thesis

Identite tonale et filiation des langues sara-bongo-baguirmiennes (afrique centrale)

Defense date:

Jan. 1, 1993

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Institution:

Paris 3

Disciplines:

Linguistics

Authors:

Directors:

Abstract EN:

The sara-bongo-bagirmi languages (chad, sudan, centralafrican republic, zaire) display strong tonal dissimilarities which affect either the identity of systems (of two, three or four tones) or the identity of lexical patterns (nouns and verbs). Following the principles of historical comparatism this work attempts 1) to restitute the essential features of an ancestral tonal system, common to these languages, 2) to explain divergent evolutions which led to the variety of to-day systems and 3) to detect, by means of probable innovations, a genealogical diagram of the languages of this group. This comparative essay is completed by two descriptive works, of monographic nature, which are devoted to some of the sara-bongobagirmi languages (fer and yulu, bagiro) spoken in the c. A. R.

Abstract FR:

Les langues sara-bongo-baguirmiennes (tchad, soudan, republique centrafricaine, zaire) revelent de fortes disparites tonales qui touchent a la fois l'identite des systemes (a deux, trois ou quatre registres distinctifs) et celle des schemes lexicaux (noms et verbes). En s'inspirant des principes du comparatisme historique on cherche 1) a restituer les caracteristiques essentielles d'un systeme tonal ancestral, commun a ces langus, 2) a expliquer les evolutions divergentes qui ont conduit a la diversite des systemes actuels et 3) a degager, sur l'indice d'innovations probables, un schema genealogique des langues de ce groupe. L'essai comparatif est complete par deux ouvrages descriptifs, de caractere monographique, consacres a des langues sara-bongobaguirmiennes (fer et yulu, bagiro) parlees en r. C. A.