Why did a conflict between a majority of settlers (Konkomba), claiming equal citizenship, and a minority of autochtons (Nanumba) produce both Ghana's largest incidents of ethnic cleansing and a... Show moreWhy did a conflict between a majority of settlers (Konkomba), claiming equal citizenship, and a minority of autochtons (Nanumba) produce both Ghana's largest incidents of ethnic cleansing and a subsequent ominous calm? Analysing the post-1996 peace accord Konkomba/Nanumba coexistence against their violent past and in Ghana's political context as one of Africa's promising nations, this ethnography shows that the conflict has two forms. One is sovereign violence and another is a persistent silence in relation to legalistic speeches. Breaking out of these forms may not so much require a reconciliation, as peace brokers proposed, but a political compromise. Martijn Wienia studied Cultural Anthropology, Development Sociology and African Studies at Leiden University. Currently, he works as policy officer with the WOTRO Science for Global Development division of the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) in The Hague. Show less
This thesis investigates the syntax of object marking in Sambaa and the Bantu languages in general, with particular focus on Swahili and Haya, as points of comparison. Object marking is approached... Show moreThis thesis investigates the syntax of object marking in Sambaa and the Bantu languages in general, with particular focus on Swahili and Haya, as points of comparison. Object marking is approached from the perspective of Minimalist syntax. The central claim is that object marking in Sambaa and related languages can be analysed as Agree (in the sense of Chomsky 2000, 2001), with certain modifications. These modifications have implications for the Agree mechanism in general. Object marking is discussed in the context of a range of syntactic environments: simple affirmative clauses, wh-questions, relative clauses and coordination structures. Based on this broad set of data, it is shown that Bantu languages cannot, as has been proposed, be divided into two types, namely those with object agreement and those with pronominal object marking (Bresnan and Mchombo 1987; Byarushengo et al. 1976, 1977 and Baker 2007). Rather, the Agree analysis can account for the object markings patterns in all languages examined. It is further shown that Bonet’s (1991, 1994) Person Case Constraint (PCC) holds for Bantu. The data discussed strongly support Bonet’s distinction between a “weak” and a “strong” PCC, as the languages discussed obey the weak but not the strong version of the PCC. Moreover, the PCC is shown to apply not only to object marking but to all ditransitive constructions in Bantu. This thesis is of relevance to syntacticians interested in agreement, object marking and the interaction of verbs and objects more generally, and to linguists interested in Bantu syntax, and in particular Sambaa, Swahili and Haya. Show less
The aim of this study is to specify the strategic function of stance adverbs when qualifying a standpoint in an argumentative discussion. Stance adverbs are words like __clearly__, __obviously__, _... Show moreThe aim of this study is to specify the strategic function of stance adverbs when qualifying a standpoint in an argumentative discussion. Stance adverbs are words like __clearly__, __obviously__, __perhaps__, __technically__, __frankly__, and __fortunately__. They have been extensively studied in the fields of semantics and syntax as well as pragmatics and discourse analysis. However, they have not specifically been studied with an interest in their effect on the progress of an argumentative discussion when they are used to qualify the standpoint. In this study a specific argumentative perspective is adopted, according to which the strategic function of stance adverbs is described with respect to the burden of proof that an arguer incurs when advancing a standpoint. In this view, an arguer chooses a particular way to qualify the standpoint in an attempt to successfully meet his obligation to defend the standpoint at the end of the argumentative discussion. The proposed theoretical account provides a basis for assessing whether the use of a stance adverb to qualify a standpoint observes the standards that should be followed for a reasonable resolution of a difference of opinion. Show less
This thesis investigates doubling and agreement in Romance and Germanic nominal constituents. In Swedish, Norwegian, and Faroese, the definite article is doubled in case an adjective modifies the... Show moreThis thesis investigates doubling and agreement in Romance and Germanic nominal constituents. In Swedish, Norwegian, and Faroese, the definite article is doubled in case an adjective modifies the noun. This doubling is known as double definiteness. This thesis proposes that double definiteness is the result of an intriguing interaction between syntax and morphology. The absence of double definiteness in other Germanic languages is attributed to morphological variation. The thesis mainly, however, deals with the distinction between strong and weak adjectival inflection in Germanic and its absence in the Romance. This thesis proposes that agreement on attributive adjectives is always licensed indirectly, through the help of a mediating element. In the case of Germanic weak adjectival inflection, this mediating element is partially deactivated for independent reasons. In the case of Germanic strong adjectival inflection as well as Romance adjectival inflection, this mediating element is however always fully active. On the theoretical level, this thesis proposes that the syntactic configuration in which agreement can occur is best defined in terms of dominance. It is argued that a definition in terms of dominance is both theoretically simpler as well as empirically more adequate than a definition in terms of c-command. Show less
This thesis investigates the grammar of Makhuwa-Enahara, a Bantu language spoken in the north of Mozambique. The information structure is an influential factor in this language, determining the... Show moreThis thesis investigates the grammar of Makhuwa-Enahara, a Bantu language spoken in the north of Mozambique. The information structure is an influential factor in this language, determining the word order and the use of special conjugations known as conjoint and disjoint verb forms. The thesis consists of two parts. The first part is a grammatical description of the language, covering the basic properties in the phonology, prosody and morphology of the nominal and verbal domain, as well as an overview of the conjugational system. The chapter also examines some syntactic issues, such as relativisation and non-verbal predication. The second part is concerned with the question how syntax and information structure interact in Makhuwa-Enahara. The elements in a sentence are positioned before or after the verb on the basis of their information structure. Elements in the preverbal domain are interpreted as more accessible, functioning as topics. The disjoint verb and elements in the postverbal domain form the comment. The element immediately following the conjoint verb form is interpreted not just as new information, but as exclusive, meaning that the proposition holds for that referent and not for (some) other referents. These data can be accounted for if insights from syntax and information structure are combined. Two such approaches are discussed: a cartographic model and an interface model. Two interface rules are proposed to account for the interpretation of word order and the conjoint and disjoint verb forms in Makhuwa-Enahara. Show less
orms of representation and imagination of communities in the Indonesian audio-visual mediascape, and addresses the impact of discourses and film mediation practices on the production of collective... Show moreorms of representation and imagination of communities in the Indonesian audio-visual mediascape, and addresses the impact of discourses and film mediation practices on the production of collective identities and social realities. The account ranges from discourses on idealized Indonesian identities in television and film discourses under President Soeharto’s New Order regime, to a topsy-turvy heated debate about the representation of the Indonesian nation and the social and daily-lived realities of the people in film and on television during the era of Reform, up to 2007 Show less
This thesis analyses the concept of the 'human being' (ningen) in the philosophies of the two modern Japanese intellectuals Miki Kiyoshi and Watsuji Tetsuro. I demonstrate that their philosophical... Show moreThis thesis analyses the concept of the 'human being' (ningen) in the philosophies of the two modern Japanese intellectuals Miki Kiyoshi and Watsuji Tetsuro. I demonstrate that their philosophical systems, based on the idea that the creation of a new Japanese human being should have coincided with the establishment of the Japanese empire, colluded with history and were defeated together with Japan in August 1945. Utilizing the religious idea of the escaton, which Miki and Watsuji translated into the ‘moral destiny of victory’ that Japan should have been entitled to, I prove that it is possible for history and philosophy to simultaneously collapse in a time of crisis such as the one of the Second World War. Show less
In Palestine during the British Mandate, the act of language is an instrument for political and religious institutions, and a reflection of the dialectic relationship between dominant and dominated... Show moreIn Palestine during the British Mandate, the act of language is an instrument for political and religious institutions, and a reflection of the dialectic relationship between dominant and dominated parties, at a time when the loss of the Catholic French protectorate in the Holy Land to Great Britain is being confirmed. Founded by the Brothers of the Christian Schools in 1876, one of the oldest educational institutions in the city, the Coll_ge des Fr_res occupies an exceptional position in the heart of the Christian Quarter of the Old City (gradually and quickly opened for all communities present in the city). Its case underscores the cultural and linguistic policies of the two rival mandatory powers of the region (through exclusion, inversion, and distribution of new functions) and it sheds light on some aspects of the use of French in this society. Language reflects the interdependence around the College, the complexity of the relationships between language and religion, a nd language and identity. The College shows a remarkable resilience and adaptability throughout its existence, even as its development slows down. Show less
Dit proefschrift behandelt de systematische vocaalwisselingen die de Proto-Germaanse nstammen laten zien. Deze vocaalwisselingen blijken rechtstreeks te kunnen worden teruggevoerd op de nominale... Show moreDit proefschrift behandelt de systematische vocaalwisselingen die de Proto-Germaanse nstammen laten zien. Deze vocaalwisselingen blijken rechtstreeks te kunnen worden teruggevoerd op de nominale ablaut van de Indo-Europese oertaal. In dit opzicht zijn de nstammen dan ook vergelijkbaar met de sterke werkwoorden, die immers bekend staan om hun klinkerwisselingen. Verder laat het proefschrift zien dat de ablaut van de n-stammen nauw vervlochten is met een specifiek Germaanse innovatie. Door een klankwet, ook wel bekend als de Wet van Kluge, kregen de naamvallen met de oorspronkelijke nultrap van het suffix een geminaat, terwijl andere naamvallen ongemoeid bleven. Deze ontwikkeling leidde tot het ontstaan van een type consonantgradatie dat vergelijkbaar is met dat van het S_mi. Een belangrijk inzicht is verder dat deze consonantgradatie niet alleen voor de n-stammen moet worden aangenomen, maar tevens voor de zwakke werkwoorden. De nieuwe afwisseling van enkele en dubbele consonanten in de n-stammen kwam bovenop de reeds bestaande Abstufung der Laute. Dit resulteerde in een verrassend groot aantal wortelvarianten voor elke n-stam. Deze indrukwekkende polymorfie is over het algemeen verkeerd begrepen, en toegeschreven aan __expressiviteit__ of aan de invloed van een verdwenen taal(groep). Dit proefschrift betoogt dat de vormenrijkdom van de n-stammen ontsproten is aan een krachtig samenspel tussen de oude Indo-Europese ablaut en de specifiek Germaanse klankwet die naar Kluge is vernoemd. Show less
Chaucer__s Canterbury Tales has come down to us in about 80 fifteenth-century manuscripts, none of which is in his own hand. What is conventionally referred to as __Chaucer__s language__ is the... Show moreChaucer__s Canterbury Tales has come down to us in about 80 fifteenth-century manuscripts, none of which is in his own hand. What is conventionally referred to as __Chaucer__s language__ is the language found in two early texts of The Canterbury Tales, the Hengwrt and the Ellesmere manuscripts. Despite the fact that these manuscripts were copied by the same scribe, traditionally known as Scribe B and recently identified as Adam Pinkhurst, they are characterised by significant spelling differences. This dissertation is an analysis of spelling variation in Hengwrt and Ellesmere, supplemented by comparisons with three other texts copied by this scribe, i.e. three quires of a manuscript of Gower__s Confessio Amantis, a fragment of the Prioress__s Prologue and the Prioress__s Tale and a fragment of Troilus and Criseyde. Comparison of spelling variants in all fifteenth-century manuscripts of the The General Prologue, The Miller__s Tale, The Wife of Bath__s Prologue and The Nun__s Priest__s Tale was made possible by the digital tools recently developed by the Canterbury Tales Project at the University of Birmingham. The results of the present study show that spelling differences between Hengwrt and Ellesmere are not due to changes in Scribe B__s spelling habits, but to his different approach towards the two texts. Hengwrt is a manuscript produced to collect all tales in one codex, whereas Ellesmere is a more prestigious version of the same work. The spelling in Hengwrt is probably more faithful to the original version, while in El the scribe appears to have normalised the spelling in accordance with his interpretation of what he assumed to be Chaucer__s orthographic habits. These findings will be helpful to scholars interested in doing further research on the spelling of the Hengwrt and the Ellesmere manuscripts, and more generally on Chaucer__s language. Show less
