The Ethiopian Linguistic Area: Lectures 1-4 and References

Lecture 1: Ethiopian languages: An introductionLecture 2: Defining (and contested) features of the Ethiopian Linguistic AreaLecture 3: Shared lexicalisation patterns and potential avenues for future resarchLecture 4: Shared multifunctionality (‘like’ as purposive marker)References Doctoral The Ethiopian Linguistic Area at the Horn of Africa comprises languages of different branches of the Afroasiatic macro-family and, to a lesser extent, of the disputed Nilo-Saharan phylum. The linguistic area was established by Charles A. Ferguson as early as 1976. The boundaries of the contact zone and the criteria used to define it have ever since been disputed, but it is commonly agreed that languages spoken in the Ethiopian highlands show many signs of convergence. This course gives an overview of the research on Ethiopian languages, with special emphasis on contact-induced phenomena. It is based on the published literature as well as own fieldwork data on a Cushitic and an Omotic language of southwestern Ethiopia.