAlagwa South Burunge East Rift Aasax extinct Kw adza extinct Iraqw and Gorowa are close enough for basic mutual intelligibility Alagwa has become similar to Burunge through intense contact and so had previously been classified as a Southern West Rift language Aasax and Kw adza are poorly attested and like Dahalo maybe the result language shift from non Cushitic languages Several additional and now extinct South Cushitic languages are deduced from their influence on the Bantu languages that replaced them 5 Two of these Taita Cushitic appear to have been more distinct from the current Rift languages than other related languages They are similar to an earlier form of Rift which Nurse 1988 calls Greater Rift 6 Notes edit Derek Nurse Thomas T Spear 1985 The Swahili Reconstructing the History and Language of an African Society 800 1500 University of Pennsylvania Press p 34 ISBN 081221207X Isichei Elizabeth 13 April 1997 A History of African Societies to 1870 Cambridge University Press ISBN 9780521455992 Clark John Desmond Brandt Steven A January 1984 From Hunters to Farmers The Causes and Consequences of Food Production in Africa University of California Press ISBN 9780520045743 Roland Kiessling South Cushitic links to East Cushitic in Zaborski ed 2001 New Data and New Methods in Afroasiatic Linguistics Gabriele Sommer 1992 A survey of language death in Africa In Matthias Brenzinger ed Language Death Factual and Theoretical Explorations with Special Reference to East Africa Walter de Gruyter pp 392 394 ISBN 3110870606 Marianne Bechhaus Gerst 1988 Fritz Serzisko ed Cushitic Omotic Papers from the International Symposium on Cushitic and Omotic Languages Cologne January 6 9 1986 Buske Verlag pp 95 amp 99 ISBN 3871188905 References editBLAZEK Vaclav 2005 Current progress in South Cushitic Comparative Historical Linguistics Folia Orientalia 42 no 1 pp 177 224 Poland ISSN 0015 5675 Ehret Christopher 1980 The Historical Reconstruction of Southern Cushitic Phonology and Vocabulary Kolner Beitrage zur Afrikanistik Reimer Verlag Kiessling Roland 1995 Verbal Inflectional Suffixes in the West Rift Group of Southern Cushitic In Cushitic and Omotic Languages ed by C Griefenow Mewis und R M Voigt Koln 59 70 Kiessling Roland 2000 Some salient features of Southern Cushitic Common West Rift Lingua Posnaniensis 42 69 89 Kiessling Roland 2001 South Cushitic links to East Cushitic In New Data and New Methods in Afroasiatic Linguistics Robert Hetzron in memoriam ed by Andrzej Zaborski Wiesbaden Harrassowitz 95 102 Kiessling Roland 2002 Wille Initiierung und Kontrolle zur Morphosemantik von Experiensverben im Sudkuschitischen In Aktuelle Forschungen zu afrikanischen Sprachen Tagungsband des 14 Afrikanistentags ed by Theda Schumann Mechthild Reh Roland Kiessling amp Ludwig Gerhardt Koln Rudiger Koppe 171 192 Kiessling Roland 2003 Infix genesis in Southern Cushitic In Selected Comparative Historical Afrasian Linguistic Studies in memory of Igor M Diakonoff hrsg v Lionel M Bender Gabor Takacs amp David Appleyard Munchen Lincom 109 122 Kiessling Roland 2004 Tonogenesis in Southern Cushitic Common West Rift In Stress and Tone the African Experience edited by Rose Juliet Anyanwu Frankfurter Afrikanistische Blatter 15 141 163 Nurse Derek 1988 Extinct Southern Cushitic Communities in East Africa In Bechhaus Gerst M amp F Serzisko eds Cushitic Omotic Papers from the International Symposium on Cushitic and Omotic Languages St Augustin Jan 6 9 1986 Hamburg Helmut Buske 93 104 Roland Kiessling and Maarten Mous 2003 The Lexical Reconstruction of West Rift Southern Cushitic Mous Maarten 2003 The Making of a Mixed Language The Case of Ma a Mbugu External links editWas there ever a Southern Cushitic Language Pre Ma a Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title South Cushitic languages amp oldid 1195542969, 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