scholarly journals The distribution of advanced tongue root harmony and interior vowels in the Macro-Sudan Belt

2017 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. 10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas Revett Rolle ◽  
Matthew Faytak ◽  
Florian Lionnet
Keyword(s):  
Central Africa ◽  
Strong Relationship ◽  
West African ◽  
East African ◽  
The West ◽  
Language Varieties ◽  
Phonological Features ◽  
Vowel Systems ◽  
Chi Squared ◽  
Heterogeneous Region

In this paper we investigate the distribution of vowel systems in the Macro-Sudan Belt, an area of Western and Central Africa proposed in recent areal work (Güldemann 2008, 2011; Clements & Rialland 2008). We report on a survey of 615 language varieties with entries coded for two phonological features: advanced tongue root (ATR) harmony and the presence of interior vowels (i.e. non-peripheral vowels, such as [ɨ ɯ ɜ ə ʌ …]). Our results show that the presence of ATR harmony in the Macro-Sudan Belt is limited to three separated zones: an Atlantic ATR Zone, a West African ATR Zone, and an East African ATR Zone, all geographically unconnected to one another. We additionally show that between the West and East African ATR Zones is a geographically extensive, genetically heterogeneous region of Central Africa where ATR harmony is systematically absent which we term the Central African ATR-less Zone. Our results also show a large region where phonemic and allophonic interior vowels are disproportionately prevalent, which we term the Central African Interior Vowel Zone. This zone noticeably overlaps with the Central African ATR-less Zone, suggesting that ATR and interiority have an antagonistic relationship. Chi-squared tests support the presence of a strong relationship between the two types of vowel contrasts.

scholarly journals Areal patterns in the vowel systems of the Macro-Sudan Belt

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 113-179
Author(s):  
Nicholas Rolle ◽  
Florian Lionnet ◽  
Matthew Faytak
Keyword(s):  
Statistical Tests ◽  
Central Africa ◽  
West African ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
East African ◽  
Language Varieties ◽  
Phonological Features ◽  
Vowel Systems ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Heterogeneous Region

AbstractThis paper investigates the areal distribution of vowel systems in the Macro-Sudan Belt, an area encompassing most of the western and central parts of northern Sub-Saharan Africa. We report on a survey of 681 language varieties with entries coded for two phonological features: advanced tongue root (ATR) harmony and the presence of interior vowels (i.e. non-peripheral vowels [ɨ ɯ ɜ ə ʌ … ]). Our results show that the presence of ATR harmony in the Macro-Sudan Belt is limited to three geographically unconnected zones: an Atlantic zone, a West African zone, and an East African zone. Between the West and East African ATR Zones is a genetically heterogeneous region where ATR harmony is systematically absent: we term this the Central African ATR-deficient zone. Our results show that in this same Central African zone, phonemic and allophonic interior vowels are disproportionately prevalent. Based on this distribution, we highlight two issues. First, ATR and interiority have an antagonistic relationship and do not commonly co-occur within vowel systems; this finding is supported through statistical tests. Second, our survey supports the existence of the Macro-Sudan Belt, but the discontinuous distribution of ATR harmony and its systematic absence in Central Africa challenges the proposal that this area represents the ‘hotbed’ of the Macro-Sudan Belt.

Genetic diversity of the Bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea (L.) Verdc.) as assessed by SSR markers

Genome ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 54 (11) ◽  
pp. 898-910 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Somta ◽  
S. Chankaew ◽  
O. Rungnoi ◽  
P. Srinives
Keyword(s):  
Ssr Markers ◽  
Gene Diversity ◽  
Bambara Groundnut ◽  
West African ◽  
Azuki Bean ◽  
Vigna Subterranea ◽  
East African ◽  
The West ◽  
Legume Crop ◽  
Population Structure Analysis

Bambara groundnut ( Vigna subterranea (L.) Verdc.) is an important African legume crop. In this study, a collection consisting of 240 accessions was analyzed using 22 simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. In total, 166 alleles were detected, with a mean of 7.59 alleles per locus. Allelic and gene diversities were higher in the west African and Cameroon/Nigeria regions with 6.68 and 6.18 alleles per locus, and 0.601 and 0.571, respectively. The genetic distance showed high similarity between west African and Cameroon/Nigeria accessions. Principal coordinate analyses and neighbor-joining analysis consistently revealed that the majority of west African accessions were grouped with Cameroon/Nigeria accessions, but they were differentiated from east African, central African, and southeast Asian accessions. Population structure analysis showed that two subpopulations existed, and most of the east African accessions were restricted to one subpopulation with some Cameroon/Nigeria accessions, whereas most of the west African accessions were associated with most of the Cameroon/Nigeria accessions in the other subpopulation. Comparison with SSR analysis of other Vigna cultigens, i.e., cultivated azuki bean ( Vigna angularis ) and mungbean ( Vigna radiata ), reveals that the mean gene diversity of Bambara groundnut was lower than azuki bean but higher than mungbean.

The early history of West African highlife music

Popular Music ◽  
1989 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 221-230 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Collins
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
North Africa ◽  
Central Africa ◽  
West African ◽  
Early History ◽  
Dance Music ◽  
East African ◽  
East African Coast ◽  
African Coast ◽  
History Of

Highlife is one of the myriad varieties of acculturated popular dance-music styles that have been emerging from Africa this century and which fuse African with Western (i.e. European and American) and islamic influences. Besides highlife, other examples include kwela, township jive and mbaqanga from South Africa, chimurenga from Zimbabwe, the benga beat from Kenya, taraab music from the East African coast, Congo jazz (soukous) from Central Africa, rai music from North Africa, juju and apala music from western Nigeria, makossa from the Cameroons and mbalax from Senegal.

scholarly journals The Dynamics of the West African Monsoon. Part V: The Detection and Role of the Dominant Modes of Convectively Coupled Equatorial Rossby Waves

2010 ◽  
Vol 23 (14) ◽  
pp. 4005-4024 ◽  
Author(s):  
Serge Janicot ◽  
Flore Mounier ◽  
Sébastien Gervois ◽  
Benjamin Sultan ◽  
George N. Kiladis
Keyword(s):  
Land Surface ◽  
Singular Spectrum Analysis ◽  
Central Africa ◽  
Phase Speed ◽  
Wave Pattern ◽  
West African ◽  
Convective Heating ◽  
Main Mode ◽  
The West ◽  
African Monsoon

Abstract This study is the last in a series of papers addressing the dynamics of the West African summer monsoon at intraseasonal time scales between 10 and 90 days. The signals of convectively coupled equatorial Rossby (ER) waves within the summer African monsoon have been investigated after filtering NOAA outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) data within a box delineated by the dispersion curves of the theoretical ER waves. Two families of waves have been detected in the 10–100-day periodicity band by performing a singular spectrum analysis on a regional index of ER-filtered OLR. For each family the first EOF mode has been retained to focus on the main convective variability signal. Within the periodicity band of 30–100 days, an ER wave pattern with an approximate wavelength of 13 500 km has been depicted. This ER wave links the MJO mode in the Indian monsoon sector with the main mode of convective variability over West and central Africa. This confirms the investigations carried out in previous studies. Within the 10–30-day periodicity band, a separate ER wave pattern has been highlighted in the African monsoon system with an approximate wavelength of 7500 km, a phase speed of 6 m s−1, and a period of 15 days. The combined OLR and atmospheric circulation pattern looks like a combination of ER wave solutions with meridional wavenumbers of 1 and 2. Its vertical baroclinic profile suggests that this wave is forced by the deep convective heating. Its initiation in terms of OLR modulation is detected north of Lake Victoria, extending northward and then propagating westward along the Sahel latitudes. The Sahel mode identified in previous studies corresponds to the second main mode of convective variability within the 10–30-day periodicity band, and this has also been examined. Its pattern and evolution look like the first-mode ER wave pattern and they are temporally correlated with a coefficient of +0.6. About one-third of the Sahel mode events are concomitant with an ER wave occurrence. The main difference between these two signals consists of a stronger OLR and circulation modulation of the Sahel mode over East and central Africa. Thus, the Sahel mode occurrence and its westward propagation could be explained in part by atmospheric dynamics associated with the ER waves and in part by land surface interactions, as shown in other studies.

Bantu Genesis—Archaeological Reflexions

1968 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Merrick Posnansky
Keyword(s):  
Central Africa ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
East African ◽  
The West ◽  
East African Coast ◽  
Primary Cultivation ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Iron Working ◽  
River Valleys ◽  
Valley Area

The article presents a reassessment of the archaeological background for the prehistory of the Bantu movements. The differences between the Channelled wares of Central Africa and the Dimple-based wares of East Africa are demonstrated and the greater abundance of Dimple-based ware sites noted. In both cases the distribution is largely in areas suitable for primary cultivation such as river valleys and lakeside areas. It is suggested that both wares are derived from pottery traditions originating to the west of their eastern African distribution areas. Recent evidence would indicate that iron working spread to sub-Saharan Africa both from West Africa and also, via the East African coast, from the Red Sea, and that the earliest iron-using peoples in southern Africa were probably not all negroes. It is also suggested that a negro foraging population was perhaps present in Central Africa before the arrival of agriculture. On agricultural origins, it is noted that some agriculture existed in the Rift valley area by perhaps as early as 1000 b.c., though the main expansion of agriculture is postulated as being of western origin. In conclusion it would appear that the West African origins of Bantu genesis are more important than suggested by Oliver in Journal of African History, Volume VII, and almost certainly antedate the 2000 years timescale previously advanced.

Susceptibility of goats to tsetse-transmitted challenge withTrypanosoma vivaxfrom East and West Africa

Parasitology ◽  
1988 ◽  
Vol 96 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. J. Vos ◽  
S. K. Moloo ◽  
P. R. Gardiner
Keyword(s):  
West Africa ◽  
West African ◽  
Antibody Activity ◽  
East African ◽  
Diminazene Aceturate ◽  
The West ◽  
Short Treatment ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Parent Stock ◽  
Homologous Challenge

SUMMARYTo determine if, as is the case withTrypanosoma bruceiandT. congolense, serodemes ofT. vivaxcould be distinguished on the basis of immunity to the metacyclic stages of the parasite, attempts were made to immunize goats by infection with infected tsetse, followed by chemotherapy or eventual ‘self-cure’. Thirty goats were infected by tsetse with either clones or stocks ofT. vivaxfrom East or West Africa. Twenty-four goats were treated with diminazene aceturate (Berenil, Hoechst A.G.) 2–6 weeks after infection and 6 goats were allowed to self-cure. Infection, followed by treatment, induced immunity to a first homologous challenge by infected tsetse in only 2 of 24 goats (one immune to the East African stock, and the other to a clone of the West African stock). Immunity to a clone of the East African stock was induced in 3 or 4 animals after a second infection and treatment and in the fourth animal of the group following a third infection and treatment. One of 2 goats infected with the clone of the East African stock was immune to challenge at 16 weeks, following self-cure without treatment, and 1 of 4 goats infected with the parent stock was similarly immune when challenged at 40 weeks post-infection. Goats susceptible to infection with East AfricanT. vivaxshowed evidence of partial immunity by delayed pre-patent periods and depressed parasitaemias after challenge. Goats infected with the relatively more virulent West AfricanT. vivaxwere, however, completely susceptible to infection after homologous challenge, and showed only a slight delay in pre-patent period. A similar result was obtained in a further 8 goats primed and challenged by large numbers of tsetse (20 or 100 infected tsetse/goat) with the West AfricanT. vivax. In further experiments using a very short treatment interval, infections following challenge were clearly shown to be the result of a lack of immunity rather than relapse following treatment. Lytic antibody activity to cultured metacyclic trypanosomes could not be detected during infection but such activity against bloodstream forms was detected after 2 weeks of infection. It is suggested that the primary reason for the erratic induction of immunity toT. vivaxemploying this methodology is the low number of metacyclics transmitted by infected tsetse, and thus poor antigenic stimulus encountered by goats upon tsetse challenge.

scholarly journals Revision of Aresceutica (Orthoptera: Acrididae: Catantopinae) with comments on related genera

2018 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 107-118 ◽  
Author(s):  
C.H.F. Rowell ◽  
N.D. Jago ◽  
C. Hemp
Keyword(s):  
West African ◽  
Valid Species ◽  
New Combinations ◽  
East African ◽  
The West ◽  
South Eastern ◽  
African Genus

The East African forest genus Aresceutica Karsch is revised; there are now four valid species, including A.nguruensis, sp. n. from south eastern Tanzania. Aresceutica is extremely similar to the West African genus Serpusia; it differs only in the form of the prosternal tubercle and the detail of the phallic morphology. Two new combinations are proposed: Ptemoblaxlemarineli Bolívar, 1911 = Aresceuticalemarineli (Bolívar, 1911), comb. n. and Aresceuticavansomereni Kevan, 1956 = Duviardiavansomereni (Kevan, 1956), comb. n.

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