AN OUTLINE OF THE STRUCTURE OF KABYLE

THE PURPOSE OF THIS DESCRIPTIVE STUDY IS TO DEFINE THE MAJOR STRUCTURAL FEATURES OF KABYLE, A GROUP OF BERBER DIALECTS SPOKEN CHIEFLY IN NORTHERN AND CENTRAL ALGERIA. THE DESCRIPTION IS PRESENTED IN THREE PARTS--PHONOLOGY, MORPHOLOGY, AND SYNTAX. THE PHONEMES ARE DESCRIBED IN TERMS OF DISTINCTIVE FE...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author APPLEGATE, JOSEPH R
Format Publication
LanguageEnglish
Published 1967
Subjects
ALGERIA
Berber Languages
Descriptive Linguistics
Form Classes (Languages)
Kabyle
Morphology (Languages)
Phonology
Syntax
Algeria
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Summary:THE PURPOSE OF THIS DESCRIPTIVE STUDY IS TO DEFINE THE MAJOR STRUCTURAL FEATURES OF KABYLE, A GROUP OF BERBER DIALECTS SPOKEN CHIEFLY IN NORTHERN AND CENTRAL ALGERIA. THE DESCRIPTION IS PRESENTED IN THREE PARTS--PHONOLOGY, MORPHOLOGY, AND SYNTAX. THE PHONEMES ARE DESCRIBED IN TERMS OF DISTINCTIVE FEATURES. PHARYNGEALIZATION AND GEMINATION ARE POSITED AS SEPARATE PHONEMIC EFFECTS BECAUSE SUCH A DESCRIPTION ACCOUNTS FOR THE SELECTION OF ALLOPHONES. THE MORPHEMES ARE DIVIDED INTO THREE CLASSES--STEMS, AFFIXES, AND PARTICLES. THE STEMS ARE SUBDIVIDED INTO NOUN AND VERB STEMS ACCORDING TO THE AFFIXES WITH WHICH THEY OCCUR. THE PARTICLES ARE FOUND MOSTLY AS FREE FORMS. THIS PHENOMENON DISTINGUISHES THEM FROM NOUN STEMS WHICH, ALTHOUGH THEY MAY APPEAR AS FREE FORMS, ACTUALLY HAVE A ZERO AFFIX. IN ADDITION TO HAVING AFFIXES, THE VERBS CAN BE DEFINED ON THE BASIS OF VARIOUS VOCALIC PATTERNS AND INTERNAL CONSONANT CHANGES WHICH SERVE TO DISTINGUISH BETWEEN TENSE-ASPECTS. THE SENTENCE STRUCTURE CAN BE DIVIDED INTO THREE TYPES--VERBAL SENTENCES, NOMINAL (EQUATIONAL) SENTENCES, AND THOSE IN WHICH THE CONSTITUENTS ARE PARTICLES OR THEIR SUBSTITUTES. THIS DIVISION IS SIMILAR TO THAT OF THE OTHER AFRO-ASIATIC LANGUAGES. THE LAST PART OF THE STUDY CONSISTS OF SAMPLE TEXTS COLLECTED FROM VARIOUS INFORMANTS. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONCERNING THIS TEXT, WRITE DIRECTLY TO DR. JOSEPH R. APPLEGATE, HOWARD UNIVERSITY, WASHINGTON, D.C. 20001. (TP)