Malcolm Guthrie – författare

The northern limit of the Bantu languages is one of the important linguistic boundaries of Africa and this and the subsequent 3 volumes provide an invaluable resource which delimits the frontier. Since a number of the languages investigated had not hitherto been recorded, while with others the published information was inadquate and confused the Linguistic Survey of the Northern Bantu Borderland can justifiably be described as a pioneering study. This volume consists of demographic information together with maps and tabulated indications of the affinities of the languages.

The northern limit of the Bantu languages is one of the important linguistic boundaries of Africa and this and the subsequent 3 volumes provide an invaluable resource which delimits the frontier. Since a number of the languages investigated had not hitherto been recorded, while with others the published information was inadquate and confused the Linguistic Survey of the Northern Bantu Borderland can justifiably be described as a pioneering study. This volume consists of demographic information together with maps and tabulated indications of the affinities of the languages.

The first volume of this pair, The Classification of Bantu Languages, originally published in 1948, investigates the questions arising out of the use of the term Bantu. It establishes and illustrates the criteria used in identifying languages as members of the Bantu family. The technique used in classification is described and its results shown in the form of a series of descriptive classifications of each of the principal areas. As well as the map (not included in the volume due to modern methods of reproduction, but available to view on routledge.com), there is a complete list of languages classified in their groups. The second volume, Bantu Word Division published in the same year, discusses a question which for many years was the subject of protracted controversy, namely the dispute between the conjunctivist and the disjunctivist, with regard to word division. This pamphlet discusses word division from a different angle, and solves the problem in a more conclusive way.

The first volume of this pair, The Classification of Bantu Languages, originally published in 1948, investigates the questions arising out of the use of the term Bantu. It establishes and illustrates the criteria used in identifying languages as members of the Bantu family. The technique used in classification is described and its results shown in the form of a series of descriptive classifications of each of the principal areas. As well as the map (not included in the volume due to modern methods of reproduction, but available to view on routledge.com), there is a complete list of languages classified in their groups. The second volume, Bantu Word Division published in the same year, discusses a question which for many years was the subject of protracted controversy, namely the dispute between the conjunctivist and the disjunctivist, with regard to word division. This pamphlet discusses word division from a different angle, and solves the problem in a more conclusive way.

The area covered by this book, originally published in 1953, is one that has long been recognized as presenting many problems from the point of view of Bantu linguistic studies. Almost all the material set out in this present work is based on notes taken in the field, and in many cases presented completely new facts. The sources of the information used are listed at the end of the linguistic description of each of the groups of languages dealt with. Since there are so many languages to be covered it would be impracticable to give even an outline of the main features of each of them, so an outline is given of the main characteristics of each separate group. One language is used as the type for each group, for the purpose of listing examples of the nominal prefixes, verbal conjugation, and personal prefixes. Other features are illustrated from whichever language is the most suitable.

The area covered by this book, originally published in 1953, is one that has long been recognized as presenting many problems from the point of view of Bantu linguistic studies. Almost all the material set out in this present work is based on notes taken in the field, and in many cases presented completely new facts. The sources of the information used are listed at the end of the linguistic description of each of the groups of languages dealt with. Since there are so many languages to be covered it would be impracticable to give even an outline of the main features of each of them, so an outline is given of the main characteristics of each separate group. One language is used as the type for each group, for the purpose of listing examples of the nominal prefixes, verbal conjugation, and personal prefixes. Other features are illustrated from whichever language is the most suitable.