LINGUIST List 14.702

Tue Mar 11 2003

Books: Language Description, Luri: Anonby

Editor for this issue: Marisa Ferrara <marisalinguistlist.org>

Directory

1. LINCOM.EUROPA, A Phonology of Southern Luri: Anonby

			
Title: A Phonology of Southern Luri
Series Title: LINCOM Studies in Indo-European Linguistics 25
			
Publication Year: 2003
Publisher: Lincom GmbH
 http://home.t-online.de/home/LINCOM.EUROPA/
			
Availability: Available

Author: Erik John Anonby, Leiden University 

Paperback: ISBN: 3895867233, Pages: 136, Price: USD 48 / EUR 44 / GBP
	 33
			
Abstract:
			
Southern Luri, an Indo-European language in the Southwestern Group of
Iranian languages, counts almost one million speakers. Still, while
brief linguistic sketches have been written in Farsi, the existence of
Southern Luri as a distinct language group has until recently been
unknown to Western scho larship. In a recent comparative work,
'Update on Luri: How Many Languages?' (2003), Anonby established the
existence of three separate languages in the Luri continuum:
Luristani, Bakhtiari and Southern Luri. In the present study, the
author provides a window into the phonological sy stem of Southern
Luri. Although closely related to both Bakhtiari and Farsi, the
language is nonetheless distinguished by a number of particular-an d
at times striking-phonological characteristics. The vowel system is
mark ed by a rich inventory of diphthongs, several of which exhibit
historical / h/ as a lengthening element. Among the numerous
phonological processes, pe rvasive short vowel reduction and a series
of consonant softenings are most prominent. Rigorous restrictions in
the composition of syllables drive mo st of the morphophonemic
processes. The study addresses the impact of borrowing on the
language and concludes with a pr�cis on speech style, stress
 and intonation processes.

Erik John Anonbyis a researcher in Linguistics at Leiden University
and ins tructor at the Canada Institute of Linguistics. Previous to
his work on Ir anian languages, he conducted research in Chad, Africa.
His explorations h ave focussed on topics as diverse as phonological
analysis, dialectology, translation theory and ethnoornithology. In
addition to comparative work on the Luri languages, he has published
poetry and numerous articles as well as the longer works Bahendayal:
Bird Classification in Luri (forthcoming), A Sociolinguistic Survey of
the Zaghawa (Beria) of Chad and Sudan (2000) and An Analysis of
Name-transference in LXX Isaiah 1-12(1997).
			
Lingfield(s): Language Description
		Phonology

Subject Language(s): Luri (Language Code: LRI)
			 
Language Family(ies): Indo-European

Written In: English (Language Code: English)