Théophile Obenga

**Théophile Obenga** (born 1936 insyd de Republic of the Congo) be professor emeritus insyd de Africana Studies Center at San Francisco State University. He be a politically active proponent of Pan-Africanism. Obenga be an Egyptologist, linguist, den historian.

## Background
Dem born Obenga insyd 1936 insyd Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo.

Théophile Obenga study a wide variety of subjects den dey obtain a wide range of degrees. Ein degrees include:

* M.A. in Philosophy (University of Bordeaux, France)
* M.Ed. (University of Pittsburgh, U.S.A.)
* M.A. in History (University of Paris, Sorbonne)
* Advanced studies in History, Linguistics, and Egyptology (University of Geneva, Switzerland); in Prehistory (Institut de Paléontologie Humaine, Paris), and in Linguistics, Philology, and Egyptology (University of Paris, Sorbonne, and College de France)

Théophile Obenga dey hold a Ph.D. in Letters, Arts and Humanities from Montpellier University, France. 

## Linguistic analysis
During de 1974 UNESCO Cairo symposium, D*e peopling of ancient Egypt* *den de deciphering of de Meroitic script*, Cheikh Anta Diop den Obenga be among ein participants. Adding on to Diop ein African origin of ancient Egypt model, Theophile Obenga dey focus on linguistics. Obenga dey criticize Joseph Greenberg ein mass comparison method, for ein inability to prove genetic relationships among languages. He cited de work of Istvan Fodor who sana criticize Greenberg ein multi lateral comparative analysis. Obenga through de usage of de historical comparative method sought to prove dat de Egyptian language be genetically dey relate to de majority of de languages insyd Africa. Obenga analyze typological similarities insyd grammar as well as examine de word forms of ancient Egyptian den numerous African languages such as Wolof den discover dat de similarities between de ancient Egyptian language den de African languages he analyze to be greater than de similarities between de Semitic, Berber, den Egyptian languages, which Greenberg grouped together as de Afroasiatic languages. Obenga reveal 101 putative cognates insyd African languages classified insyd different families by Greenberg. These languages share de same word across de length den breadth of de continent. According to Kambon, de sheer spatial den temporal depth involve dey make de notion dat these terms be borrowed from one language family to anoda highly unlikely. These lexical commonalities point to a common ancestral proto-language from wich na dem be all descend. 

Obenga dey propose three major language families for Africa:

* Berber
* Khoisan
* Paleo African/Negro-Egyptian.

Obenga developed Cheikh Anta Diop ein Paleo African language family as Negro-Egyptian. Dis family be composed of:

* Ancient Egyptian
* Chadic
* Coptic
* Cushitic
* Niger-Kordofanian
* Nilo-Saharan
Rules of historical linguistics “Historical linguistics” or even “historical genetic linguistics” consists of a diachronic perspective of de study of languages aiming to account for de dynamic nature of linguistic phenomena. To do dis, dis scientific discipline mobilizes descriptive data make available by synchronic linguistic studies (lexicology, phonology, morphology, grammar, etc.), by comparing them from one language to odas (or from language to language). insyd a corpus previously determined through de empirical observation of a few similarities. Dis comparative approach aims, according to him, to test say similarities, insyd order to know if they be “fortuitous”, “borrowed”, “convergent”, or even “inherited”. Insyd de group of languages considered, only de regular character of inherited linguistic properties will constitute de “genetic relationship” common to these languages. Insyd oda words, according to Obenga, we should only speak of “genetic kinship” common to languages, on de one hand if they present inherited similarities between them; on de oda hand if de regular evolution insyd time den space of say similarities can be highlighted by de method of historical linguistics. Although initially developed insyd de framework of de study of so-called Indo-European or Semitic languages, according to Emile Benveniste, historical linguistics can sana be applied to oda languages of de world; whether they be called "exotic", "primitive" or "without history". Théophile Obenga, believing dat de "ultimate goal of dis linguistics be to be able to carry out a general classification of all known human languages", undertook - following Cheikh Anta Diop - to apply de method of historical linguistics to “Negro-African” linguistic phenomena.
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## References

## External links

*Khainga O'okwemba, "Kenya: Meeting Great Egyptologist Theophile Obenga", *The Star*, 25 June 2015, via AllAfrica.