The Arabic Script in Africa: Studies in the Use of a Writing System

421 Pages·2013·5.12 MB·English

by  Meikal Mumin

The Arabic Script in Africa
Studies in
Semitic Languages and
Linguistics
Editorialboard
A.D.RubinandC.H.M.Versteegh
VOLUME71
Thetitlespublishedinthisseriesarelistedatbrill.com/ssl
The Arabic Script in Africa
Studies in the Use of a Writing System
Editedby
MeikalMumin
KeesVersteegh
LEIDEN•BOSTON
2014
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
TheArabicscriptinAfrica:studiesintheuseofawritingsystem/EditedbyMeikalMumin,Kees
Versteegh.
pagescm.–(StudiesinSemiticlanguagesandlinguistics;71)
MostofthepapersinthepresentvolumearebasedonpresentationsattheTASIA(TheArabic
ScriptinAfrica-Diffusion,Usage,DiversityandDynamicsofaWritingSystem)workshop,which
tookplaceonApril6–7,2010,attheUniversityofCologne,Germany.
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN978-90-04-25679-8(hardback:alk.paper)–ISBN978-90-04-25680-4(e-book:alk.paper)
1.Arabiclanguage–Writing.2.Arabicalphabet.3.Africa–Languages.I.Mumin,Meikal.II.
Versteegh,Kees,1961-
PJ6123.A732013
492.7'11096–dc23
2013031839
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ISSN0081-8461
ISBN978-90-04-25679-8(hardback)
ISBN978-90-04-25680-4(e-book)
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CONTENTS
Preface.................................................................. ix
ListofContributors..................................................... xi
ListofFigures,TablesandMaps ........................................ xv
Introduction............................................................ 1
SECTIONI
GENERALPROBLEMSOFARABIC-SCRIPTBASEDTRADITIONS
TheTypeandSpreadofArabicScript .................................. 25
PeterT.Daniels
TheArabicScriptinAfrica:UnderstudiedLiteracy..................... 41
MeikalMumin
SECTIONII
NORTHAFRICA
PreliminaryNotesonTuareginArabicScriptfromNiger............... 79
MaartenKossmannandRamadaElghamis
Writing‘Shelha’inNewMedia:EmergentNon-ArabicLiteracyin
SouthwesternAlgeria............................................... 91
LameenSouag
SECTIONIII
WESTAFRICA
OldKanembuandKanuriinArabicscript:Phonologythroughthe
graphicsystem ..................................................... 107
DmitryBondarev
InfluenceofArabicPoetryontheCompositionandDatingof
FulfuldeJihadPoetryinYola(Nigeria) ............................. 143
AnnekeBreedveld
vi contents
WestAfricanAjamiintheNewWorld(Hausa,Fulfulde,Mande
languages).......................................................... 159
NikolayDobronravin
FulaandtheAjamiWritingSystemintheHaalpulaarSocietyof
FuutaToore(SenegalandMauritania):ASpecific‘Restricted
Literacy’ ............................................................ 173
Marie-ÈveHumery
AjamiScriptsforMandeLanguages .................................... 199
ValentinVydrin
MandingAjamiSamples:MandinkaandBamana...................... 225
ValentinVydrinandGérardDumestre
WestAfricanScriptsandArabic-ScriptOrthographiesin
Socio-PoliticalContext ............................................. 261
AndyWarren-Rothlin
SECTIONIV
EASTAFRICA
Chimi:niinArabicscript:ExamplesfromBravapoetry................. 293
BanaBanafunziandAlessandraVianello
SwahiliDocumentsfromCongo(19thCentury):Variationin
Orthography........................................................ 311
XavierLuffin
Akhipatiakalamu:WritingSwahiliPoetryinArabicScript............. 319
ClarissaVierke
SECTIONV
SOUTHAFRICA
Revisitingal-Qawlal-matīn:ASociolinguisticallyEngineered
Arabic-Afrikaanstext............................................... 343
MuhammedHaron
contents vii
ARemarkableDocumentinArabic-Afrikaans:TheElection
Pamphletof1884 ................................................... 365
KeesVersteegh
Index ................................................................... 381

PREFACE
Most of the papers in the present volume are based on presentations at
the TASIA (The Arabic Script in Africa—Diffusion, Usage, Diversity and
DynamicsofaWritingSystem)workshop,whichtookplaceonApril6–7,
2010,attheUniversityofCologne,Germany.Theworkshopwasorganized
byHelmaPaschandMeikalMuminandhostedbytheInstituteforAfrican
Studies(InstitutfürAfrikanistik)oftheUniversityofCologne(Universität
zuKöln).ItwasgenerouslyfundedbytheFritzThyssenFoundation(Fritz
Thyssen Stiftung für die Wissenschaft), Cologne, Germany, for which the
editorswouldliketoexpresstheirgratefulness.
Thanks are due to Valentin Vydrin and Andy Warren-Rothlin for their
constructive and helpful remarks about different variants of the system
of transcription followed in this volume. Thanks are also due to Dmitry
Bondarev,bothforhisconstructiveandhelpfulremarksonthesystemsof
transliterations,andforhishelpingettingintouchwithfurtherresearchers
inthepreparationsfortheTASIAworkshop.Formoreinformationonthe
workshop, and further informations, please see the website http://www
.tasia.org/
TheeditorialstaffatBrill’s,inparticularStephaniePaalvast,weremost
helpfulinrealizingthepublicationofthisvolume.Duringtheproduction
stage,MarjoleinSchaakedidanexcellentjobonamanuscriptthatwasby
allaccountscomplicated.