28.3126, Books: A grammar of Moloko: Friesen, Isaac, Gaston, Samuel (eds.)

Wed Jul 19 16:53:08 UTC 2017

LINGUIST List: Vol-28-3126. Wed Jul 19 2017. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 28.3126, Books: A grammar of Moloko: Friesen, Isaac, Gaston, Samuel (eds.)

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Date: Wed, 19 Jul 2017 12:53:02
From: Sebastian Nordhoff [Sebastian.Nordhoff at langsci-press.org]
Subject: A grammar of Moloko: Friesen, Isaac, Gaston, Samuel (eds.)

Title: A grammar of Moloko 
Series Title: African Language Grammars and Dictionaries  

Publication Year: 2017 
Publisher: Language Science Press
	   http://langsci-press.org

Book URL: http://langsci-press.org/catalog/book/118 

Author: Dianne Friesen
Author: Mana Djeme Isaac
Author: Ali Gaston
Author: Mana Samuel

Electronic: ISBN:  9783946234630 Pages: 474 Price: Europe EURO 0 Comment: Open Access

Abstract:

This grammar provides the first comprehensive grammatical description of
Moloko, a Chadic language spoken by about 10,000 speakers in northern
Cameroon. The grammar was developed from hours and years that the authors
spent at friends’ houses hearing and recording stories, hours spent listening
to the tapes and transcribing the stories, then translating them and studying
the language through them. Time was spent together and with others speaking
the language and talking about it, translating resources and talking to Moloko
people about them. Grammar and phonology discoveries were made in the office,
in the fields while working, and at gatherings. In the process, the four
authors have become more and more passionate about the Moloko language and are
eager to share their knowledge about it with others.

Intriguing phonological aspects of Moloko include the fact that words have a
consonantal skeleton and only one underlying vowel (but with ten phonetic
variants). The simplicity of the vowel system contrasts with the complexity of
the verb word, which can include information (in addition to the verbal idea)
about subject, direct object (semantic Theme), indirect object (recipient or
beneficiary), direction, location, aspect (Imperfective and Perfective), mood
(indicative, irrealis, iterative), and Perfect aspect. Some of the fascinating
aspects about the grammar of Moloko include transitivity issues, question
formation, presupposition, and the absence of simple adjectives as a
grammatical class. Most verbs are not inherently transitive or intransitive,
but rather the semantics is tied to the number and type of core grammatical
relations in a clause. Morphologically, two types of verb pronominals indicate
two kinds of direct object; both are found in ditransitive clauses. Noun
incorporation of special ‘body-part’ nouns in some verbs adds another
grammatical argument and changes the lexical characteristics of the verb.
Clauses of zero transitivity can occur in main clauses due to the use of
dependent verb forms and ideophones. Question formation is interesting in that
the interrogative pronoun is clause-final for most constructions. The clause
will sometimes be reconfigured so that the interrogative pronoun can be
clause-final. Expectation is a foundational pillar for Moloko grammar. Three
types of irrealis mood relate to speaker’s expectation concerning the
accomplishment of an event. Clauses are organised around the concept of
presupposition, through the use of the na-construction. Known or expected
elements are marked with the na particle. There are no simple adjectives in
Moloko; all adjectives are derived from nouns. The authors invite others to
further explore the intricacies of the phonology and grammar of this
intriguing language.

Linguistic Field(s): Language Documentation
                     Typology

Subject Language(s): Moloko (mlw)

Written In: English  (eng)

See this book announcement on our website: 
http://linguistlist.org/pubs/books/get-book.cfm?BookID=118254

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