SOAS Research Online

Abstract

This thesis sets out a description of the Grammer of the Bisa language of West Africa, and particularly the Lebiri Dialect thereof. An introductory chapter (Chap.. 1 p.12) describe the people and their back-ground, and explains the research on which the thesis is based and the hierarchical mode in which the Grammar is presented. A section of this chapter (1.5, PP 61 ff ) gives a sketch of the phonology as an explanation of the transcriptions used in the citation of Bisa examples. Chapters 2 to 7 present the main matter of the analysis, viz. the Syntax of Lebiri Bisa in a Syntagmatic presentation. The successive Ranks of the hierarchy set up are described in terms of their structures and functions in these chapters: Chapter 2 treats of the Higher Ranks, Chapter 3 of the Sentence, Chapter 4 of the Clause, Chapter 5 covers the Phrase, and Chapter 6 the Word, while Morpheme Rank is dealt with in Chapter 7. The eighth and final Chapter describes non-Morphonemic features with syntactic significance find The Morphophonemic relations between Syntax and Phonology. The thesis concludes with Appendices presenting Texts in transcrption with accompanying, vocabulary, notes on Dialects and Ideophones and Exclamations, and finally with a Bibliography.