A Descriptive Study of the Modern Wolaytta Language

エチオピアの南西部で話されているウォライタ語（アフロアジア大語族、オモ系）の総合的で詳細な記述的研究。有声喉頭化音の存在の指摘、表記の実態の分析、「具体性」という概念を用いた普通名詞の形の使い分けの解明、固有名詞の多面的な記述、ヴォイスの複合現象の検討等、オリジナルな視点を含みつつもレファランスグラマーとして望ましい姿を模索。世界的に密かな注目を集めていた博士論文、待望の出版。

This book is a comprehensive and detailed descriptive study of Wolaytta, an Omotic language of the Afroasiatic phylum spoken in the southwestern part of Ethiopia. It is a valuable reference grammar rich in original observations and ideas, including recognition of the existence of voiced glottalized sounds, analyses of actual written Wolaytta, elucidation of common noun forms and their uses based on the notion of “concreteness,” descriptions of proper nouns from various perspectives, and observations of complex voices. The book is a revised version of the author’s 2008 doctoral dissertation, which has been quietly attracting attention from linguists around the world. Its publication is sure to be eagerly received.