37.1132, Books: Lexical Reconstruction in Central Chadic: Wolff (2026)

[The LINGUIST List]

LINGUIST List: Vol-37-1132. Thu Mar 19 2026. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 37.1132, Books: Lexical Reconstruction in Central Chadic: Wolff (2026)

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Date: 18-Mar-2026
From: Ellena Moriarty [rfsupport at cambridge.org]
Subject: Lexical Reconstruction in Central Chadic: Wolff (2026)


Title: Lexical Reconstruction in Central Chadic
Subtitle: A Comparative Study of Vowels, Consonants and Prosodies
Publication Year: 2026

Publisher: Cambridge University Press
           http://www.cambridge.org/linguistics
Book URL:
https://www.cambridge.org/ch/universitypress/subjects/languages-linguistics/african-and-caribbean-language-and-linguistics/lexical-reconstruction-central-chadic-comparative-study-vowels-consonants-and-prosodies?format=PB&isbn=9781009346405#about-the-authors

Author(s): H. Ekkehard Wolff

Paperback ISBN:  9781009346405 Pages:  480 Price: U.K. £ 34.99
Paperback ISBN:  9781009346405 Pages:  480 Price: Europe EURO 40.84
Paperback ISBN:  9781009346405 Pages:  480 Price: U.S. $ 44.99

Abstract:

Due to a long history of contact, the Chadic languages are the
internally most diverse of the Afroasiatic language families,
especially in terms of their sound systems. In this ground-breaking
study, the author draws on his extensive research experience to unpack
the morpho-phonological principles that underpin the languages'
diverse prosody effects, arguing that massive variation results from
diachronic processes called 'prosodification' of segmental units. The
study compares data from 66 of the 79 known languages from the Central
branch of the Chadic language family, most of them unwritten and
under-researched. It traces language changes for 228 lexical items
that can be reconstructed from the proto-language's basic vocabulary,
unearthing typological features that link Central Chadic to its deep
Afroasiatic heritage. It is accompanied by a set of online appendixes,
providing the full analytical apparatus of all lexical
reconstructions, with explicit identification of each of the
diachronic sound changes and processes involved.

Written In: English (eng)



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