RVN Webinar Series - The Tanzanian Rift Valley Area: a prolegomenon for research and a network
Channel: Rift Valley Network
Date: 2019-03-20

Note: This talk has not gone through a process of peer review, and findings should therefore be treated as preliminary and subject to change.

How to cite: Griscom, Richard, and Andrew Harvey. 2019. The Tanzanian Rift Valley Area: A prolegomenon for research and a network. Talk given at the Rift Valley Network Webinar Series. 20/03/2019.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.2595908

Abstract: The Tanzanian Rift Valley is unique on the continent in that speakers of all major African language phyla have been in contact here for quite some time (c.f. Kießling, Mous, and Nurse 2008, hereafter referred to as KMN 2008). KMN 2008, a foundational work on the study of the Rift Valley as a linguistic area, delimit the Rift as the area in which the following languages are traditionally spoken: Iraqw, Gorwaa, Alagwa, Burunge, (South Cushitic); Nyaturu, Rangi, Mbugwe, Nyilamba, Ihanzu, Kimbu, (Bantu); Sandawe (Khoisan); Datooga (Southern Nilotic); and Hadza (isolate). Caveats in this list include the fact that Datooga is comprised of a group of distinct varieties, as well as that the smaller “Dorobo” languages (genetic affiliation unknown), as well as the likely-extinct languages Aasax and Kw’adza (both probably South-Cushitic) should also be included here. In this talk, we seek to: 1) contextualize the Area in terms of i) geography and environment, ii) its speaker communities, and iii) previous research conducted pertaining to their histories, cultures, and languages; as well as 2) articulate the need for a Rift Valley Network at the current time, as well as describe the current makeup of the Network and the work conducted by its members.

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For more, visit Richard's site at: https://richardtgriscom.wordpress.com
                   visit Andrew's site at: https://www.andrewdtharvey.com