This thesis discusses the earliest Iranian loanwords in Tocharian, a branch of two Indo-European languages spoken in Western China during the first millennium of our era, as well as an early... Show moreThis thesis discusses the earliest Iranian loanwords in Tocharian, a branch of two Indo-European languages spoken in Western China during the first millennium of our era, as well as an early stratum of so-called "BMAC" loanwords in Tocharian. Show less
De dissertatie analyseert de aard en structuur van een oud-Egyptisch merktekensysteem en onderzoekt de relatie van deze niet-linguïstische vorm van visuele communicatie tot het... Show more De dissertatie analyseert de aard en structuur van een oud-Egyptisch merktekensysteem en onderzoekt de relatie van deze niet-linguïstische vorm van visuele communicatie tot het linguïstische systeem van schrift. Ook worden merktekensystemen als universeel fenomeen, waar in onze eigen maatschappij nog volop gebruik van wordt gemaakt, geanalyseerd. Show less
The Central Chadic languages are a diverse and fascinating collection of languages, spoken in Nigeria, Cameroon and Chad. The phonologies of these languages have intrigued linguists since they were... Show moreThe Central Chadic languages are a diverse and fascinating collection of languages, spoken in Nigeria, Cameroon and Chad. The phonologies of these languages have intrigued linguists since they were first studied, due to their minimal sets of phonemic vowels (sometimes only one), complex systems of vowel harmony, and extensive use of palatalized and labialized consonants. Analysis of these languages led to the proposal of phonemic units referred to as ‘prosodies’, which act on both vowels and consonants, allowing Central Chadic phonologies to be described in a neat and succinct way. This study looks at the diverse phonological systems found within Central Chadic, and reconstructs the phonological system of their ancestor language. This system is itself simple and succinct, and includes one phonemic prosody and just three phonemic vowels. The study describes the phonological processes that led from this system to the many phonological systems that are in use today, shedding light both on the history of the languages, and on issues in the analysis of these languages. Show less
The Awjila language is a small Berber language spoken in the Libyan oasis of Awjila. It has several features that make the language different from other Berber languages, such as a phonemic accent,... Show moreThe Awjila language is a small Berber language spoken in the Libyan oasis of Awjila. It has several features that make the language different from other Berber languages, such as a phonemic accent, schwa in open syllables and the retention of the Proto-Berber *_ as v. This thesis consists of three parts: the grammar, the texts and the lexicon. The grammar is the main analytical part of this thesis, but could not exist without the in-depth study of the available Awjila texts and the lexicon. Due to the political situation in Libya, it was not possible to conduct fieldwork on the language. This thesis is therefore based on the published sources on the language. The texts and word list by Umberto Paradisi are the most important of these sources. The grammar contains a lengthy discussion on the interpretation and analysis of the transcription and phonology. This part give us many new insights into the interpretation of many factors of the language. Besides the phonology, the grammar also discusses the morphology of the noun and verb, and the syntax of the language. In the appendix all published Awjila texts have been included, provided with a phonemic transcription and a word-by-word analysis. This analysis is essential for the understanding of the language, and it is referenced extensively in the grammar. The lexicon contains all lexical material available to us on the Awjila language, with a new phonemic analysis of the transcriptions, and a full concordance of all the attestations of the words in its different grammatical forms in the available sources. The lexicon also contains some etymological notes, comparing Awjila to the other Berber languages which will aid future research into the linguistic history of Awjila and other Berber languages. Show less
Ideas about language in Euripides include, among many others, the claim that “honourable speech is a medicine for man’s fear”; the observation that “no one can judge a case... before having learned... Show moreIdeas about language in Euripides include, among many others, the claim that “honourable speech is a medicine for man’s fear”; the observation that “no one can judge a case... before having learned both sides’ story”; and the notion that “a name may be in many places, but not a body”. It is among the commonplaces of modern Euripidean scholarship that such ideas straddle the chronological gap that separates the remote mythical era in which the dramas take place from the high classical period in which they were produced. As Euripides’ characters speak with sophistication about dissoi logoi, or about onomata and pragmata, they reinforce the image, familiar to us from the ancient biographies, of Euripides as a writer who is less inhibited by tradition than the other tragedians, and more ready than they to confront his audience with novel concepts and ideas. This dissertation seeks to complicate that image, by showing how Euripides uses his characters’ reflections about language to engage more or less critically, as the occasion demanded, with the thought of his intellectual contemporaries, the ‘sophists’, and with the embedding of that thought in Athenian socio-political practice. Show less
The present study comprises a classification and analysis of the syntax of the non-verbal clause in Qumran Hebrew, i.e. the linguistic variety (or varieties) found in the so-called Dead Sea Scrolls... Show moreThe present study comprises a classification and analysis of the syntax of the non-verbal clause in Qumran Hebrew, i.e. the linguistic variety (or varieties) found in the so-called Dead Sea Scrolls. The corpus consists of the non-biblical texts written in Hebrew; biblical texts and texts written in Aramaic are excluded. Chapter 1, ‘Introduction’ discusses methodological problems (approach, description) and provides an overview of non-verbal clause patters in variety of Semitic languages. Chapter 2, ‘A survey of previous research’, summarises the results of earlier research into specifically Biblical, Mishnaic and Qumran Hebrew. Chapter 3, ‘The non-verbal clause in Qumran Hebrew’ is the core of the present work, which offers an analysis of the syntax of the non-verbal clause (including the existential clause) in Qumran Hebrew. Chapter 4 contains the conclusions. A bibliography, a Dutch summary and a Curriculum Vitae are appended. Show less
