LINGUIST List 12.614

Tue Mar 6 2001

Books: African Linguistics/Maltese Language

Editor for this issue: Naomi Ogasawara <naomilinguistlist.org>

Directory

1. LINCOM EUROPA, African Ling: A Classified Vocabulary of the Icibemba Language
2. LINCOM EUROPA, Maltese Lang: The Maltese Language of Australia by R. Bovingdon

A Classified Vocabulary of the Icibemba Language 

ALEXANDER RAYMOND MAKASA KASONDE
Emory University

In Lexicology in Zambia (Kasonde, 1981), the author argued that
quality and quantity of published works were a measure of the level of
development in any given society. He lamented that poverty as such
could not justify lack of literary creativity in Africa where, unlike
the industrial world with modern libraries, oral traditions were the
only valuable bibliographies available. The author now avails himself
of the opportunity to offer a practical albeit limited response to the
need for written lexicons which he then clearly identified. The
present work is not the first lexicon of Icibemba language. Earlier
lexicons include Bemba-English Dictionary (White Fathers, 1949), Bemba
Pocket Dictionary (Hoch, 1960) and A Vocabulary of Icibemba (Mann,
1995). The original contribution of this particular lexicon lies in
the application of the concept of vocabulary classification based on A
Tentative Questionnaire for the words of Bantu Languages (Yukawa,
1979), also found in A Classified Vocabulary of the Luba Language
(Yukawa, 1992). In writing this lexicon, the author knows that there
is bound to be disagreement about the right meaning and spelling. The
problem of dialectology notwithstanding, he has used the official
orthography of Zambian languages (Chimuka, 1977).

ISBN 3 89586 420 X. 
Languages of the World/Dictionaries 39. 
Ca. 180pp. USD 53 / DM 98 / � 32. 


New: A Students' and course discount of 40% is offered to the above
 title. 

Ordering information for individuals: Please give us your creditcard
no. / expiry date. Prices in this information include shipment
worldwide by airmail. A standing order for this series is available
with special discounts offered to individual subscribers.

Free copies of LINCOM's new catalogue for 2001 (project line 11) are
available from LINCOM.EUROPAt-online.de.

LINCOM EUROPA, Freibadstr. 3, D-81543 Muenchen, Germany;
FAX +49 89 62269404;
http://www.lincom-europa.com
LINCOM.EUROPAt-online.de.

The Maltese Language of Australia - Maltraljan

Roderick Bovingdon

This is a comprehensive linguistic study of the Maltese language of
Australia known as Maltraljan as it has evolved over the last seventy
years of Maltese migration to Australia.

The first two chapters outline the historical, sociological, political
and linguistic framework in which this continuing phenomenon has
developed. A select glossary of some nine hundred headwords with
several derivations and variations added thereto, comprises chapter
three - the core of the entire work. This lexical presentation
includes, for the first time ever in the lexical study of Maltese,
phonemic transcriptions for every entry. No Maltese dictionary or
glossary to date has ever gone into such linguistic depth. In addition
to this, the glossary presents an in-depth, though general analysis,
of the main features of Maitraljan (viz. phonological, semantic,
morphological, syntactic, as well as examples for each entry of
conversational usage for each term and the respective provenance when
this is known.)

A considerable bibliography is added, providing the researcher and
student with ample cross-reference for both cross-checking as well as
for further research.

The general linguistic significance of this work relates to the
historical development of a particular language whilst in the process
of its evolvement. More specifically it provides a specific linguistic
link for related language studies especially semitics, romance and
English -the backbone of this linguistic phenomenon.

ISBN 3 89586 331 9. 
Languages of the World 16. 
140pp. USD 40 / DM 78 / � 27. 




New: A Students' and course discount of 40% is offered to the above
 title. 

Ordering information for individuals: Please give us your creditcard
no. / expiry date. Prices in this information include shipment
worldwide by airmail. A standing order for this series is available
with special discounts offered to individual subscribers.

Free copies of LINCOM's new catalogue for 2001 (project line 11) are
available from LINCOM.EUROPAt-online.de.

LINCOM EUROPA, Freibadstr. 3, D-81543 Muenchen, Germany;
FAX +49 89 62269404;
http://www.lincom-europa.com
LINCOM.EUROPAt-online.de.