A Grammar of Jamsay (Mouton Grammar Library)

Mouton Grammar Library

A Grammar of Jamsay

≥

Mouton Grammar Library 45

Editors Georg Bossong Bernard Comrie Matthew Dryer

Mouton de Gruyter Berlin · New York

A Grammar of Jamsay by Jeffrey Heath

Mouton de Gruyter Berlin · New York

Mouton de Gruyter (formerly Mouton, The Hague) is a Division of Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co. KG, Berlin.

앝 Printed on acid-free paper which falls within the guidelines of the 앪 ANSI to ensure permanence and durability.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Heath, Jeffrey. A grammar of Jamsay / by Jeffrey Heath. p. cm. ⫺ (Mouton grammar library ; 45) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-3-11-020113-0 (cloth : alk. paper) 1. Jamsay dialect ⫺ Grammar. I. Title. PL8139.95.J35H43 2008 4961.3⫺dc22 2008010935

Bibliographic information published by the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek The Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche Nationalbibliografie; detailed bibliographic data are available in the Internet at http://dnb.d-nb.de.

ISBN 978-3-11-020113-0 ISSN 0933-7636 ” Copyright 2008 by Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co. KG, D-10785 Berlin. All rights reserved, including those of translation into foreign languages. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Printed in Germany.

Contents

Contents .................................................................................................................... v Abbreviations ........................................................................................................xxi Chapter one Introduction 1. Dogon languages ..................................................................................... 1 2. Jamsay language...................................................................................... 2 3. Environment ............................................................................................ 3 4. Previous and contemporary study of Jamsay ........................................ 5 4.1. Fieldwork ................................................................................................. 5 4.2. Acknowledgements................................................................................. 6 Chapter two Sketch 1. Prosody .................................................................................................... 7 2. Inflectable verbs and quasi-verbs......................................................... 10 3. Participles .............................................................................................. 14 4. Noun phrase (NP).................................................................................. 14 5. Postpositional phrases (PP) .................................................................. 16 6. Main clauses and constituent order...................................................... 16 7. Nominalized clauses and constituent order ......................................... 19 8. Relative clauses ..................................................................................... 19 9. Interclausal syntax................................................................................. 22 Chapter three Phonology 1. General................................................................................................... 25 2. Internal phonological structure of stems and words ........................... 25 2.1. Syllables................................................................................................. 25 2.2. Embryonic metrical structure ............................................................... 26 2.3. Nominal compounds ............................................................................. 28 3. Consonants ............................................................................................ 30 3.1. Alveopalatals (c, j, n)) ........................................................................... 31 3.2. Voiced velar stop g and g-Spirantization (gƒ)................................ 31 3.3. Velar nasal (N)....................................................................................... 33 3.4. Voiceless labials (p, f) .......................................................................... 33

vi

Contents

3.5. 3.6. 3.7. 3.8. 3.8.1. 3.8.2. 3.8.3. 3.8.4. 3.8.5. 4. 4.1. 4.2. 4.3. 4.4. 4.5. 5. 5.1. 5.1.1. 5.1.2. 5.2. 5.2.1. 5.2.2. 5.3. 5.3.1. 5.3.2. 5.3.3. 5.4. 5.4.1. 5.4.2. 5.5. 5.5.1. 5.5.2. 5.5.3. 5.6. 5.6.1. 5.6.2. 5.7. 5.7.1. 5.7.2. 6. 6.1. 6.2.

Laryngeals (h, /) ................................................................................... 33 Sibilants (s, s&) ........................................................................................ 34 Nasalized sonorants (r