Philologisch-Kulturwissenschaften Fakultät

Verb serialization and nominalization are two prominent phenomena in descriptive and theoretical syntax. This paper raises a number of issues that result from the interaction between these two widely attested phenomena in the literature: nominalization (e.g.

It is common knowledge that noun classes in Mabia (Gur) languages are primarily characterized by stems and affixes. Common to all studies on nominal classification in Kusaal is the observation that nouns that exhibit common morphological properties also share identical semantic features. Though this is true to some extent, the generalization breeds a lot of leakages because classifications based on semantic field alone is unable to explain the inclusion of nouns that share identical morphological and phonological features but different semantic features. Thus, this problem questions the assumption that noun classification in Kusaal is dependent on common semantic properties or coherence shared by all nouns in a group. The semantic classification of nouns, in this study, is composed based on the assumption that speakers of Kusaal put together nouns that are connected by identical semantic features and others that are linked by pragmatic associations into networks that define concepts...

This paper presents and discusses the particles used in expressing contrastive focus1 in Kusaal, a Gur language spoken in Ghana, Burkina Faso and Togo. Contrary to the earlier claim made by Abubakari (2011) that focus is morphologically null in the language, the particles kà, ń and nɛ́ are identified as contrastive focus markers in Kusaal. The particle kà is limited to fronted focused items, whilst ń and nɛ́ are limited to in-situ focused constituents. Ex-situ focus always bears contrastive interpretation, hence the obligatory use of kà. In-situ focus is marked prosodically. However, the in-situ use of ń and nɛ́ correlates with a contrastive and exhaustive focus interpretation. To determine the validity of ń, nɛ́ and kà as contrastive focus particles, I subject them to various tests of exhaustivity from which I conclude that these are contrastive focus particles in the language.

This paper explores a formal analysis of Information Structure in Kusaal. It is observed that the i-structure is inadequately resourced to account for the various subcategories of discourse notions; more specifically the difference between information focus and contrastive focus in Kusaal and by extension some African languages. These two subtypes of focus are observed to have identical i-structures, resulting in ambiguity, although the cstructures may be different especially with languages where overt morphological particles play important roles in expressing the discourse statuses of constituents. To address the issue, an additional feature, DTYPE, with a value that subcategories subtypes of focus and topic notions is introduced in the i-structure. Another feature referred to as DFORM shows values that may either be morphologically or phonologically realised on an individual language basis.

This dissertation covers two central areas for two fundamental objectives. The first is to provide a general discussion on aspects of the grammar of Kusaal, a Mabia (Gur) language spoken in Ghana, Burkina Faso and Togo. This is relevant since not much is known in the literature on this language, especially speaking of the Kusaal spoken in Ghana. The section on Kusaal grammar gives a general perspective on the phonology, morphology as well as the syntax of the language. The second objective is to draw attention to some issues of current interest in both descriptive and theoretical linguistics. Thus, the second section is of more interest to linguists working on information structure as well as those using the Lexical Functional Grammar (LFG) framework (Bresnan et al 2016; Bresnan 2001; Kaplan and Bresnan 1982). Kusaal combines various strategies: morphological, syntactic and prosodic means, for packaging discourse related information. Whilst information focus is morphologically null,...

The papers in this volume were presented at the 47th Annual Conference on African Linguistics at UC Berkeley in 2016. The papers offer new descriptions of African languages and propose novel theoretical analyses of them. The contributions span topics in phonetics, phonology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics and reflect the typological and genetic diversity of languages in Africa. Four papers in the volume examine Areal Features and Linguistic Reconstruction in Africa, and were presented at a special workshop on this topic held alongside the general session of ACAL.

This paper discusses a particle ń in serial verb constructions (SVCs) in Kusaal. Previous studies have argued that SVCs in the language are neither coordinate nor subordinate constructions. One then questions the status of the identified particle which necessitates extra research to guide the argument in both previous and upcoming studies on SVC in Kusaal and, by extension, other sister languages. With empirical data and several tests for SVCs, it is argued that the particle ń has several functions in Kusaal and other Mabia languages. It functions as a subject focus marker in Kusaal, Gurenɛ, and Dagbani, as well as a serializing connector in Moore. It will be established that the particle ń is not obligatory in SVCs in Kusaal and its presence encodes an emphatic or focus interpretation on the verb it precedes.

Die ācīvika Philosophie ist eine alte indische Tradition, wie die jainistische und buddhistische. Im Laufe der Zeit wird sie in die jainistische Tradition integriert, weil es zwischen beiden bereits einige gemeinsame Aspekte gibt.. Die neuere Forschung versucht aufzuzeigen, dass die ācīvika Tradition ihren Ursprung womöglich in Südindien hatte. Verschiedene Textstellen der tamilischen Literatur scheinen dies zu bestätigen.
Besonders wichtig zu merken sind nicht nur die Hymnen von drei Autoren – Markali, Pūrana und Pakkuta – die dieser Philosophie beigetragen haben, in der tamilischen Literatur vorhanden sind, gibt es auch Schreinen und Inschriften, wo  diese Autoren verehrt und anerkannt werden.
Die ācīvika Philosophie war brutal verfolgt worden, weil sie die vedischen Rituale und Varna Systeme in Frage gestellt hatte. In Folge dieser Verfolgung konnte diese Tradition in ihrem eigenen Denksystem nicht überleben. Doch die Grundideen der Ācīvikas  – dass nämlich die Welt aus der Variation von fünf Elementen bestehe (Atomismus), dass sich alles in Entsprechung seiner eignen Natur entwickle und diese Entwicklung determiniert sei (Fatalismus) – sind in gewandelten Formen immer noch aktiv. Es wird etwa angenommen, dass der Atomismus, das Schicksalsdenken und die Annahme von natürlichen Gesetzmäßigkeiten  in der Astronomie, wie sie die Sāmkhya Theorie ausgebildet hat, spätere Ausformungen der ācīvika Philosophie sind. Die Schicksal Theorie der ācīvika hat eine Stufe erreicht, damit sie das Gute und Böse im menschlichen Leben  unterscheiden zu können. Die neuere Forschung zu den Ācīvikas steht im tamilischen Land, wo es zur Zeit eine Erneuerungsbewegung im Gang gibt, steht gewissermaßen auch im Zusammenhang mit den Versuch, die gebrochene tamilische Identität wiederherzustellen.

Amaladass, Anand. “The Concept of Vyutpatti in Indian Aesthetics: Does Aesthetic Delight Bring about a Change in the Person Experiencing It?” Wiener Zeitschrift Für Die Kunde Südasiens / Vienna Journal of South Asian Studies 36 (1992): 261–71.

Anand Amaladass, "The Writing Catechism and Translation Strategies of Three Jesuits in South India: Henrique Henriques, Roberto de Nobili and Joseph Beschi", in "Translating Catechisms, Translating Cultures: The Expansion of Catholicism in the Early Modern World", eds. Antje Flüchter and Rouven Wirbser (Leiden - Boston: Brill, 2017): 170-194.