International conference on
Bantu Grammar: Description and Theory
School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London
20 – 22 April 2006
Supported by the British Academy
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With over 400 languages, the Bantu family provides a rich field for descriptive, comparative and theoretical linguistic studies. Among the many aspects prominent in current linguistic debate on Bantu languages are the relation between agreement and comparative freedom of word-order, the extent of (non-)configurationality, the expression of information structure (such as topic and focus), and its relation to tone and prosody, noun phrase structure, the relation between derivation and inflection, tense/aspect and negation, tonal systems and segmental phonology, as well as diachronic, typological and comparative topics.
During this conference, we want to bring together researchers engaged in the study of Bantu languages from a descriptive and/or theoretical perspective, so as to highlight the relation between descriptive studies and theory formation in Bantu linguistics. The conference is part of a collaborative project between SOAS, the University of Leiden, and the Zentrum für allgemeine Sprach-wissenschaft, Typologie und Universalienforschung, Berlin, funded by the British Academy (British Academy Bantu Network Project)
Location
The School of Oriental and African Studies is located next to Russell Square in Bloomsbury, in the heart of London. The British Museum, the British Library and our sister college University College London are in walking distance. The School is the largest institution in the UK devoted to the study of African languages and cultures, and has a long tradition in Bantu studies. It was also Britain’s first university to have a Department of Linguistics.
The School can be reached easily from anywhere in the world by using one of London’s several international airports. From London Heathrow, a 50 minutes’ tube (i.e. underground) ride on the Picadilly line will take you directly to Russell Square tube station, 5 minutes from SOAS.
Accommodation
Conference participants are kindly asked to make their own arrangement for accommodation. There are several hotels and B&B’s in the area. For a list of hotels and B&B's within app. 10 min. walking distance from SOAS, click here.
Links:
SOAS Location: http://www.soas.ac.uk/contact/location.cfm?navid=1110
Transport for London: http://www.tfl.gov.uk
Map: http://www.streetmap.co.uk/
Accommodation: http://www.london-hotels-guide.co.uk/England/London/Bloomsbury/index.cfm
Registration
The registration fee for the conference is £ 40, or £ 15 for students and the unwaged. Early registration is encouraged, and participants are asked to register by 1 March 2006 at the latest. Please fill in the registration form below, and return it to the conference organisers. Late registration information is available on the conference day.
Registration Form (MS Word file)
Registration Form (html file opens in new window)
Call for papers
Abstracts are invited for presentations at the conference, addressing any aspect of the description or analysis of Bantu languages, such as phonology, morphology, syntax/semantics, pragmatics, historical, typological and textual studies. We particularly welcome papers which combine theoretically motivated analysis with the description of new or lesser known aspects of Bantu languages.
Time for presentations is 30 minutes including discussion.
Abstracts should be no longer than one page A4, including data and references, with 2.5 cm margins and font size no smaller than 12 point. Please send two copies of your abstract. One of these should be anonymous, and one should include your name, affiliation and email at the top of the page, directly below the title.
Abstracts may be submitted either electronically, preferably as PDF, RTF, or MS Word attachment (email address: BantuConference@soas.ac.uk) or as hard copy by post (addressed to Lutz Marten, Department of Africa, SOAS, Thornhaugh Street, Russell Square, London WC1H 0XG, England). In either case, abstracts must reach the organisers by Mon 19 Dec 2005.
Keynote Speakers
Katherine Demuth, Brown University
Al Mtenje, University of Malawi
Thilo Schadeberg, University of Leiden
Panel Discussion: Synchrony and diachrony of the structure of the Bantu verb
Organized by Derek Nurse (Memorial University of Newfoundland) and Larry Hyman (University of California Berkeley)
Since Meeussen (1969: 108) the accepted view is that the structure of the single word verb as reconstructable for Proto-Bantu was synthetic. We would like to revisit this topic, in view of new Bantu data and new insights over the last forty years.
Panel presentations:
Analytic vs synthetic structure in the Niger-Congo and Bantu verb (Derek Nurse): The implications of the geographical distribution of analytic vs synthetic verb structure across Niger-Congo and Bantu suggest that synthetic was likely for an early stage of Niger-Congo - versus the claims of linguistic change and grammaticalization, which suggest an analytic starting point.
Phonological and morphological evidence for the internal structure of the Bantu verb (Larry Hyman): The presentation discusses all the phonological (and some of the morphological) evidence showing the integrity of the verb complex which will include the relation between prefixal and suffixal morphology/phonology.
The panel discussion is open to all conference participants. If you would like to contribute a panel presentation or act as a discussant, please contact the conference organisers (bantuconference@soas.ac.uk) by 19 Dec 2005 at the latest.
Important Dates
Mon 19 Dec 2005: Deadline for submission of abstracts
Mon 16 Jan 2006: Notification of acceptance
Thurs 20 April – Sat 22 April 2006: Conference
Organising Committee
Lutz Marten (SOAS), Lisa Cheng (Leiden), Laura Downing (ZAS)
Local Organisers: Lutz Marten, Chege Githiora, Nancy Kula, Anna McCormack, Nhlanhla Thwala
Further Information and Contact
Web Page: http://mercury.soas.ac.uk/users/lm5/BantuConference.htm
Contact for further information and questions: Lutz Marten, Department of Africa, SOAS, Thornhaugh Street, London WC1H 0XG, England. Tel.: +44 – (0)20 – 7898 4653, Fax: +44 – (0)20 – 7898 4679, e-mail: lutz@soas.ac.uk
Please distribute among interested friends and colleagues
All welcome!
Created and maintained by Lutz Marten. Last updated 04 April 2006.