CENTRAL AFRICAN GONG-LANGUAGES

More documents

Recommendations

Info

S 8 A C O M P A R A T IV E S T U D Ynot normally present in tlie latter. A fevv words mayoccur in the gong-language phrases which are untranslatableby the gong-beaters. These latter claim that suchwords are old words handed down from génération togénération of gong-beaters and whose meanings havebeen lost with the passage of tirne. Lokele gong-beatershave informed the author that certain of the wordspeculiar to tlieir gong-language were used in the spokenlanguage of the tribe within living memory. It isreasonable to regard other elements whose meanings arelost as also being archaic forms which have beenperpetuated in the stereotyped gong-language phraseswhile they have disappeared in the more flexible spokenlanguage. As additional evidence in support of this viewit should be noted that words with the same linguisticorigin as the peculiar gong-language elements may occurin the spoken language but, in most cases, they tlien showa more liighly developed form in the latter than thecorresponding gong-language elements (see p. 71).Similarly, where the spoken language elements showphenomena which are explained linguistically by coalescenceand assimilation the gong-language phrasesfrequently give the non-coalescent or non-assimilatedforms. It is easier to explain this by regarding the gongforms as primitive than by suggesting that the gonglanguageelements are a later development from thespoken language as heard at the present day. W econelude therefore that many of the peculiar gong-wordsare archaic in nature and in this respect Kele and someother neighbouring gong-languages such as Olombo andTopoke (where borrowing lias not occurred to the sameextent as in Mba and Ena) are similar to other gonglanguagesrecorded for Central Africa (cf. H u l s t a e r t , 42).It, should be remembered that archaic words are areported feature of some other forms of oral literature*
OF SOME C E N T R A L A F R IC A N G O N G -LA N G U A G E S 59found in Central Africa. Thus, referring to fables in theLuba area, V a n C a e n e g iie m writes :Maar de meest gebruikte bijnaam voor Kabundi, een woorddat dikwijls zijn naam verwangt, is « dinkelenginge ».Wonder genoeg, niemand kent den oorsprong ervan ofweet een uitleg eraan te geven... dusdanige onuitlegbarewoorden komen ook voor in gezangen. Ze moetenarchaische uitdrukkingen zijn, die voort blijven bestaan involksmond terwijl de inhoud ervan verloren ging (99, p. 18).VI. — SOME C O N T R IB U T IO N SOF G O N G -L A N G U A G E IN V E S T IG A T IO N STO L IN G U IS T IC STUDIES.A ) The study of tonal patterns.It lias been shown in an earlier section (p. 42) that thegong-beater reproduces on his instrument the essentialtones of the syllables which make up the gong-phrasesand that modifications of these essential tones byemotional colour or syllable position, which would affectthe essential tones in speech are not heard on the gong (‘).Hence the gong-language tones are of value in giving tothe student a means of arriving at the essential tones ofthe gong-language elements. Since the greater part ofthese are the same as elements of the spoken language(see p. 55) the gong signais give a means of studying theessential tones of the spoken language. B u r s s e n s appref1)The only observed différence ln essential tonal pattern betweenthe gong-signals and the spoken language (other than différencesconsequent on coalescence present in the latter and absent in theformer) is the pattern for the word meaning » European » which is :bosoqgó [. . •] m spoken Kele and : bosoi]go [. . .] in the gong-language.An explanation of this différence is offered by Lokele gong-beatersand is given in 13, page 79.
Page 1 and 2:
In s t it u t R o y a l C o lo n ia
Page 3 and 4:
A COMPARATIVE STUDYO FSOM ECENTRAL
Page 5 and 6:
IN D E X .Pages.A n in t r o d u c
Page 8 and 9:
6 A C O M P A R A T IV E S T U D Yw
Page 10 and 11: 8 A C O M P A R A T IV E S T U D Yp
Page 12 and 13: iOA C O M P A R A T IV E STUDYMeinh
Page 14 and 15: 12 A C O M P A R A T IV E S T U D Y
Page 16 and 17: 14 A C O M P A R A T IV E STXJDYV a
Page 18 and 19: 1 0 A C O M P A R A T IV E S T U D
Page 22 and 23: 2 0 A C O M P A R A T IV E S T U O
Page 24 and 25: “2 ”2 A C O M P A R A T IV E S
Page 26 and 27: “24 A C O M P A R A T IV E S T U
Page 34 and 35: 3 2 A C O M P A R A T IV E STUDYThe
Page 36 and 37: 3 4 A C O M P A R A T IV E STUDYare
Page 38 and 39: 36 A C O M P A R A T IV E STUDYJohn
Page 40 and 41: 38 A C O M P A R A T IV E S T U D V
Page 58 and 59: 5 6 A C O M P A R A T IV E STXJDYis
Page 76 and 77: 74 A. C O M P A R A T IV E S T U D
Page 88 and 89: 8 6 A. C O M P A R A T IV E S T U D
Page 102 and 103: 1 0 0 A C O M P A R A T IV E S T U
Page 104 and 105: 1 0 2 A C O M P A R A T IV E S T U
Page 106 and 107: 104 A C O M P A R A T IV E S T U D
Page 108 and 109: 106 A C O M P A R A T IV E S T U D
Page 110 and 111:
108 A C O M P A R A T IV E STTJDYna
Page 112 and 113:
1 1 0 A C O M P A R A T IV E STUDYu
Page 114 and 115:
1 1 2 A C O M P A R A T IV E STUDYi
Page 116 and 117:
A C O M P A R A T IV E STUDYX VIIIt
Page 118 and 119:
116 A C O M P A R A T IV E STUDY30.
Page 120 and 121:
118 A C O M P A R A T IV E STUDY89.
Page 123 and 124:
a..
Page 125 and 126:
L ö k ~Cr< ? S . ei ) 0 o V , ' *9
Page 127 and 128:
Tome XVII.1. db Boeck, le R. P. L.-
Page 129 and 130:
Tome X.iD e W ild e m a n, E., De l
Page 131 and 132:
Tome XVIII.1. De Wildeman, É., A p
Page 133 and 134:
Tome VI.1. GïSiN, M., Recherches g
Page 135:
Sous presse.V an d e r K e r k e n
show all

CENTRAL AFRICAN GONG-LANGUAGES

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?