scholarly journals The role of music in documenting phonological grammar: Two case studies from West Africa

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura McPherson
Keyword(s):  
West Africa ◽  
Burkina Faso ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Folk Music ◽  
Vocal Music ◽  
Language Documentation ◽  
Phonological Encoding ◽  
Preliminary Study ◽  
Different Levels

Though the study of metrics and poetic verse has long informed phonological theory, studies of musical adaptation remain on the fringe of linguistic theory. In this paper, I argue that musical adaptation provides a unique window in speakers’ knowledge of their phonological system, which can provide crucial evidence for phonological theory. I draw on two case studies from my fieldwork in West Africa: tonal textsetting of sung folk music in Tommo So (Dogon, Mali) and the balafon surrogate language in Seenku (Mande, Burkina Faso). I show how results of these studies provide evidence for different levels of phonological grammar, the phonetics-phonology interface, and incomplete application of grammatical tone. Further, the case of the balafon surrogate language shows how studying music can be a valuable tool in language documentation and phonological description. Finally, preliminary study of Seenku tonal textsetting suggests important differences in the level of phonological encoding in vocal music vs. instrumental surrogate speech. 

Conclusion

2021 ◽  
pp. 213-244
Author(s):  
Leonardo R. Arriola ◽  
Martha C. Johnson ◽  
Melanie L. Phillips
Keyword(s):  
Political Participation ◽  
Burkina Faso ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Financial Constraints ◽  
Future Research ◽  
National Politics ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Gendered Institutions ◽  
The Impact

The concluding chapter revisits the main hypotheses regarding women’s experiences as aspirants, candidates, and legislators. Complemented by tables summarizing key findings, the chapter identifies where and how the book’s studies of Benin, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Namibia, Uganda, and Zambia either uphold or contradict hypotheses from the existing literature. Building on this summary, the chapter presents an agenda for future research on women’s political participation in African countries focused on the importance of financial constraints for women’s candidacies, the role of violence in shaping women’s political options, and the impact women in power have on gendered institutions. The book ends on an optimistic note, arguing that despite these barriers, the case studies clearly demonstrate that women are adept at securing a place for themselves, and asserting their voice, in local and national politics.

Preliminary Study on Ixodid Ticks Population of the Gaongho Pastoral Area in Burkina Faso, West Africa

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 1403
Author(s):  
Yoda W ◽  
Tko A ◽  
Kabor A ◽  
Traor A ◽  
Traor A ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
West Africa ◽  
Burkina Faso ◽  
Ixodid Ticks ◽  
Pastoral Area ◽  
Preliminary Study

scholarly journals Engaging Anthropology in an Ebola Outbreak

2017 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emilie Venables ◽  
Umberto Pellecchia
Keyword(s):  
Health Promotion ◽  
West Africa ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Sierra Leone ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Ethnographic Fieldwork

AbstractThe articles in this special issue demonstrate, through ethnographic fieldwork and observations, how anthropologists and the methodological tools of their discipline became a means of understanding the Ebola outbreak in West Africa during 2014 and 2015. The examples, from Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone, show how anthropologists were involved in the Ebola outbreak at different points during the crisis and the contributions their work made. Discussing issues including health promotion, gender, quarantine and Ebola survivors, the authors show the diverse roles played by anthropologists and the different ways in which they made use of the tools of their discipline. The case studies draw upon the ethical, methodological and logistical challenges of conducting fieldwork during a crisis such as this one and offer reflections upon the role of anthropology in this context.

scholarly journals Framing smallholder inclusion in global value chains – case studies from India and West Africa

2014 ◽  
Vol 69 (4) ◽  
pp. 239-247 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Franz ◽  
M. Felix ◽  
A. Trebbin
Keyword(s):  
West Africa ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Value Chain ◽  
Value Chains ◽  
Smallholder Agriculture ◽  
Agricultural Produce ◽  
Development Agencies ◽  
Untapped Resource ◽  
Do So

Abstract. A resurrected interest in agriculture has brought in its wake growing interest in smallholders in the global South by scholars, companies, governments and development agencies alike. While non-governmental organisations and development agencies see the potential to reduce poverty, companies look upon smallholder agriculture as a widely untapped resource for the sourcing of crops and as a sales market for agricultural inputs. While the important role of large corporate buyers of agricultural produce as lead firms in value chains is often discussed and emphasised, the power of providers of technology and agricultural inputs is being rather neglected. In this paper, we analyse two case studies of technology and input providers in agricultural value chains and their role in smallholder inclusion with the aim of finding out how such companies impact the governance of the value chains. To do so we combine insights from the value chain literature with the concept of framing/overflowing.

scholarly journals Plant species associated with different levels of species richness and of vegetation cover as indicators of desertification in Burkina Faso (West Africa)

2016 ◽  
Vol 17 ◽  
pp. 3-8
Author(s):  
Marco Schmidt ◽  
Georg Zizka
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
West Africa ◽  
Burkina Faso ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Vegetation Cover ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Vegetation Zone ◽  
Vegetation Zones ◽  
Low Levels ◽  
Different Levels

Desertification is a major problem in Sudano-sahelian West Africa, including the loss of biodiversity and vegetation cover. The loss of related ecosystem services is having a severe impact on human wellbeing. To facilitate assessments of these aspects of desertification, we decided to find plant species suitable as indicators. Based on a large database of vegetation plot data for Burkina Faso, we identified species associated with high or low levels of species richness and vegetation cover by calculating average values of these measures from vegetation plots on which they occur. To account for the differences between the dry Sahel and the more humid Sudan, we separated the plots of our study area in three vegetation zones (Sahel, North Sudan, South Sudan). Furthermore, herbs and woody plants were analysed separately, as they were usually represented in different plot sizes in the primary data. For each combination of species richness or vegetation cover, vegetation zone and growth form we identified ten species indicating low and another ten species indicating high values and assigned indicator values based on the average values of these species in the relevés.

Young Men and Islam in the 1990s: Rethinking an Intergenerational Perspective

2009 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 186-218 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mathias Savadogo ◽  
Marie-Nathalie LeBlanc ◽  
Muriel Gomez-Perez
Keyword(s):  
West Africa ◽  
Burkina Faso ◽  
Voluntary Associations ◽  
Young Men ◽  
Public Domain ◽  
Urban Centers ◽  
The Public ◽  
French Speaking ◽  
Islamic Revivalism

AbstractInterest in the question of youth and Islam in West Africa stems from the overwhelming demographic weight of youth and their relatively recent incursion into the public domain, as well a wave of Islamic revivalism that has swept across Africa from the late 1970s on. In this paper, we propose to examine the sociopolitical role of young men in Islamic revivalist movements that occurred in urban centers in Côte d'Ivoire, Burkina Faso and Senegal in the 1980-1990s. Such movements were particularly popular among secularly educated young men who attended French-speaking schools. While the role of young men in revivalist movements suggests new configurations of authority and charisma, their religious agency remains closely embedded within relationships that extend across generations. Here, we examine instances of conflicts between generations and pay attention to sites of negotiation, such as mosques and voluntary associations.

scholarly journals The phonesthetics of blends: A lexicographic study of cognitive blends in the OED

ExELL ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 12-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris Smith
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Sound Symbolism ◽  
Consonant Clusters ◽  
Measurement Tools ◽  
Preliminary Study ◽  
Semantic Shift ◽  
The Creation

Abstract This preliminary study of 285 morphological and cognitive blends (attestation dates 1200-2012) aims to investigate the role of phonesthemes in the structuring of the English lexicon. A study of OED word origins shows a disparity between older (1200-1900) and recent blends (1903-2012). Sound symbolism plays an overriding role in over 50% of older blends, leading to a study of initial phonesthemes (i.e. consonant clusters). Several case studies of diachronic semantic shift attested in the OED point to the existence of multidirectional motivation ties. This preliminary study supports the psycholinguistic theory that 1) there is a structured secondary sound symbolism in English, and that 2) it is still productive today and may play a role in the creation of neologisms as well as ensuring their survival (see Bergen, 2010: 52). A more in-depth usage-based analysis using sophisticated measurement tools is the next step in the study.

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