An introduction to sound patterns in language, with special reference to African languages. This course will introduce students to formal analytical techniques of assessing sound distribution and alternations. Students will learn to identify natural classes and features, and to analyze vowel harmony, syllable structure and tone patterns. We will also discuss the phonology of sign languages. Students will gain an understanding of phonological typology and the nature of phonological argumentation.  

This course introduces participants to some basic concepts in generative syntax. Adopting a minimalist syntax approach,  they will learn the basics of structure building, such as how to diagram sentential units using operations like external Merge and internal Merge (movement). We shall also discuss how to identify and justify constituent structure and diagnose the presence of movement (wh-movement, passive, verb movement, etc.). Class sessions would typically involve hands-on exercises, and illustrations will emphasize how the relevant concepts apply in African languages. There are no prerequisites for this class, but your curiosity about the general rules that underlie clausal structure crosslinguistically will be an added advantage.

Sociolinguistics examines the role of language in society and seeks to explain the ways in which language serves to define and maintain social relationships among speakers. This course introduces students to sociolinguistic theory and the various social factors that influence language use. Through interactive class sessions, students will learn about multilingualism and language contact phenomena in relation to languages spoken in Africa and the rest of the world. In addition, students will be introduced to different qualitative and quantitative research methods used in sociolinguistics. A central aim of this course is to get students to think critically about language, identity, and power, while recognizing the value of all linguistic varieties. 

The overarching goal of this course is to introduce you to Optimality Theory (OT)

in the first week, then to basic concepts in Formal Language Theory (FLT) and Computational Phonology in the second week. The first part of the course will open with the basic architecture of an OT grammar (GEN, CON, and EVAL), and go on to explore constraint interactions and universality, factorial typology, etc. The first week will close with the pathological patterns generated by OT, which will be

used to transition to computational approaches to phonology in the second week. The FLT component of the course will explore phonological processes as functions and how such functions are computed with Finite State Automata (FSAs). Both frameworks will be explored with an empirical focus on phonological processes in tone, vowel harmony and other segmental processes in African languages.

The aim of the course is to develop a better understanding of the level of information structure, its categories, syntactic representations, and effects. So far, research has been focussed on languages that mark these categories intonationally. In this course, we will extend the discussion to African languages showing the importance of morphosyntax for the encoding of these categories. We will start by discussing the basic categories before moving on to particular constructions such as questions and answers, in-situ and ex-situ focus, focus and copulas, focus projection, predicate focus, etc. The students will be given the possibility to present work related to the topic of the seminar. 

This course provides a comprehensive introduction to formal semantics, a branch of linguistics concerned with the study of meaning in natural language. It explores how sentences and phrases convey meaning and how this meaning can be systematically described using formal tools. There are two parts of this course. The first part of the course provides students with an introduction to the fundamentals, including predicate logic and quantification in natural language. The second component explores the application of fundamental concepts through empirical research in languages other than English. This course is specifically tailored for students who may have little experience or knowledge in the field of formal semantics. 

This course looks at the interaction between phonology and morphology with a focus on Bantu languages. Bantu languages are renowned for their rich morphology in their tense-aspect-mood systems but also in their derivational morphology. This rich morphology provides an excellent context in which to investigate varied phonological processes and we will look specifically at the ways in which this interaction can be manifested and explore the kinds of analyses this allows for. We will consider representational phonology using Strict CV and unary primes as a window into the formalization of morpho-phonological interactions. We will cover both segmental and prosodic aspects. 

An overview of issues in comparative syntax relating to African languages, including word order variation and approaches to it; Case, agreement, and licensing questions, subtypes of pronouns and their resumptive function in A-bar constructions, and the syntax of negative dependent expressions.

This course focuses on pidgin/creole languages, especially those spoken in West Africa. It locates the West African varieties within creole studies as a whole and considers the circumstances of their emergence as well as their linguistic properties. It positions them alongside other emerging contact varieties on the continent, including Nouchi, Sheng, and the South African tsotsitaals. The ongoing sociocultural significance of pidgins/creoles, new media interactions, and future possibilities for them are examined in some detail.

The Kwa languages are generally thought of as serializing languages in which some constructions may include a series of verbs occurring together within a mono-clause, without being connected by any subordinating or coordinating element. The verbs commonly share the same polarity, the same tense, mood or aspect specifications, and sometimes the same arguments (e.g., the subject). Based on a cartographic approach, I show that these constructions involve a restructuring process in which what appears to be a lexical verb in a series, actually functions as a grammatical element that can fulfil various functions (e.g., argument introducer, tense, mood, aspect marker). 

In this class, students will be exposed to the formal semantic analysis of various semantic phenomena mostly from West African languages. The course serves simultaneously as a complementation and advancement to the Introduction to Formal Semantics, which should be attended in parallel. We will first discuss some general issues, such as semantic compositionality and the truth-conditional meaning of clauses and the functional meaning of their subparts. In subsequent sessions we will look at the following semantic phenomena: definiteness, indefinites and existential quantification, universal quantification, and number. Time allowing, we may also take a look at tense and aspect. The course will provide ample opportunity for hands-on data collection and discussion.

This course will introduce students to methods of quantitative linguistic analysis of large data, including data collected through surveys, questionnaires, experiments, corpora, digital sources, and sociolinguistic interviews. The focus will be on designing quantifiable data collection methods, codifying and storing data, carrying out basic statistical analysis, and presenting the results. Students are highly advised to bring a laptop, if possible, and any data they may be looking to analyze. 

The course is focused on the basics of experimental phonetics. The aim is to develop skills to collect, acquire and process phonetic data with simple tools and various software. Several practical problems will be treated during the course.

This course looks at the singular-plural distinction through the lens of morphs-syntax and semantics. The primary focus is on the nominal domain but phenomena that involve number distinctions in the verbal domain are also considered. Numeral constructions and issues related to (in)definiteness will be explored when relevant. 

In the first part of this course, we explore the rich histories of deaf communities and the evolution of sign languages. We then delve into the historical journey of deaf education and the development of sign language linguistics. Our exploration continues with an in-depth examination of the intricate structures of sign languages and practical transcription methods. We will also explore the unique aspects of signs and gestures within African contexts, culminating in an in-depth look at the dynamic landscape of African sign languages.

In the second part of the course, we turn to the use of sign languages and aspects of synchronic variation by exploring the relationship between signed languages and Deaf communities. We will explore how languages develop within their communities, how they are nurtured and sustained, and the beliefs and attitudes surrounding them, alongside predictions for the future. Additionally, we will address the use of sign languages by different members of signing communities in Africa and beyond, in various circumstances, and the implications of sign language policies and planning.

Background in sign language linguistics is not required.