A. Kireeva at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. Linguistic Encyclopedic Dictionary

The School of Oriental and African studies at the University of London (School of Oriental and African studies) is an important training center for special oriental studies in England. The school has the following faculties: 1) Languages ​​and Cultures of India, Burma and Ceylon, 2) Languages ​​and Cultures of the Far East, 3) Languages ​​and Cultures of the Near and Middle East, 4) Languages ​​and Cultures of Africa, 5) Phonetics and Linguistics and 6) Oriental history and law. With the exception of the Faculty of History and Law, the main focus of the school is the study of Oriental languages. During the Second World War, the largest number of students studied Japanese and Chinese.

Along with language training, the school provides its students with episodic lectures or short cycles of lectures, on average no more than two or three lectures on one topic on the history, history of culture or economy of the countries studied. An example of this kind of thematic cycles can serve as lectures given at the Faculty of the Far East: "Japan's international relations between the two wars", "Japanese colonies", "Religion in Japan", "Economic history of Japan since 1868". Africanist students listened in 1944 to lectures on the following topics: "Social Anthropology", "The American View of the Colonial Administration", "African Music".

The school's faculties do practical consulting work for the British Colonial Office. It should be noted that a number of British departments are represented in the school council, which are interested in training orientalists; Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Colonies, Indian Affairs and Military. The chairman of the school council is a prominent colonial figure in England, Lord Haley, who in the past held the post of governor of Bengal.

The teaching staff of the school is largely composed of specialists from India and other colonial possessions of England. Characteristically, of the more than twenty public lectures given at school in 1944, three-quarters were devoted to India and Burma. The professorship of the Faculty of Oriental History and Law consisted in 1944 of the following specialists: Dean prof. Dodwell - the history and culture of the British, possessions in Asia and especially India, Captain Philips - the history of India, Barnet - senior lecturer on the history of India, prof. Minorsky - history of Iran "Bernard Lewis - history of Islam, Wittek - history of Turkey and Turkish culture, Wisey-Fitzgerald - Indian law. MacGregor - Burmese Buddhist law, Farnivol - history of Burma, Hall - history of Burma, Lieutenant Colonel Hart - history of India, prof. Toinbee - the history of the Middle East, Luce - the ancient and medieval history and epigraphy of Burma.The composition of the lecturers shows a clear predominance of Indo-Burmese subjects in the teaching system.

According to the reports of the school, the main general courses delivered during the war years at the Faculty of Oriental History and Law were the courses "History of Asia" and "Muslim Law". At the same time, the number of students at the Faculty of History and Law was significantly inferior to other faculties that trained mainly translators. This was also reflected in the school's research publications, which are dominated by linguistic works, mainly of pedagogical and applied significance. Of the few non-linguistic publications of a general nature, attention is drawn to the articles of Sir Richard Winstadt "The Spiritual Anxiety of Dependent Peoples", "The Education of Colonial Civil Officials", "Anthropology for the Colonies" (all of which were published in The Quardian, an article by Vesey-Fitzgerald " Training of commercial representatives for Asia and Africa", etc.

: Ossetian etymologies by G. V. Bailey

K. E. Gagkaev
1981


A few years ago, a well-known English orientalist, Dr. Harold Walter Bailey, visited the North Ossetian Research Institute. Professor G. V. Bailey stayed in Ordzhonikidze, returning from Georgia to his homeland. In Tbilisi, he took part in the anniversary celebrations in honor of the great Shota Rustaveli. The invitation to the USSR and Bailey's stay in the Caucasus were important events in the life of the scientist. He was admired by everything: the scope of the anniversary celebrations, and the Caucasian hospitality, and the Georgian Military Road, and especially the successes in the cultural and scientific life of the Caucasian peoples. At our institute, G. V. Bailey shared his impressions of the trip with the staff and spoke about his work in Oriental studies.

As an orientalist, G. W. Bailey enjoys the fame of a world-famous scientist. This is evidenced by this fact. When at the 25th International Congress of Orientalists in Moscow (1960) a survey of Iranian scholars was conducted on the degree of popularity of famous modern Orientalists, the first place was taken by an English scholar. Unfortunately, he was not at the congress at that time, but the participants in this impromptu a congratulatory letter addressed to him, which was signed by all Iranists - participants in the congress, including the late Professor B. A. Alborov and the writer of these lines.

Before telling about the Ossetian interests of GV Bailey, we will give here his brief curriculum vitae. G. V. Bailey was born in 1899 in the town of Divizez in Wiltshire (Great Britain). In 1910 he moved to Australia, where he became first a bachelor, then a master of arts from the University of Western Australia.

In 1927-1933. he attended Oxford University in England where he received his Ph.D. Around the same time (1926-1936) Bailey was a teacher of Iranian studies at the School of Oriental Studies at the University of London. For over thirty years (1936-1976) - Professor of Sanskrit at the University of Cambridge. In 1967 he became an emeritus professor (Professor Emeritus). In 1944, G. V. Bailey was elected a member of the British Academy, in 1946 a member of the Danish Academy, in 1947 a member of the Norwegian Academy, in 1948 a member of the Swedish Academy (“Witterhete History oh Antikvitets”). In the post-war years, Bailey was a member of the board of the British School of Oriental and African Studies (1946-1969), President of the Philological Society (1948-1952), President of the Royal Asiatic Society (1964-1967) and an honorary member of many foreign academies, universities and scientific institutions and societies - it is impossible to list them all. Professor G. V. Bailey published up to two hundred works on Oriental studies in various European, Asian and American periodicals. In these works, the material of almost all Indo-Iranian, ancient and modern, written and non-written Indo-European, Turkic, Mongolian, Caucasian and other languages ​​is widely used. The bulk of his work has been published in the Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies (bsos) and in the Bulletin of the School of Oriental Studies bsos at the University of London.

The main area of ​​research interests of G. V. Bailey is, perhaps, the etymology of the languages ​​and culture of the Indo-European peoples. An important source of his etymological studies is undoubtedly the Indo-Iranian language material. G. W. Bailey is a great etymologist in the best sense of the word. Following the established linguistic tradition, the English scientist makes extensive use of the entire scientific apparatus of comparative-historical linguistics. Where necessary, linguistic material is studied in the complex of ethnography, history, literature, religion and culture of peoples. The greatest attention is paid to the early history of the languages ​​and cultures of the Indo-European peoples. The object of the study is the materials of dead and living languages, evidence of written monuments, relic remnants of non-written languages ​​and dialects. The material under study is carefully checked against the most authoritative etymological dictionaries: Chr. Bartholome, Old Iranian Dictionary, (1904), Y. Pokorny, Indo-Germanic Etymological Dictionary, (1959-1969), M. Mayrhofer, A Brief Etymological Dictionary of the Old Indian Language, (1953), etc. G. V. Bailey closely follows for all emerging etymological literature and uses and summarizes the observations of the most prominent representatives of Indo-European comparative historical linguistics, among which, in particular, the works of such comparative linguists as E. Benveniste, E. Kurilovich, J. Dumezil, V. Henning, X. Nyberg, L. Palmer, G. Morgenshern, I. Gershevich, V. Minorsky, V. I. Abaev and others.

In a large list of works by G. V. Bailey, Ossetian material occupies an honorable place due to its importance for the etymological study of Indo-European languages. Materials about the Ossetian language are taken from the works of V. F. Miller, A. A. Freiman, and especially from the works of V. I. Abaev. G. V. Bailey began to study the Ossetian language a long time ago. So, back in 1934, he compared the Ossetian fezoneg - physical with Old English awesome. This comparison turned out to be unsuccessful, and Bailey then abandoned his etymology. Referring to the material of the Khotan language, Bailey came to the conclusion that the root of the Ossetian fez-(-physical-) is an epithet, like a root shish- in the Turkish word "kebab".

V. I. Abaev also emphasizes the etymological connection of the Ossetian physical with Anglo-Saxon awesome"roast". Doubt arises from the absence of other Iranian parallels (IES, 1, 478).

Ossetian material is used more systematically in the works of GV Bailey, published in the post-war years. In particular, he needs Ossetian material to restore the languages ​​of the Scythians, Sarmatians and Saks. To this end, he dedicates his comments on the language of the poem in honor of the Saka king Vijaya Sangram, which has survived to the present day. For a comparative analysis of the text of the poem, Bailey draws on some words of ancient and new Iranian languages, including Ossetian. The following words are taken from the Ossetian language: irazyn, which ascends *araz- and is connected with sak. rrāys (cf. IES, 1, 58); bӕlas- presumably goes back to other Ind. palása- (IES, I, 247); hyntsyn- etymology not established.

In the etymological analysis of the Iranian daha- and agua-, G. V. Bailey finds the root in the first gift- from Ossetian daryn"keep" (-power-holder). Root gift- finds a match in all Iranian languages ​​(cf. IES, 1, 346-347). Therefore, the word ĕrdar-ĕldar is undeniably of Iranian origin. As for the root agua-, then, according to Bailey, it reflects Persian, era-, Parth. īra- and Khotan. hira-. According to V. I. Abaev (IES, 1, 545-546), the Ossetian ir is not related to agua-, although it is claimed that in the toponym (hydronym) Ir-af, name of the river in Digoria, you can see two elements: Ossetian - up and ancient irai ӕf-ar"water", "river", therefore, Iraf translated as "Ossetian river" (IES, 1, 547).

To interpret some obscure forms of the dead Khotan language, G. V. Bailey uses Ossetian words. Yes, the word widag(-uedagĕ) "root" is matched with hot. -Viya- fӕndag "road" -from Khorezm. pindak; Osset. kalak"fortress" - pahlev. Kalaka; Osset. uyrnyn (-urnyn)"believes" - with hot. haura; Osset. bӕgҕny"beer" - with hot. bviysna, etc. ("Ambages Indo-iranica"). The Ossetian material is very abundantly presented in comparative historical terms in a series of articles under the general title "Aria". Ossetian words of one lexical nest happ and app"core" are associated with sak. agva - "inside"; Osset. ar-, ard-, past temp. ardta in a broad sense - "to receive", "to conceive", "to give birth" (children) finds numerous correspondences in Iranian languages ​​and dialects (cf. IES, 1, 74); Osset. kuymӕl"sour drink" is associated with oset. huymӕllӕg "hops"; Osset. zaryn"sing", uakhsk"shoulder", aftauyn(ӕftyd) “put”, “shift”, tonyn"pluck, tyllag"grain", "harvest", etc. also have their parallels in the ancient and modern Iranian languages.

G. V. Bailey studies the Ossetian adjective tӕpӕn"flat", "smooth" in connection with the ancient *tapana-; Ossetian adjective fӕtӕn"wide" is considered in connection with the ancient *patana-; Ossetian noun tang"gut", found in the verb atang uyn"stretch" and mtang kanyn"stretch", compared with the ancient *tan-; the latter is also associated with the Ossetian tӕn (-tӕnӕ)"string", "string"; Ossetian noun khӕpӕn"heap", "snowdrift" (cf. mita hӕpӕn"snowdrift") is associated with the ancient gaf-, etc.

In an article published in a collection in honor of V. B. Henning, G. V. Bailey studies the etymological connections of Ossetian words bӕlvird, tel, uarӕn fӕz and some others. Through numerous etymological comparisons, the author comes to the conclusion that bӕlvird"accurate", "clear", "true" finds its correspondence in Sanskrit, ancient Persian, Avestan and in the new Iranian languages. The most ancient basis of this adjective was the root *vara-vurta - “categorically affirm”, “declare”, “represent yourself." This basis is formed by reduplication. Ossetian word tel"wire" is common with Armenian tel and Turkic tel (tӕl): in the same sense. This word is also found in many indigenous languages ​​of the Caucasus, as well as the word white"shovel". From Iranian languages ​​with Ossetian tel definitely corresponds to Khotanese ttila- in the same sense. phrase uarӕn fӕz“place of division” is taken by G. V. Bailey from the language of the Nart epic legends and its meaning is determined on the basis of a large illustrative material. The second element of the phrase uarӕn fӕz"place of division", namely fez is indisputably traceable to the Avest. pazah- hot. paysa- and sogd. p'z*paza-. Without much difficulty, the first element of the phrase is also explained on the material of the Iranian languages.

The article "Aryan Notes", published in the Roman edition of "Studia Classics and Orieitalia", deals with the etymology of Ossetian words ӕftseg"pass", bӕrzӕy "neck", ӕtseg"truth", "truth", walzag "spring" etc. All these words, according to Bailey, find faultless interpretations in the Indo-Iranian languages. Word ӕftseg"pass", for example, goes back to the ancient Indo-Iranian apcaka- and finds matches in other Indo-European languages. From Ossetian, this word also penetrated into the non-Indo-European Karachay-Balkar language in the form ipchik. The meaning of this word is extensive: in addition to the “mountain pass”, it is also understood: “isthmus”, “peak”, “protruding part of an object, body”, etc.

G.V. Bailey usually gives all his linguistic illustrations in two Ossetian dialect variants, and preference is given to the forms of the Digor dialect as more archaic. Here are some examples given by the author in his various works: a piece of chalk - mil in the sense of "twilight", cf. izӕr - miltӕ, sugzarinӕ - syzgarin"gold", go - thin"a cap", kizgӕ - chyzg"young woman", ustur khedzar - Styr Hadzar"big house", sigit - sydzhyt"earth", "soil", mud - myd"honey", etc.

In one of the latest works - "Saki Essays", published in the British journal "Iran", G.V. Bailey connects his etymological research in the field of Ossetian historical lexicology with the problem of the origin and migration of the Scythian-Sarmatian-Alanian tribes. These migration processes took place at the beginning of our era (4th-5th centuries), when the Sarmatians and Alans penetrated into France and Spain. A little earlier than this time, the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius wins (in 173 AD) over the Sarmatians and, as a winner, appropriates the title "Sarmatian" to himself. Eight thousand Iranian Sarmatians were enrolled in the Roman army, of which 5,500 were sent to Britain. Until now, an inscription about the stay of the Sarmatians in Northern Britain, namely, at St. John's College in Cambridge, has been preserved. Information about the stay of the Sarmatians in the British Isles is scarce, but historically reliable.

Traces of the presence of the Sarmatians and Alans in the territory of France are preserved to this day. So, the road through the French city of Reims was once called via Sarmatarum - "the road of the Sarmatians." There is evidence of the presence of the Alans in the territory of the Iberian Peninsula and North Africa. G. V. Bailey also dwells on the history of the movement of the Alans to the North Caucasus, speaks in detail about the connections of the Alans with the Greeks, Georgians and other peoples of the Middle Ages, emphasizes their cultural, historical and dynastic ties with many peoples. The influence of the Alanian element, Bailey continues, is evidenced by the fact that the Alanian name Bahr al-lan was given to the Caspian Sea, and the Migrels called their bravest youths alani k'oc'i "Alanian man".

GV Bailey also speaks of the migration of the Alanian tribes to the east and their penetration into China. This is evidenced by the onomastic and historical materials left by the Alans on the way of their advancement and at the place of their stay.

A.A. Kireeva at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London

On October 23–30, Associate Professor of the Department of Oriental Studies A.A. Kireeva was at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, where she conducted research in the library of the School, spoke at two events organized by the Institute China and the Center for Taiwan Studies, and participated in a seminar on Japanese security policy and diplomacy organized by King's College London.

The opportunity to conduct research in the library of the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, was provided by the European Association for Chinese Studies. The School of Oriental and African Studies Library is one of the best libraries in the world for Asian, African and Middle Eastern studies. It contains more than 1.3 million books, as well as an extensive collection of manuscripts, manuscripts, rare books, historical chronicles. The library provides access to electronic databases containing articles in leading academic journals. A distinctive feature of the library, as well as a large number of Western libraries, is the ability to independently choose the books of interest, which are grouped by thematic sections.

Associate Professor A. Kireeva spoke at a seminar organized by the China Institute of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, on the topic of Russia's turn to the East and Russia's relations with China, North Korea and the countries of Northeast Asia. In her speech, she touched upon the role of East Asia in Russia's foreign policy, the transformation of Russia's policy towards Asia after the deterioration of relations with the West as a result of the Ukrainian crisis in 2014, the strengths and challenges of the strategic partnership between Russia and China, the complex of Russia's relations with other countries of the North - East Asia - North and South Korea and Japan. The discussion following the report was attended by the chairman of the event, the director of the China Institute, Professor Steve Sang, teachers and students of the School, employees of the Royal Joint Institute for Defense Studies, the Institute of East and West.

At the invitation of the Director of the Center for Taiwanese Studies, Duffyd Fall, A.A. Kireyeva made a presentation on the subject of the “sunflower movement” in Taiwan in 2014, mass protests among young people and activists about the actions of the ruling Kuomintang party at that time regarding the conclusion of an agreement on trade in services between China and Taiwan. She analyzed events from the point of view of the Taiwanese democratic model, the problems of consolidating democracy and centralizing control in the hands of the Kuomintang Party during President Ma Ying-jeou's tenure, relations between Taiwan and the PRC, the formation of Taiwanese identity, and the political economy of the Taiwanese development model. The event was attended by a large number of students, undergraduates, graduate students and staff of the School of Oriental and African Studies who are attending courses on Taiwan or doing Taiwan studies. As a result of active exchanges with students, faculty and researchers, a lively discussion ensued on social movements in Taiwan, the Taiwanese model of democracy, political parties, political participation, Taiwanese identity, and the relationship between Taiwan and the PRC.

In addition, A.A. Kireyeva took part in a seminar entitled "Transformation of diplomatic practice and security policy of Japan", held by King's College London and the Free University of Berlin (Freie Universität Berlin). Organized by Giulio Pugliese and Alessio Patalano from the British side and Prof. Verena Blechinger-Talcott and Research Fellow Kai Schultz from the German side, the seminar was organized by King's College London staff members Giulio Pugliese and Alessio Patalano from the German side, and participants presented papers and discussed the transformation of Japan's foreign and security and defense policy, change the process of making foreign policy decisions, Japan's relations with the US, Australia, India, the EU and the UK. Associate Professor A.A. Kireeva took part in the discussion in several sessions of the seminar.

a complex of humanitarian disciplines related to the study of the history and culture of the peoples of Africa, including folklore, literature, languages, etc. It stood out from Oriental studies as a separate discipline in 1960, when a decision was made at the 25th International Congress of Orientalists in Moscow establish the International Congress of Africanists.

Linguistic African studies explores the numerous languages ​​of the African continent. The beginning of the study of African languages ​​dates back to the end of the 18th - beginning of the 19th centuries. European linguists-theorists turned to them, for example, A.F. Pott, H. Steinthal, R.K. Rask and others, and missionaries in Africa were engaged in the description of a number of languages, offering their understanding of the accumulated facts (I.L. Krapf, A. K. Maden and others).

Modern African linguistics in the broad sense of the word implies the study of all the languages ​​of the continent, including Egyptology and partly Semitology (those sections of the latter that are devoted to the Semitic languages ​​spoken in Africa). In a narrower sense, the term "African linguistics" is applied to the study of the languages ​​of the peoples living south of the Sahara: Kongo-Kordofanian languages, Nilo-Saharan languages, Khoisan languages ​​and some Afroasian languages.

At the end of the 19th century Berberology arose, the founders of which are A. Basse and R. Basse. Their work, covering a wide range of theoretical issues, was preceded by descriptions of individual languages ​​and dialects, made mainly by European missionaries. In the 20th century C. Foucault, G. Colin, F. Nicola, K. Prasse, Yu. N. Zavadovsky, A. Yu. Militarev and others were engaged in the study of these languages. Modern Berberology studies both living and dead languages ​​- Eastern Numidian, Western Numidian and Guanche, resulting in a refined nomination for the Berber languages ​​- Berber-Libyan languages.

In the study of the structure of individual Chadic languages, despite some unevenness in their description, sufficient material has been accumulated to solve problems of a comparative historical nature, determine the composition of the family, build an internal classification of these languages, and prove their genetic belonging to the Afroasian macrofamily. Since the 60s. 19th century K. R. Lepsius, F. W. K. Müller, K. Hofmann, I. Lucas, M. Cohen, J. H. Greenberg, G. Jungreitmair, M. L. Bender, and others worked in these areas. The most studied languages ​​have a wide communicative and functional status, such as, for example, Hausa. The multiplicity and diversity of the Chadic languages ​​make it necessary to use, along with a comparative historical analysis, a historical and typological analysis, as well as studying them in an areal aspect to identify such historical language contacts as Chadic-Benue-Congolese, Chadian-Berber, Chadic-Saharan. The development of Chadic studies is facilitated by the expansion and deepening of field studies of these languages.

The beginning of the study of Cushitic languages ​​- Somali, Oromo, Afar, Bedauye and others - dates back to the 1st half of the 19th century, when the first dictionaries and short grammars were compiled. In the 2nd half of the 19th century. in the works of K. Lautner (1860) and Lepsius (1880), the Cushite family is singled out as an independent genetic community. At the beginning of the 20th century the number of studied languages ​​increases, materials from the languages ​​of Sidamo, Djanjero, Saho, Kemant and others are introduced into scientific circulation (works by L. Reinish, C. Conti Rossini, E. Cerulli, M. Moreno). In the 40-50s. detailed grammars, dictionaries, works devoted to the structure of the Cushitic languages ​​appear (Moreno, A. Klingenheben, B. Andrzeevsky and others), as well as comparative historical studies, the authors of which are Moreno, Greenberg, A. N. Tucker, M. Bryan, Bender , R. Hezron solve the problems of classification, genetic and areal connections, in particular, connections with the Ethio-Semitic languages. A Kushite Seminar has been established at the University of London.

The comparative historical study of the languages ​​of the Afroasian macrofamily is focused on the reconstruction of the Afroasian parent language. In the USSR, under the direction of I. M. Dyakonov and with the participation of A. G. Belova, V. Ya.

The Congo-Kordofanian languages, which unite the Kordofanian and Niger-Congo families, present a mixed picture in terms of their level of study. Localized in a small area in eastern Sudan, the Kordofanian languages ​​have been poorly studied. They are thought to be remnants of the ancient Sudanese languages; K. Meinhof attributed some of them to the so-called pre-Hamitic, or Sudanese, based on such a criterion as the presence or absence of nominal classes, however, his concept and the resulting genetic coding of languages ​​caused a critical attitude, in particular, from Greenberg. Niger-Congo languages ​​are the largest family of African languages, including 6 independent subfamilies: West Atlantic languages, Mande languages, Gur languages, Kwa languages, Adamawa-oriental languages, Benue-Congo languages; some of their groups and subgroups have been studied in depth and in detail, such as the Bantu languages, while others have not yet been studied enough, such as those belonging to the same subfamily of the Benue-Congo languages, the group of plateau languages, Jukunoid, Crossriver. The formation of bantu studies, the most developed branch of the study of African languages ​​spoken south of the Sahara, dates back to the 60s. 19th century V. G. I. Blik created the first classification of Bantu languages ​​and described the phonetic and grammatical structure of some of them. At the beginning of the 20th century the generalizing works of Meinhof appeared, who proceeded from the same theoretical positions as V. G. I. Blik; then, up to the middle of the 20th century, comparative and contrastive studies of A. Werner, Tucker, J. Torrend, E. O. J. Westphal, K. Ruzicka and the works of K. M. Doc, M. Gasri, Brian, T J. Hinnebush internal classification. In the middle of the 20th century in bantuistics, the so-called form and function direction (form and function) arises, founded by Doc, based partly on the theoretical provisions of structural linguistics and especially on the work of O. Jespersen; supporters of this trend, for example, D. T. Cole, L. V. Lanem, J. Fortune, took into account only the syntactic functions of the word, subordinating the form to the functional status. At the end of the 50s. the so-called purely formal direction (only form) arises, associated with the name of Gasri, essentially structuralist and, therefore, to a degree oriented towards the theoretical positions of descriptive linguistics, which puts the formal characteristics of the word in the foreground. Between representatives of these trends, a discussion arose about the classification of parts of speech in the Bantu languages; in various approaches to solving the problem, the methodology for describing the structure of these languages ​​was revealed in general. Despite a long tradition, Bantuism has not solved all the tasks it faces: for example, the phonetic and phonological levels of the Bantu languages ​​and their tonal systems have not yet been sufficiently examined and described. Grinberg (1948) made an attempt to reconstruct the protobantu tonal system. Determining the typological status faces considerable difficulties. Most researchers attribute Bantu languages ​​to agglutinative languages ​​with elements of inflection (for example, V. Skalichka), but there is another point of view referring them to inflectional languages ​​with elements of agglutination (Doc, 1950).

Many researchers have been involved in the genetic and typological classification of Bantu languages. V. G. I. Blik, who singled out the southeastern, central and northwestern branches and noted the existence of separate related groups within these branches, tried to establish relationships between the Bantu, Khoisan and so-called Bantu languages. Subsequent works by Torrend (1891), Werner (1925), Doc (1948), Brian (1959) did not go beyond the construction of an internal classification; only H. H. Johnston in 1919-22, on the basis of 270 Bantu languages ​​and 24 Semi-Bantu languages ​​(a name previously accepted by some researchers for the Bantu languages), made an attempt to establish a relationship between these two units. A special place in the comparative historical studies of the Bantu is occupied by the works of Meinhof and Gasri, and the classification proposed by the latter, based on the allocation of 15 language zones, uniting 80 groups, is the most reliable. When constructing the classification, Gasri, along with comparative historical methods, also used areal parameters, which is necessary for the material of early written and non-written languages. But neither Gasri nor Meinhof raised the question of the place of the Bantu languages ​​among other African languages. The isolated treatment of Bantu languages ​​was to a certain extent traditional in African studies. Some researchers considered the Bantu, or half-Bantu, languages ​​to be an intermediate link between the Bantu and Western Sudanese languages ​​(D. Vesterman). Greenberg, expanding the concept of Bantu languages, fundamentally changed the scheme of their relationship with the Bantu, defining the latter as a subgroup of Bantu languages. In the mid 70s. on this issue, a discussion arose between K. Williamson and Greenberg, as a result of which the concepts of “narrow Bantu” (Narrow Bantu; those that were traditionally included in this family) and “wide Bantu” (Wide Bantu; Bantu) were introduced in African studies.

The least studied in the Niger-Congo family remains the subfamily of the Adamawa-oriental languages, for which, as a result, the internal classification is conditional, and for a number of languages ​​only their names or insignificant lists of words are known. Gur languages ​​are somewhat better studied (works by Westerman, J. T. Bendor-Samuel, A. Prost, G. Manesi and others). Some of the Kwa languages ​​have been fairly well studied, such as Yoruba, Ewe, Igbo; Westerman, Brian, R.K. Abraham, I. Ward, J. Stewart were engaged in their description and analysis, however, their internal classification cannot be considered final (in particular, the attribution to this branch of the Kru languages ​​and the Ijo language remains in question). The establishment of the genetic unity of the Mande languages ​​dates back to 1861 (S. V. Kölle), and somewhat later (1867) Steinthal laid the foundation for their comparative study. A significant contribution to the description of individual languages ​​was made by Westerman, E. F. M. Delafos and others; since the late 50s. 20th century much attention is paid to questions of their internal classification and linguistic divergence (W. E. Welmers, K. I. Pozdnyakov). The most studied of the West Atlantic languages ​​(this term, used mainly in English and German scientific literature, is increasingly being replaced by the term "Atlantic languages") are Fula (Fulfulde), Wolof, as well as the Serer and Diola languages, but along with this, many languages ​​remain undescribed. Partly this circumstance, as well as the structural features of a number of languages, is the reason that their internal classification has not been fully determined. The differences between the individual languages ​​are so significant that some researchers (D. Dalby, J. D. Sapir, J. Donne) questioned the composition of the subfamily and even the very possibility of its isolation.

The Khoisan languages ​​attracted the attention of researchers as early as the middle of the 19th century. (V. G. I. Blik), but only starting from the 20s. 20th century some descriptions of the Hottentot languages ​​and Bushman languages ​​appeared (D. F. Blik). The main attention was paid to the phonetics of these languages, which have the so-called clicking (two-focal) consonants, which are absent in other languages ​​​​of the world (works by D. F. Blik, N. S. Trubetskoy, R. Feet). The question of the relationship between the Hottentot and Bushman languages ​​was resolved in different ways: for example, Westphal did not consider them related and believed that the presence of clicking consonants was the only feature that brought them together. Their genetic relationship was later convincingly substantiated by Greenberg. As for the place of Khoisan languages ​​in general among other language families in Africa, most researchers consider them to be genetically isolated; only Meinhof made an attempt to establish the kinship of the Hottentot languages ​​with the Hamitic ones on the basis of the presence in both of them of a pronounced category of grammatical gender. In general, the Khoisan languages ​​are poorly studied, and the prospect of their further study is problematic, since the peoples who speak these languages ​​are at the stage of delocalization (periodically migrate or finally leave the areas of their former habitation for various reasons).

The Nilo-Saharan languages ​​have been unevenly studied. So far, there is no single point of view on the composition of this macrofamily. The hypothesis of their genetic commonality was put forward by Greenberg in 1963, but it remains unproven, since, with the exception of the Songhai Zarma languages, Saharan languages ​​and Nilotic languages, the languages ​​of the macrofamily are poorly understood. Bender's (1976) work on refining the internal classification of the Nilo-Saharan languages ​​does not draw any definitive conclusions due to the lack of sufficient language data.

The youngest area of ​​African studies is the sociolinguistic direction, which appeared in the late 60s and early 70s. Conducting sociolinguistic research in Africa is hampered by the fact that dialectology is not sufficiently developed in African linguistics, and the problem of distinguishing between language and dialect has not been resolved. However, in the 1970s and 1980s a number of surveys of the language situation in African countries have been carried out, works on language planning in independent countries of the continent have been published. The question of determining the status of official languages ​​in the context of the multilingualism of each country, the development and implementation of alphabets for previously unwritten languages, the standardization of new literary languages ​​and equipping them with the terminology necessary for a wide communicative and functional sphere, the study of the influence of communicative status on the structure of the language - these are the main directions of African sociolinguistics .

The study of African languages ​​in the USSR is associated primarily with the names of N. V. Yushmanov, P. S. Kuznetsov, D. A. Olderogge, I. L. Snegirev, who began the study and teaching of a number of living African languages ​​in the 30s. Since the 50s research centers for the study of African languages ​​were created: the Department of African Studies at the Oriental Faculty of the Leningrad State University (1952), at the Moscow Institute of International Relations (1956), at the Institute of Asian and African Countries at Moscow State University (1962), as well as the research sector of African languages ​​at the Institute of Linguistics USSR Academy of Sciences (1965). Soviet Africanist linguists are engaged in typological, comparative historical, sociolinguistic research, as well as the description of individual languages. A significant number of works on African studies have been published in the so-called new series of Proceedings of the Institute of Ethnography. N. N. Miklukho-Maclay” (since 1959). A series of monographs "Languages ​​of the Foreign East and Africa" ​​is being published, in which 15 monographs on individual languages ​​of Africa were published in 1959-81.

The emergence in Europe of research centers for the study of Africa, including African languages, is associated with the European colonization of the continent. The largest centers were set up in Germany in the 19th century, such as the Colonial Languages ​​Seminar at the Colonial Institute in Hamburg and the Department of African Languages ​​at the University of Berlin. In the UK, the oldest center for African studies is the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London. From the middle of the 20th century in the GDR there is a department of African studies in the Department of African, Asian and Latin American studies at the University of Leipzig, as well as an African studies group in the Academy of Sciences of the GDR (Berlin). In Germany, the study of African languages ​​is carried out by the Department of African Linguistics at the University. J. W. Goethe (Frankfurt am Main) and the Department of African Studies at the University of Hamburg. In France, studies on African languages ​​are carried out by the National Center for Scientific Research and the Society for the Study of African Languages ​​(both in Paris), partly by the Paris Institute of Ethnology and the Institute for Interethnic and Intercultural Studies at the University of Nice. In Belgium, the description and study of the Bantu languages ​​is carried out by the Royal Museum of Central Africa in Tervuren. in Austria in the early 1980s. 20th century organized by the Institute of African Studies at the University of Vienna.

In the USA, a significant number of centers for the study of Africa arose in the second half of the 20th century; the largest linguistic institution is the Center for the Study of African Languages ​​at the University of California, Los Angeles.

There are chairs in African studies in the Polish People's Republic at the Institute of Oriental Studies at the University of Warsaw and in the Department of African Studies at the University of Cracow. Separate studies on the languages ​​of Africa are carried out by scientists from Czechoslovakia, SRR, Yugoslavia, and the People's Republic of Belarus.

In the 20th century African scientists begin to study the languages ​​of Africa. Created in 1930, the Interterritorial Committee, which united Kenya, Tanganyika, Uganda, and Zanzibar, attracted national researchers to work; in 1964, after the formation of the United Republic of Tanzania, on the basis of the committee, the Institute of Swahili Studies, headed by national scientists, arose at the University of Dar es Salaam. Since 1935 there has been a Department of Bantu Languages ​​at the University of the Witwatersrand (South Africa). The Academy of Ethiopian Languages ​​operates in Ethiopia, transformed in 1974 from the Academy of the Amharic Language. In Somalia, linguistic research is carried out by the Council of Somali Languages ​​of the Academy of Cultures. In most countries of Central and West Africa, the study of languages ​​is carried out within the framework of universities and special centers under the ministries of public education (Cameroon, Niger, Nigeria, Mali, Togo, Benin, Senegal, and others). The French Institute for Black Africa in Dakar, after Senegal gained independence, was transformed into the Institute for Basic Research of Black Africa, which also conducts work in linguistic areas. There are branches of the International Linguistic Society in Cameroon, Nigeria, the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Togo. In France, in Paris, there is an initiative group of African scientists from different countries that publishes the journal "Writing and Reading" ("Bindi e jannde", in the Fula language, 1980-), which publishes texts in African languages.

  • Africana. Proceedings of the group of African languages. I, M.-L., 1937;
  • African Philology, M., 1965;
  • Dyakonov I. M., Semitic-Hamitic languages, M., 1965;
  • Languages ​​of Africa, M., 1966;
  • Problems of African linguistics, M., 1972;
  • Phonology and morphonology of African languages, M., 1972;
  • Unwritten and young written languages ​​of Africa, M., 1973;
  • Language situation in African countries, M., 1975;
  • Language policy in Afro-Asian countries, M., 1977;
  • Problems of phonetics, morphology and syntax of African languages, M., 1978;
  • Questions of African linguistics, [v. 1], M., 1979;
  • Early written languages ​​of Africa. Materials for lexical description, M., 1981;
  • Theoretical foundations of the classification of world languages, M., 1982;
  • Questions of African linguistics, M.. 1983;
  • Koelle S. W., Polyglotta Africana, L., 1854;
  • Bleek W. H. I., A comparative grammar of South African languages, pt 1-2, L., 1862-69;
  • Torrend J., A comparative grammar of the South-African Bantu languages, L., 1891;
  • Johnston H. H., A comparative study of the Bantu and semi-Bantu languages, v. 1-2, Oxf., 1919-22;
  • Werner A., The language-families of Africa, 2 ed., L., 1925;
  • Bleek D. F., The phonetics of the Hottentot languages, L., 1938;
  • doke C. M., Bantu linguistic terminology, L.-, 1935;
  • his own, Bantu. Modern grammatical, phonetical and lexicographical studies since 1860, L., 1945;
  • Meinhof C., Grundzüge einer vergleichenden Grammatik der Bantusprachen, 2 Aufl., Hamb., 1948;
  • Westermann D., Bryan M., The languages ​​of West Africa, L., 1952;
  • Tucker A., Bryan M., The Non-Bantu languages ​​of North-Eastern Africa, L., 1956;
  • Greenberg J., The languages ​​of Africa, . The Hague, 1966;
  • Guthrie M., Comparative Bantu. An introduction to the comparative linguistics and prehistory of the Bantu languages, v. 1-4, , 1967-1971;
  • Welmers W. E., Checklist of African languages ​​and dialect names, CTL, 1971. v. 7;
  • Kapinga fr. C., Sarufi maumbo ya Kiswahili sanifu, Dar-es-Salaam, 1977.

N. V. Gromova, N. V. Okhotina.

Materials devoted to the problems of African studies, in addition to general linguistic journals (see Linguistic journals), are published in specialized journals in a number of countries:

  • "African studies" (Johannesburg, 1921-; in 1921-41 under the name "Bantu studies"),
  • "Rassegna di studi etiopici" (Roma, 1941-),
  • "African language studies" (L., 1960-),
  • "Africana linguistica" (Tervuren, Belgium, 1962-),
  • "Afrika und Übersee" (Hamb. - B., 1951-; previously - Zeitschrift für Eingeborenen-Sprachen, 1920, previously - Zeitschrift für Colonialsprachen, 1910),
  • "Journal of West African languages" (Ibadan, Nigeria, P.-L., 1964-),
  • "Limi" (Pretoria, 1966-),
  • "Bulletin de la SELAF" (P., 1967-),
  • "Africana Marburgensia" (Marburg, Germany, 1968-),
  • "Communications of the Department of Bantu languages" (Pietersburg, South Africa, 1969-),
  • "Journal of the Language Association of Eastern Africa" ​​(Nairobi, Kenya, 1970-),
  • "Studies in African linguistics" (Los Angeles, 1970-),
  • "Afrique et langage" (P., 1971-),
  • "Studies in Bantoetale" (Pretoria, 1974-),
  • "African languages" (L., 1975-; formed from the merger "African language review", Freetown, Sierra Leone, 1962 - [before 1966 - Sierra Leone language review] and "Journal of African languages", L., 1962-),
  • "Northeast African studies" (East Lansing, USA, 1979-).

Review and bibliographic publications are also published:

  • "African Abstracts" (L., 1950-);
  • "Africana journal" (N.Y., 1970-; until 1974 - "African library journal").

The School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) originated in 1916 at the University of London as the School of Oriental Studies, and in 1938 acquired its present name. The most powerful colonial power, which was then Great Britain, needed specialists who understood the peculiarities of the economy, politics, culture and mentality of the peoples dependent on it, who inhabited mainly Asia and Africa. Therefore, the need for such an educational institution was obvious.

But it was also preserved by the refusal of the United Kingdom from almost all of its overseas possessions - because. now it was no longer required to manage dependent territories, but to maintain old ties and develop relations with independent and equal partners. Therefore, it is precisely in the second half of the 20th, and especially the beginning of the 21st centuries, that the maximum flourishing of the institution falls. So, from the 70s to the present day, the number of students in it has grown from about one to almost six thousand. And in 2011, the School of Oriental and African Studies received the right to award academic degrees, which finally established itself in university status.

Achievements

The school is the only university in Europe where Asian and African countries are studied. But she is authoritative not only in her “role” - for example, in the UK she became:

  • 3rd and 4th in Southeast Asia and the Middle East, respectively, in 2011 (Complete University Guide);
  • 6th in the organization of the educational process in 2016 (RUR Ranking);
  • then - 9th in teaching history, philosophy, theology and law (Times Higher Education).

And in 2009, the university was awarded the Queen's Prize for a significant contribution to the teaching of languages.

The Institute managed to achieve such heights largely due to its research base - first of all, the library opened in 1973 with one of the richest collections of Oriental literature in the world (about 1.5 million paper and electronic media).

Programs and organization of teaching

SOAS offers those wishing to study for a bachelor's, master's or doctoral degree at the faculties:

  • arts and humanities,
  • foreign languages ​​and cultures,
  • social sciences and jurisprudence

Each faculty has several departments, of which there are a total of 19. Scholarships are provided for foreign students enrolled in some programs. The university also constantly organizes short-term summer courses.

The employment prospects of future graduates are handled by the Career Service. She arranges various seminars, trainings and master classes on job search, as well as meetings of students with employees of HR departments and recruitment agencies; advises students on career issues and provides information about vacancies from its database.

After classes

The extra-curricular activities of the student community are also quite active, especially since studies and social life are closely interconnected at an institute of such specialization. So, in the gallery of Brunei (built with donations from the Sultan of this state), various exhibitions of works of art from the countries of the East are periodically held, and on its roof in 2001 a real Japanese garden was laid out as a place for relaxation and meditation.

But students have something to do besides introspection, because. there are about 50 different interest clubs - sports, culinary, political, cultural (including its own radio station with programs about modern world culture) and others. And since SOAS is actually a branch of the University of London, its students can also join its communities.

Accommodation

Visitors can be accommodated in 2 hostels located near St. Pancrass and Kings Cross stations and offering respectively 510 and 259 rooms with private baths. Each has a common room with TV and DVD, vending machines and laundry facilities.

Accommodation is also available in the 7 inter-university residences of London University. Telephone and internet are everywhere.

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