34.2948, Review: African languages from a Role and Reference Grammar perspective: Fleischhauer (2023)

[The LINGUIST List]

LINGUIST List: Vol-34-2948. Mon Oct 09 2023. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 34.2948, Review: African languages from a Role and Reference Grammar perspective: Fleischhauer (2023)

Moderators: Malgorzata E. Cavar, Francis Tyers (linguist at linguistlist.org)
Managing Editor: Justin Fuller
Team: Helen Aristar-Dry, Steven Franks, Everett Green, Daniel Swanson, Maria Lucero Guillen Puon, Zackary Leech, Lynzie Coburn, Natasha Singh, Erin Steitz
Jobs: jobs at linguistlist.org | Conferences: callconf at linguistlist.org | Pubs: pubs at linguistlist.org

Homepage: http://linguistlist.org

Please support the LL editors and operation with a donation at:
           https://funddrive.linguistlist.org/donate/

Editor for this issue: Maria Lucero Guillen Puon <luceroguillen at linguistlist.org>
================================================================


Date: 16-Aug-2023
From: Troy Spier [tspier2 at gmail.com]
Subject: Linguistic Theories: Fleischhauer (ed) (2023)


Book announced at https://linguistlist.org/issues/34.1504

EDITOR: Jens Fleischhauer
TITLE: African languages from a Role and Reference Grammar perspective
SUBTITLE: Studies on the syntax-semantics-pragmatics interface
PUBLISHER: De Gruyter Mouton
YEAR: 2023

REVIEWER: Troy Spier

SUMMARY

Developed in response to popular syntactic theories based primarily on
Indo-European languages, Role and Reference Grammar (RRG) offers a
perspective that enables scholars to consider other levels of
linguistic analysis (e.g., the interfaces among syntax, semantics, and
pragmatics) while focusing on data from languages often excluded from
such analysis. Additionally, RRG is decidedly couched within a
functional approach to syntax, making recourse neither to
transformations/derivations nor underlying/deep structures, while
emphasizing two primitive components, i.e., the Nucleus and the Core
(cf. Bentley et al. 2023). To this end, Fleischhauer and Kihara’s
edited volume ‘tackles’ applications of this framework in seven
chapters, which range in length from twenty-five to thirty pages, by
foregrounding languages spoken in East, West, and South Africa.
Three-digit identifiers for each language mentioned in their volume
and this review are also presented parenthetically.
Chapter 1, written by Jens Fleischhauer and Claudius Patrick Kihara,
is entitled “African Languages from a Role and Reference Grammar
Perspective.” This chapter begins by addressing why African languages
are the central focus of the book’s examples, remarking that the sheer
amount of linguistic diversity on the continent is important from a
scientific standpoint and has been significantly underrepresented in
the field, even within RRG-based studies. Next, the authors shift the
focus toward a broad introduction to RRG (a) by distinguishing
predicates from non-predicating elements and arguments from adjuncts
and (b) by commenting on a methodological shift that resulted in the
development of an independent ‘periphery’ at each level of analysis as
opposed to the erstwhile singular periphery. Finally, an overview of
the remaining chapters and important topics (e.g., serial verb
constructions, voice alternations, and junctures in RRG) is shared.
Chapter 2, written by Maduabuchi Sennen Agbo, is entitled “A
Functional Typology of Igbo Multi-Verb Constructions.” This chapter
opens with a set of five objectives, the last of which examines the
explanatory power of RRG toward the first four, e.g., in identifying
“what determines a verb compound in Igbo” (p. 25) and whether RRG is
the most appropriate tool for this task. After this, simplex (i.e.
single-word) and complex (i.e. multi-word) verbs are distinguished
from one another. On the basis of this distinction, the latter is
organized into a taxonomy of five classes of verbs, which correspond
to states, achievements, accomplishments, active achievements, and
semelfactives. Each of these is subsequently analyzed in-turn before
shifting to serial verb constructions within Igbo and presenting just
a few examples of these within RRG.
Chapter 3, written by Anna Riccio, is entitled “The Syntax-Semantics
Interface of Serial Verb Constructions in Kwa Languages.” This chapter
starts by considering the ways in which serial verb constructions have
been defined in the extant literature, paying particular attention to
the examination of different types of serial verbs outlined in the
mid-nineteenth and early-twentieth century work of Zimmermann (1858),
Christaller (1875), and Westermann (1907, 1930). The remainder of the
chapter utilizes exemplars of serial and non-serial verbs from Kaakye,
Efutu, Sɛkpɛlé, and Tuwuli in order to demonstrate both their
importance as a grammatical phenomenon and toward their illustration
through RRG, which “denotes a natural sequence of events expressed by
two verbs temporarily ordered in a precedence-consequence iconic
relation and interpreted as a single culturally relevant and cohesive
conceptual event” (p. 59).
Chapter 4, written by Ronald Schaefer and Francis Egbokhare, is
entitled “Postverbal Qualifiers and Constraints on Contrastive Focus.”
This chapter continues the decades-long work of the authors on the
Emai language, focusing specifically upon “postverbal tertiary
aspectual qualifiers, their structural relation to a preceding verb
and its arguments, and their constraining effect on adjustments to
information structure” (pp. 77-78). To this end, these are divided
into eight postverbal aspectual qualifiers under three classifications
(phrasal, quantitative, and directional tertiary), which are
investigated with reference to the initial hypothesis, viz. that these
qualifiers serve as constraints on verb arguments in utterances that
employ the contrastive focus. Ultimately, the authors undertake an
interesting discussion of qualifiers that ‘blur’ the lines between
different lexical categories and connect this to RRG-based
representations.
Chapter 5, written by Clara Anderson, is entitled “A Case for the
Antipassive in Babungo.” This chapter starts by comparing transitive,
antipassive, and causative constructions before undertaking a review
of existing scholarship on the causative and the antipassive voice. In
doing so, the author highlights the definitional criteria for both
grammatical categories and notes that they have a shared semantic
genesis in the reconstructed light verb *tin (‘do’). Next, a set of
verbal classes and aspects in Babungo (bav) are discussed in
conjunction with the causative suffix -sə, which arises in conjunction
with intransitive, semi-transitive, and transitive verbal roots.
Finally, analogous data from Babanki (bbk), Songye (L23), and Luba
(L31) are offered to support the connection between the causative and
antipassive in Babungo.
Chapter 6, written by Claudius Patrick Kihara, is entitled “The
Morphosyntax of the Gĩkũyũ Complex Reference Phrase.” This chapter
engages the morphosyntactic structure of the nominal phrase in Kikuyu
(E51), which is identified as a ‘Reference Phrase’ or a ‘Referential
Phrase’ in RRG parlance. The author notes that an understanding of
determiners rooted in Indo-European languages cannot be understood a
priori as appropriate for studies of Bantu languages, after which the
differential ordering of nominal modifiers is illustrated. A more
substantial introduction to the fundamental tenets of RRG is also
provided through reference to English-language exemplars, after which
the chapter shifts to the nominal modifiers in Kikuyu, focusing
specifically on nominals, demonstratives, the associative phrase,
adjectivals, and quantifiers. Finally, three nexus types
(coordination, subordination, and cosubordination) and four junctures
(sentential, clausal, core, and nuclear) are discussed with reference
to the data, after which the author concludes that “the RRG
theoretical tools are able to account for the morphosyntax of Gĩkũyũ
complex RPs” (p. 160).
Chapter 7, written by Jens Fleischhauer, is entitled “Argument
Doubling and Right-Dislocation [...] in isiZulu.” This chapter
foregrounds the relationship between different referential phrases and
the inclusion of corresponding subject and object markers in verbal
phrases. Bantu languages differ in their licensing of arguments within
the verbal phrase, e.g., from Fwe (K402) that permits all arguments to
Kikuyu (E51) and Swahili (G42) that only permit two arguments. Further
restrictions also limit how many RPs can co-occur with those verbal
argument markers. Although the primary focus is Zulu (S42), analogous
data from a half-dozen other Bantu languages are provided for
comparison before the author ultimately arrives at his conclusion:
“[I]f a language allows argument doubling, the doubled RP is not
dislocated but realized in the extra-core slot” (p. 186). It is
precisely in this slot where four properties concerning the
discourse-pragmatic function and syntactic positioning of elements are
discussed.

EVALUATION

Fleischhauer and Kihara’s edited volume offers a valuable contribution
to a growing body of literature on Role and Reference Grammar (RRG)
and the ways in which African languages can contribute toward the
explanatory power of this framework. More specifically, the
introduction provides both valuable contextualization for the rest of
the book and also shares a strong case for the defense and value of
linguistic data from African languages, not only for RRG but also for
linguistics more broadly as a field. This volume is also remarkably
well balanced in length, utilizes visualizations effectively and
appropriately, illustrates the cross-modular usage of RRG, and
provides a representative sample of languages from across the
continent. Finally, the chapter-specific bibliographies are expansive
and indicate that the authors are well versed in their respective
areas.
        Nevertheless, there are a few ways in which this volume could
be improved. First, closer attention to proofreading was necessary, as
some information is repeated (e.g., the second paragraph on p. 31),
some interlinear glosses (e.g., a proper noun used as a vocative is
repeatedly listed as an interjection in the third chapter), and some
punctuation was inconsistent (e.g., an itemized list being introduced
with a semicolon instead of a colon on p. 123 and missing hyphens in
the Swahili-language gloss on p. 175). Second, although each chapter
offers additional information on RRG as a framework, a chapter
dedicated specifically to explicating the fundamentals of RRG (i.e.,
beyond the seven pages in the introduction) would make the volume more
accessible to those with experience in other frameworks, such as the
descriptions offered later in the sixth chapter. Third, while the
introduction does an effective job of framing the text, a concluding
chapter would also be welcome, as the current arrangement feels
somewhat less cohesive without it. In a similar vein, including in the
prefatory material a single list of abbreviations—as opposed to
chapter-specific abbreviations, most of which repeat throughout the
volume—would aid in this area. Finally, there are a few points where a
deeper ‘dive’ into the scholarship was necessary. For instance,
Chapter 6 notes that “[...] there is little work on the morphosyntax
of noun phrases in Bantu languages, especially nominal modification”
(p. 131). However, there are a number of descriptive linguistic
accounts of the nominal phrase and the ordering of adnominal modifiers
in East/East-Central Africa, and this is also a topic discussed most
recently in Spier (2022). Similarly, Chapter 7 states with reference
to argument doubling that the author is “[...] lacking data on other
languages which are supposed to be non-doubling, like, for instance,
Bemba” (p. 187) There are, unfortunately, no clear references to works
covering this linguistic variety and its non-doubling nature despite
an extensive body of grammatical texts on Bemba (M42) from which
examples could have been drawn (see, e.g., Hoch 1959, 1960, 1963;
Schoeffer 1907; and van Sambeek 1955).
        In spite of these areas for future consideration, the editors
should be recognized for producing such a high-quality, interesting
volume that emphasizes valuable insight, provided by research on
African languages, into ‘language’ as the subject of scientific
inquiry. Additionally, when read alongside the earlier work on RRG and
Bentley et al.’s (2023) recently released handbook, the reader becomes
equipped to speak meaningfully about both the framework and the data
under consideration.

REFERENCES

Bentley, Delia et al. 2023. The Cambridge Handbook of Role and
Reference Grammar. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.

Christaller, Rev. J.G. 1875. A Grammar of the Asante and Fante
Language called Tshi [Chwee, Twi] based on the Akuapem Dialect with
References to the Other (Akan and Fante) Dialects. Basel: Basel Evang.
Missionary Society.

Hoch, Ernst. 1959. Bemba Grammar Notes for Beginners.

———. 1960. Bemba Pocket Dictionary: Bemba-English and English-Bemba.
Abercorn, Northern Rhodesia: Society for the Missionary of Africa
(White Fathers).

———. 1963. Bemba Grammar with Exercises. Chinsali, Zambia: Language
Centre.

Schoeffer, Rev. 1907. Grammar of the Bemba Language as Spoken in
Northeastern Rhodesia. Oxford: Clarendon Press.

van Sambeek, Jan. 1955. A Bemba Grammar. Cape Town: Longmans, Green &
Co.

Spier, Troy E. 2022. “Nominal Phrase Structure in Ikyaushi (M.402).”
Studies in African Languages and Cultures, 56: 31-47.

Westermann, Diedrich H. 1907. Grammatik der Ewe-Sprache. Berlin, DE:
Reimer.

Westermann, Diedrich H. 1930. A Study of the Ewe Language. Oxford, UK:
Oxford University Press.

Zimmermann, Johann. 1858. A Grammatical Sketch of the Akra- or
Gã-Language, with Some Specimens of it from the Mouth of the Natives
and a Vocabulary of the Same, with an Appendix on the Adanme Dialect,
Volume 1. Stuttgart, DE: J.F. Steinkopf for the Basel Missionary
Society.

ABOUT THE REVIEWER

Troy E. Spier is Assistant Professor of English and Linguistics at
Florida A&M University. He earned his MA and Ph.D. in Linguistics at
Tulane University, his B.S.Ed. in English/Secondary Education at
Kutztown University, and a graduate certificate in Islamic Studies at
Dallas International University. His research interests include
language documentation and description, discourse analysis, corpus
linguistics, and linguistic landscapes.



------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Please consider donating to the Linguist List https://give.myiu.org/iu-bloomington/I320011968.html


LINGUIST List is supported by the following publishers:

American Dialect Society/Duke University Press http://dukeupress.edu

Bloomsbury Publishing (formerly The Continuum International Publishing Group) http://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/

Brill http://www.brill.com

Cambridge Scholars Publishing http://www.cambridgescholars.com/

Cambridge University Press http://www.cambridge.org/linguistics

Cascadilla Press http://www.cascadilla.com/

De Gruyter Mouton https://cloud.newsletter.degruyter.com/mouton

Dictionary Society of North America http://dictionarysociety.com/

Edinburgh University Press www.edinburghuniversitypress.com

Elsevier Ltd http://www.elsevier.com/linguistics

Equinox Publishing Ltd http://www.equinoxpub.com/

European Language Resources Association (ELRA) http://www.elra.info

Georgetown University Press http://www.press.georgetown.edu

John Benjamins http://www.benjamins.com/

Lincom GmbH https://lincom-shop.eu/

Linguistic Association of Finland http://www.ling.helsinki.fi/sky/

MIT Press http://mitpress.mit.edu/

Multilingual Matters http://www.multilingual-matters.com/

Narr Francke Attempto Verlag GmbH + Co. KG http://www.narr.de/

Netherlands Graduate School of Linguistics / Landelijke (LOT) http://www.lotpublications.nl/

Oxford University Press http://www.oup.com/us

SIL International Publications http://www.sil.org/resources/publications

Springer Nature http://www.springer.com

Wiley http://www.wiley.com


----------------------------------------------------------
LINGUIST List: Vol-34-2948
----------------------------------------------------------