Grammatical contact in the Sahara : Arabic, Berber, and Songhay in Tabelbala and Siwa
This thesis examines the effects of contact on the grammars of the languages of two oases in the Sahara, Siwa and Tabelbala. As relatively small centres of agriculture and long-distance trade, isolated for nearly a millennium from their nearest relatives and from any other sedentary groups by vast spans of desert mainly inhabited by sparse populations of nomads speaking a different language but sharing the same religion, and now integrated into an Arabic-speaking state, these share similar linguistic ecologies in many respects, and can be regarded as among the most extreme representatives of a language contact situation ongoing for centuries across the oases of the northern Sahara. No comprehensive study of the grammatical effects of contact in such a situation exists. This work identifies and argues for contact effects across a wide range of core morphology and syntax, using these both to shed new light on regional history and to test claims about the limits on, and expected outcomes of, contact. While reaffirming the ubiquity of pattern copying, the results encourage an expanded understanding of the role of material borrowing in grammatical contact, showing that the borrowing of functional morphemes and
Souag, Mostafa Lameen
Grammatical contact in the Sahara : Arabic, Berber, and Songhay in Tabelbala and Siwa. This thesis examines the effects of contact on the grammars of the languages of two oases in the Sahara, Siwa and Tabelbala. As relatively small centres of agriculture and long-distance trade, isolated for nearly a millennium from their nearest relatives and from any other sedentary groups by vast spans of desert mainly inhabited by sparse populations of nomads speaking a different language but sharing the same religion, and now integrated into an Arabic-speaking state, these share similar linguistic ecologies in many respects, and can be regarded as among the most extreme representatives of a language contact situation ongoing for centuries across the oases of the northern Sahara. No comprehensive study of the grammatical effects of contact in such a situation exists. This work identifies and argues for contact effects across a wide range of core morphology and syntax, using these both to shed new light on regional history and to test claims about the limits on, and expected outcomes of, contact. While reaffirming the ubiquity of pattern copying, the results encourage an expanded understanding of the role of material borrowing in grammatical contact, showing that the borrowing of functional morphemes and
grammatical contact sahara arabic examine_effect contact grammar languages sahara relatively_small centre agriculture long_distance_trade isolate nearly millennium near relative sedentary group vast span desert mainly inhabited sparse population speak different_language share religion integrate arabic_speaking state share_similar linguistic ecology many_respect regard among extreme representative language_contact situation ongoing century across northern sahara comprehensive_study grammatical effect contact_situation exists work identifies argue contact effect across_wide range core morphology_syntax use shed_new_light regional history test_claim limit expect outcome contact reaffirm ubiquity pattern copying encourage expand role material borrow grammatical contact show borrow functional morpheme