The Historical Linguistics of Hunter-Gatherers in East Africa: A Discussion

This seminar is more a guided discussion than an ex cathedra presentation on issues that nag me while doing historical linguistics on data from Hunter-Gatherer groups. I take “Hunter-Gatherer” as a very general label for groups that are characterised (rightly or wrongly) as such, and I want to reach a better insight into which distinctions to make among them that are relevant for linguistic study (like immediate and delayed return is for social organisation). After a general introduction the seminar, time is used for one discussion question after the next, all briefly introduced below: Q1: Which distinctions to make among Hunter-Gatherer groups in East Africa that have relevance for (socio-)linguistics? Q2: Is ethno-linguistic identity less vital for (some of the) Hunter-Gatherer groups? Q3: Is there less memory of history of the group among Hunter-Gatherer groups? Q4: What are the linguistic properties of Hunter-Gatherer languages? Q5: What of this to keep in mind in doing historical linguistics involving languages of Hunter-Gatherer groups?Note: This talk has not gone through a process of peer review, and findings should therefore be treated as preliminary and subject to change. Acknowledgement and citation: Mous, Maarten. 2022. The Historical Linguistics of Hunter-Gatherers in East Africa: A Discussion. Talk given at the Rift Valley Network Webinar Series. 20/04/2022