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African Languages and Societies Commons

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Full-Text Articles in African Languages and Societies

The Definite Article In Mel, George Tucker Childs Sep 2016

The Definite Article In Mel, George Tucker Childs

Applied Linguistics Faculty Publications and Presentations

As a function word, the definite article is subject to some attrition in the course of language change, usually originating in a a form with fuller phonetic substance such as a demonstrative, e.g., Greenberg 1978. This generalization holds true for the Mel languages, spoken in the countries of Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia. These languages were formerly part of the southern branch of Atlantic but are now thought to constitute an independent, e.g., Segerer Forthcoming. The reconstructed form of the Mel definite article is likely *lɛ (tone uncertain). In some dialects of Bom-Kim and the Dema dialect of Sherbro its …


Let's Speak Bom! The First Bom Primer: A Graphic Introduction To The Bom Language Of Sierra Leone, Hannah Sarvasy, George Tucker Childs Jan 2009

Let's Speak Bom! The First Bom Primer: A Graphic Introduction To The Bom Language Of Sierra Leone, Hannah Sarvasy, George Tucker Childs

Applied Linguistics Faculty Publications and Presentations

A graphic introduction to the Bom language of Sierra Leone, based on the stories of Bom community elders. Compiled and illustrated by Hannah Sarvasy, with editorial assistance from Tucker Childs.