LINGUIST List 9.666

Thu May 7 1998

Qs: preposed/suffix, Calendar,Program Requirements

Editor for this issue: Julie Wilson <julielinguistlist.org>

Directory

1. Marit.Julien, Query: preposed/suffixed markers
2. Djehuti Sundaka, Indigenous Afrikan Kalendar
3. Kuo-ming.Sung, Query: lang requirement for undergrad ling

I am wondering if there are any languages out there in which the verbal
inflectional system is such that one value of a feature is expressed by a
suffixed marker, whereas the opposite value of the same feature is realized
as a free marker preceding the verb. One example would be a language with a
suffix for and a free preceding marker for imperfective.
A similar existing case is the articles in Scandinavian, where the
indefinite article is a free marker preceding the noun, and the definite
article is a suffix. I am looking for more examples of this pattern, in
particular in the verbal system.

Marit Julien

THE INDIGENOUS AFRIKAN KALENDAR PROJECT

Greetings,

I am looking for anyone who can provide me with either leads or
assistance in an indigenous Afrikan kalendar project. In this project,
I require the indigenous [pre-Xristian, pre-Islamic] names of the months
of the following ethnicities.


Kafa (Ethiopia)
Songhai (Mali)
Kanuri (Nigeria)
Dinka (Sudan)
Maasai (Kenya)
Mende (Sierra Leone)
Bamana (Mali)
Kongo (Angola)
Mbundu (Angola)
Luba (Congo)

I also need to know the meanings of each of the month names and the
specific times of the year in which each of the first indigenous months
begin [i.e. a two month designation such as MARCH/APRIL=ABIB, the first
month of the Kanaani kalendar].

I realize that some of the ethnicities named may not have actual names
for their indigenous months beyond numerical designations. However, if
a closely related ethnicity should have actual names, it will suffice. 

Any help offered would be greatly appreciated. Anyone else interested
in providing any helpful information can contact me at
AHuguleyix.netcom.com

Thank you.

Sincerely,
Djehuti Sundaka

Dear colleagues,

Lawrence University, a four-year liberal art college, is considering
an undergraduate linguistics major. I'd appreciate it if you could
kindly
provide information about the language requirement of your undergraduate
linguistics program. Thanks


Kuo-ming Sung

Interdisciplinary Area of Linguistics
Lawrence University