Home Vegetable garden on the windowsill School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. Linguistic Encyclopedic Dictionary. A. Kireeva at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London

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

: Ossetian etymologies G.V. Bailey

K. E. Gagkaev
1981


Several 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. Everything in our country admired him: the scale of the anniversary celebrations, and 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 with the staff his impressions of the trip and talked about his work on oriental studies.

As an orientalist, G.V. Bailey enjoys the reputation of a world-renowned scientist. This is evidenced by the following fact. When, at the 25th International Congress of Orientalists in Moscow (1960), a survey of Iranian scholars about the degree of popularity of famous modern orientalists was conducted, the first place was taken by an English scientist.Unfortunately, he was not at the congress at that time, but the participants in this impromptu survey made up a small a congratulatory letter addressed to him, under which all Iranianists - participants of the congress, including the late Professor B. A. Alborov and the author of these lines - signed.

Before talking about the Ossetian studies interests of G.V. Bailey, we 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 BA and then an MA from the University of Western Australia.

In 1927-1933. he attended Oxford University in England, where he received his Ph.D. Around this time (1926-1936) Bailey was a lecturer in Iranian studies at the School of Oriental Studies, University of London. For over thirty years (1936-1976) - Professor of the Sanskrit language at the University of Cambridge. In 1967 he became professor emeritus (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 och Antiquities"). In the postwar years, Bailey was a board member 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 Honorary Member of many foreign academies, universities and scientific institutions and societies - it is impossible to list them all. Professor G. W. Bailey has 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 new, written and non-written Indo-European, Turkic, Mongolian, Caucasian and other languages ​​is widely used. Most of the work was published in the Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Research (bsos) and in the Bulletin of the School of Oriental Studies bsos at the University of London.

The main direction of research interests of G.V. Bailey is, perhaps, the etymology of languages ​​and the culture of Indo-European peoples. An important source of his etymological studies is undoubtedly the Indo-Iranian language material. G.V. Bailey is a major 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, the 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 research is the materials of dead and living languages, evidence of written monuments, relic remnants of unwritten languages ​​and dialects. The material under study is carefully checked against the most authoritative etymological dictionaries: Chr. Bartholome, Ancient 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 behind all the etymological literature that comes out and uses and generalizes 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, H. Nyberg, L. Palmer, G. Morgenshern, I. Gershevich, V. Minorsky, V. I. Abaev and others.

In the large list of works by G.V. Bailey, Ossetian material occupies an honorable place in connection with 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. GV Bailey began to study the Ossetian language for a long time. So, back in 1934, he compared the Ossetian fezonӕg - fizonӕg with Old English afigen. This comparison was unsuccessful, and Bailey later abandoned his etymology. Referring to the material of the Khotanese language, Bailey concluded that the Ossetian root fěz-(-physical-) is an epithet, like a root shish- in the Turkish word for "shashlik".

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

More systematically, Ossetian material is used in the works of G.V. Bailey, published in the post-war years .. He needs Ossetian material, in particular, to restore the languages ​​of the Scythians, Sarmatians and Saks. To this purpose he devotes his comments on the language of the surviving poem in honor of the Saka king Vijaya Sangram. For a comparative analysis of the text of the poem, Bailey draws on some words of ancient and modern Iranian languages, including Ossetian. The words are taken from the Ossetian language: irazyn, which ascends * araz- and is associated with sak. rrāys (cf. IES, 1, 58); bӕlas- presumably goes back to Old Ind. palása- (IES, I, 247); khyntsyn- the etymology has not been established.

In the etymological parsing of the Iranian daha- and agua- G.V. Bailey finds in the first the root gift- from the Ossetian daryn"Hold" (-the holder-power). Root gift- matches in all Iranian languages ​​(cf. IES, 1, 346-347). Hence the word ӕrdar-ldar is of undeniable Iranian origin. As for the root agua-, then, according to Bailey, it reflects the Persian, era-, parf. īra- and Khotansk. hira-. According to V.I. Abaev (IES, 1, 545-546), the Ossetian ir is not associated with agua, although it is argued that in the toponym (hydronym) Ir-ӕf, the name of the river in Digoria, you can see two elements: Ossetian - up and ancient Iranian ӕf-ar"Water", "river", therefore, Irӕf translated as "Ossetian river" (IES, 1, 547).

To interpret some obscure forms of the dead Khotanese language, G.V. Bailey draws on Ossetian words. So the word oudag(-wedag) "Root" is matched against hot. -Viya- fӕndag "road" -s Khorezm. pindak; osset. kalak"Fortress" - pahlav. kalaka; osset. uyrnyn (-urnyn)"Believes" - with hot. haura; osset. gods"Beer" - with hot. bviysna, etc. ("Ambages Indo-iranica"). 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 The "core" is associated with sak. agva - "inside"; osset. ar-, ard-, last time. 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. k'uymӕl"Sour drink" is associated with sturgeon. huymӕllӕg "hop"; osset. zaryn"sing", uӕkhsk"shoulder", aftauyn(ӕthyd) “put”, “shift”, today"Pluck, tyllӕg"Grain", "harvest", etc. also have their parallels in the ancient and new Iranian languages.

G.V. Bailey studies the Ossetian adjective тъӕпӕн"Flat", "flat" in connection with the ancient * tapana-; Ossetian adjective fӕtӕn"Wide" is seen in connection with the ancient * patana-; Ossetian noun t'ang Gut, which occurs in a verb atang uyn"Stretch out" and mtang kunin"Stretch", juxtaposed with the ancient * tan-; the latter is also associated with the Ossetian tӕn (-tӕnӕ)"String", "bowstring"; Ossetian noun хъӕпӕн"Pile", "snowdrift" (cf. mity hjӕpӕn"Snowdrift") is associated with the ancient gaf- etc.

In an article published in a collection in honor of W.B. Henning, G.V. Bailey studies the etymological connections of Ossetian words bӕlvyrd, tel, warӕn fӕz and some others. Through numerous etymological comparisons, the author comes to the conclusion that bӕlvyrd"Exact", "clear", "true" finds its correspondence in Sanskrit, ancient Persian, Avestan and new Iranian languages. The most ancient basis of this adjective was the root * vara-vurta - "categorically assert", "declare", "represent yourself. " This backbone is formed by reduplication. Ossetian word tel"Wire" is common with Armenian eating and Turkic tel (tӕl): in the same meaning. 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 juxtaposed with Khotanese ttila- in the same meaning. Collocation uarӕn fӕz The "place of division" is taken by G.V. Bailey from the language of 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 fӕz is incontestably raised to avest. pazah- hot. paysa- and Sogd. p'z * paza-. The first element of the phrase is also easily explained on the material of the Iranian languages.

The article "Aryan Notes", published in the Roman edition of "Study Classics and Orientalia", deals with the etymology of Ossetian words ӕфцӕг"Pass", burzuy "neck", ӕtsӕg"Truth", "truth", Waldzag "spring" etc. All these words, according to Bailey, find faultless interpretation in Indo-Iranian languages. Word ӕфцӕг"Pass", for example, goes back to the ancient Indo-Iranian apcaka- and finds correspondences in other Indo-European languages. From the Ossetian, this word penetrated into the non-Indo-European Karachai-Balkarian language in the form ipchik. The meaning of this word is extensive: in addition to "mountain pass", it is also comprehended: "isthmus", "peak", "protruding part of an object, body", etc.

GV 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 various of his works: chalk - nice in the sense of "twilight", cf. isӕr - miltӕ, sugzarinӕ - syzgӕrin"gold", moveӕ - thin"a cap", kizg - chyzg"young woman", ustur khӕdzarӕ - styr khudzar"big house", sigit - sydzhit"Earth", "soil", mud - myd"Honey", etc.

In one of the most recent works - "Sakskie sketches", published in the British journal "Iran", GV Bailey connects his etymological research in the field of Ossetian historical lexicology with the problem of the origin and migration of the Scythian-Sarmatian-Alan tribes. These migration processes took place at the beginning of our era (4th-5th centuries), when the Sarmatians and Alans penetrated France and Spain. A little earlier than this time, the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius won a victory (in 173 AD) over the Sarmatians and, as the winner, appropriated the title of "Sarmatian" to himself. Eight thousand Iranian Sarmatians were enlisted in the Roman army, of which 5,500 were sent to Britain. An inscription about the stay of the Sarmatians in Northern Britain, namely, in the Cambridge College of St. Johns, has survived to this day. Information about the presence of the Sarmatians in the British Isles is scarce, but historically accurate.

Traces of the presence of the Sarmatians and Alans in France are preserved to this day. So, the road through the French city of Reims was once called via Sarmatarum - "the Sarmatian road". There is evidence of the presence of the Alans on the territory of the Iberian Peninsula and North Africa. GV 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 Migrelians called their bravest youths alani k'oc'i "Alanian man".

G.V. Bailey also speaks about the migration of 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 complex of humanitarian disciplines related to the study of the history and culture of the peoples of Africa, including folklore, literature, languages, etc. to 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 late 18th and early 19th centuries. They were approached by European linguists-theorists, for example A.F. Pott, H. Steinthal, R.K. K. Maden and others).

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

At the end of the 19th century. arose berberology, the founders of which are A. Basse and R. Basse. Their work, covering a wide range of theoretical problems, 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 studying these languages. Modern Berberology studies both living and dead languages ​​- East Numidian, West Numidian and Guanche, as a result of which a refined nomination for the Berber languages ​​arose - the Berber-Libyan languages.

In the study of the structure of individual Chadian languages, despite some unevenness of 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 affiliation with the Afrasian macrofamily. Since the 60s. 19th century K.R. Lepsius, F.W.K.Müller, K. Hoffman, I. Lucas, M. Cohen, J. H. Greenberg, G. Jungreitmair, M. L. Bender and others worked in these directions. The most studied languages ​​are those with a broad communicative and functional status, such as Hausa. The abundance and diversity of Chadian languages ​​make it necessary to use, along with a comparative historical analysis, a historical-typological analysis, as well as to study them in an areal aspect to identify such historical linguistic contacts as Chadian-Benue-Congolese, Chadian-Berber, Chadian-Saharan. The development of Chad studies is facilitated by the expansion and deepening of field studies of these languages.

The beginning of the study of the Kushite 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 Kushite family is distinguished as an independent genetic community. At the beginning of the 20th century. the number of languages ​​studied increases, materials of the languages ​​of Sidamo, Janjero, Sakho, Kemant and others are introduced into scientific circulation (the works of L. Rainisch, K. Conti Rossini, E. Ceruli, M. Moreno). In the 40-50s. detailed grammars, dictionaries, works on the structure of the Cushite languages ​​(Moreno, A. Klingenheben, B. Andrzeevsky and others) appear, as well as comparative historical studies, the authors of which are Moreno, Greenberg, A.N. Tucker, M. Brian, Bender , R. Hezron solve the problems of classification, genetic and areal connections, in particular, connections with Ethiosemite languages. The Cushite Seminar was established at the University of London.

The comparative historical study of the languages ​​of the Afrasian macrofamily is focused on the reconstruction of the Afrasian proto-language. In the USSR, under the leadership of I. M. Dyakonov and with the participation of A. G. Belova, V. Ya. Porkhomovsky, O. V. Stolbova, and others, work is underway on the compilation of a comparative-historical dictionary of Afrasian languages.

The Congo-Kordofan languages, which unite the Kordofan and Niger-Congolese families, present a motley picture in terms of their study. Localized in a small area in the east of Sudan, the Kordofan languages ​​are poorly studied. They are believed to be remnants of the ancient languages ​​of Sudan; K. Meinhof attributed some of them to the so-called pre-hamitic, or Sudanese, on the basis of such a criterion as the presence or absence of nominative classes, however, his concept and the genetic coding of languages ​​arising from it caused a critical attitude, in particular, from Greenberg. The Niger-Congolese languages ​​are the largest family of languages ​​in Africa, including 6 independent subfamilies: the West Atlantic languages, the Mande languages, the Gur languages, the Kwa languages, the Adamaua-Oriental languages, the Benue-Congolese languages; some of their groups and subgroups have been studied in depth and in detail, such as, for example, the Bantu languages, while others are still insufficiently studied, such as, for example, belonging to the same as Bantu, the subfamily of Benue-Congolese languages ​​of the plateau group of languages, Jucunoid, Crossriver. The emergence of Bantuistics, the most developed branch of the study of African languages, spread to the south of the Sahara, dates back to the 60s. 19th century V. G. I. Blik created the first classification of the Bantu languages ​​and described the phonetic and grammatical structure of some of them. At the beginning of the 20th century. generalizing works of Meinhof appear, who proceeded from the same theoretical positions as V. G. I. Blik; then, until the middle of the 20th century, comparative and contrastive studies by A. Werner, Tucker, J. Torrend, E.O.J. Westphal, K. Ruzicka and works by K.M.Dock, M. Gasri, Brian, T. J. Hinnebusch according to the internal classification. In the middle of the 20th century. in Bantu studies, the so-called form and function direction (form and function), founded by Dock, based in part on the theoretical provisions of structural linguistics and especially on the work of O. Espersen, arises; supporters of this trend, for example, D. T. Cole, L. V. Lanham, J. Fortune, took into account only the syntactic functions of the word, subordinating the form to the functional status. In the late 50s. a so-called purely formal direction (only form), associated with the name Gasri, appears, which is essentially structuralist and, therefore, is oriented towards the theoretical positions of descriptive linguistics, which puts the formal characteristics of the word in the foreground. A discussion arose between representatives of these directions about the classification of parts of speech in the Bantu languages; in different approaches to the solution of the problem, the methodology of describing the structure of these languages ​​was revealed as a whole. Despite its long tradition, Bantu studies have not solved all the problems 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. In the work of Greenberg (1948), an attempt was made to reconstruct the tonal system of the protobant. The definition of the typological status is faced with significant difficulties. Most researchers attribute Bantu languages ​​to agglutinative languages ​​with elements of inflection (for example, V. Skalichka), but there is another point of view that refers them to inflectional languages ​​with elements of agglutination (Doc, 1950).

Many researchers were engaged in the genetic and typological classification of the Bantu languages. V.G.I.Blik, who distinguished 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 the so-called Bantoid languages. Subsequent works of 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 material of 270 Bantu languages ​​and 24 Polubantu languages ​​(the name previously adopted by some researchers for Bantu languages) made an attempt to establish the relationship between these two unities. A special place in comparative historical studies of 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, 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. Looking at the Bantu languages ​​in isolation was somewhat traditional in African studies. Some researchers considered the Bantoid, or semi-bantu, languages ​​to be an intermediate link between the Bantu and Western Sudanese languages ​​(D. Westerman). Greenberg, expanding the concept of Bantoid languages, fundamentally changed the scheme of their relationship with Bantu, defining the latter as a subgroup of Bantoid 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-Congolese family is the subfamily of the adamahua-oriental languages, for which, as a result, the internal classification is conditional, and about a number of languages ​​only their names or insignificant word lists are known. Gur languages ​​have been studied somewhat better (works by Westerman, J. T. Bendor-Samuel, A. Prost, G. Manessi and others). Some of the qua languages, for example, Yoruba, Ewe, Igbo, have been studied quite fully; Westerman, Brian, R.K. Abraham, I. Ward, J. Stewart were engaged in their description and analysis, but their internal classification cannot be considered final (in particular, it is questionable whether they belong to this branch of the Ijo languages ​​and languages). The establishment of the genetic unity of the Mande languages ​​dates back to 1861 (S. V. Kölle), and a little later (1867) Steinthal laid the foundation for their comparative study. Significant contributions to the description of individual languages ​​were made by Westerman, E. F. M. Delaphos, and others; from the end of the 50s. 20th century great attention is paid to questions of their internal classification and linguistic divergence (W. E. Welmers, K. I. Pozdnyakov). The most studied of the Western Atlantic languages ​​(this term, used mainly in English and German scientific literature, is increasingly being replaced by the term "Atlantic languages") are Fula (Fululf), Wolof, as well as the Serer and Diola languages, but along with this many languages ​​remain undescribed. In part, this circumstance, as well as the structural features of a number of languages, are the reason that their internal classification has not been fully determined. The differences between individual languages ​​are so significant that some researchers (D. Dalby, J. D. Sapir, J. Donneux) questioned the composition of the subfamily and even the very possibility of its isolation.

The Khoisan languages ​​attracted the attention of researchers already in the middle of the 19th century. (V. G. I. Blik), but only since the 1920s. 20th century some descriptions of the Hottentot languages ​​and the Bushman languages ​​appeared (D.F.Blick). The main attention was paid to the phonetics of these languages, which have so-called clicking (two-focus) consonants, which are absent in other languages ​​of the world (works by D.F.Blik, N. S. Trubetskoy, R. Stop). The question of the kinship of the Hottentot and Bushman languages ​​was resolved in different ways: for example, Westphal did not consider them to be 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 the Khoisan languages ​​in general among other language families in Africa, most researchers consider them genetically isolated; only Meinhof made an attempt to establish the kinship of the Hottentot languages ​​with the Hamitic languages ​​on the basis of the presence of a clearly expressed grammatical gender category in both. 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 completely leave the areas of their former habitation for various reasons).

The Nilo-Saharan languages ​​have been studied unevenly. There is still 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 Songhai Zarma languages, Saharan languages, and Nilotic languages, macrofamily languages ​​are poorly studied. In the work of Bender (1976), devoted to clarifying the internal classification of the Nilo-Saharan languages, no definitive conclusions are made due to the lack of sufficient linguistic data.

The youngest area of ​​African studies is the sociolinguistic trend, which appeared in the late 60s - early 70s. Conducting sociolinguistic research in Africa is hampered by the fact that dialectology is not sufficiently developed in African linguistics, the problem of distinguishing between language and dialect has not been resolved. However, in the 70-80s. a number of surveys of the language situation in African countries have been carried out, and works on language planning in independent countries of the continent have been published. The question of determining the status of official languages ​​in the conditions of 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-functional sphere, the study of the influence of the 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 primarily associated 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. scientific centers for the study of African languages ​​were created: the Department of African Studies at the Oriental Faculty of 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 Academy of Sciences of the USSR (1965). Soviet African linguists are engaged in typological, comparative historical, sociolinguistic research, as well as in the description of individual languages. A significant number of works on African studies have been published in the so-called new series "Proceedings of the Institute of Ethnography. NN Miklouho-Maclay "(since 1959). A series of monographs "Languages ​​of the Foreign East and Africa" ​​is published, in which 15 monographs were published in 1959-81 on individual languages ​​of Africa.

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 established in Germany in the 19th century, for example, the Seminar of Colonial Languages ​​at the Colonial Institute in Hamburg, and the Department of African Languages ​​at the University of Berlin. In Great Britain, 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 German Democratic Republic there is the 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 at the Academy of Sciences of the German Democratic Republic (Berlin). In Germany, the study of African languages ​​is conducted by the Department of African Linguistics at the University. JW 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 Bantu languages ​​are described and studied by the Royal Museum of Central Africa in Tervuren. In Austria in the early 80s. 20th century organized by the Institute for 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.

Departments of African Studies are available in the PPR at the Institute of Oriental Studies at the University of Warsaw and at the Department of African Problems at the University of Krakow. Separate studies on the languages ​​of Africa are carried out by scientists from Czechoslovakia, SRR, SFRY and PRB.

In the 20th century. African scientists begin to study the languages ​​of Africa. Created in 1930, the Inter-Territorial Committee, uniting Kenya, Tanganyika, Uganda and Zanzibar, attracted national researchers; 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 Ethiopian Academy of Languages ​​operates in Ethiopia, reorganized in 1974 from the Academy of the Amharic Language. In Somalia, linguistic research is conducted by the Somali Language Council of the Academy of Cultures. In most of the 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, etc.). After Senegal gained independence, the French Institute of Black Africa in Dakar was transformed into the Institute for Basic Research of Black Africa, in which the work of linguistic directions is also carried out. In Cameroon, Nigeria, the Republic of Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, there are branches of the International Linguistic Society. In France, in Paris, there is an initiative group of African scientists from different countries, which publishes the journal "Writing and Reading" ("Bindi e jannde", in Fula, 1980-), which publishes texts in African languages.

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  • Languages ​​of Africa, M., 1966;
  • Problems of African linguistics, M., 1972;
  • Phonology and morphonology of African languages, M., 1972;
  • Non-written and early-written languages ​​of Africa, M., 1973;
  • The language situation in the countries of Africa, 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;
  • The languages ​​of Africa in writing. Materials for the lexical description, M., 1981;
  • Theoretical bases of classification of languages ​​of the world, 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, 2nd ed., L., 1925;
  • Bleek D. F., The phonetics of the Hottentot languages, L., 1938;
  • Doke C. M., Bantu linguistic terminology, L.-, 1935;
  • his, 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 title "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 Kolonialsprachen", 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 a merger African language review, Freetown, Sierra Leone, 1962 - [until 1966 - "Sierra Leone language review"] and "Journal of African languages", L., 1962-),
  • Northeast African studies (East Lansing, USA, 1979-).

There are also peer-reviewed bibliographic editions:

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

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 School's library, spoke at two events organized by the Institute China and the Center for Taiwan Studies, and took part 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. Library of the School of Oriental and African Studies is one of the best libraries in the world for the study of Asia, Africa and the Middle East. It contains over 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, like 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.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 Russian foreign policy, the transformation of Russian 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 relations between Russia and other North -East Asia - North and South Korea and Japan. The discussion on the results of the report was attended by the presiding director of the China Institute, Professor Steve Sang, teachers and students of the School, employees of the Royal Joint Institute for Defense Research, Institute of East and West.

At the invitation of Director of the Center for Taiwanese Studies Duffid Fall A.A. Kireeva made a presentation on the theme of the "movement of sunflowers" 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 the Agreement on trade in services between PRC and Taiwan. She analyzed the events from the point of view of the Taiwanese democratic model, the problems of consolidating democracy and centralization of government in the hands of the Kuomintang party during the presidency of President Ma Ying-jeou, 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 from the School of Oriental and African Studies attending courses in Taiwan or doing research in Taiwan. An active exchange of views with students, teachers and researchers ensued a lively discussion on social movements in Taiwan, the Taiwanese model of democracy, political parties, political participation, Taiwanese identity and relations between Taiwan and the PRC.

In addition, A.A. Kireeva took part in a seminar entitled "Transformation of Japan's Diplomatic Practice and Policy in the Field of Security", held by King's College London and the Free University of Berlin (Freie Universität Berlin). During the seminar, organized by the staff of King's College London Giulio Pugliese and Alessio Patalano from the British side and Professor Verena Blechinger-Talcott and researcher Kai Schultz from the German side, the participants presented reports and discussed the transformation of Japan's foreign and defense policy, change the process of making foreign policy decisions, Japan's relations with the United States, Australia, India, the EU and Great Britain. Associate professor A.A. Kireeva took part in the discussion in several sessions of the seminar.

The School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) was founded 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 were versed in 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 abandonment of the United Kingdom from almost all of its overseas possessions. 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 in the second half of the XX-th, and especially the beginning of the XXI-th centuries that the institution's maximum flourishing 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 confirmed its 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 the study of Southeast Asia and the Middle East, respectively, in 2011 (Complete University Guide);
  • 6th in the organization of the educational process in 2016 (RUR Ranking);
  • at the same time - 9th in teaching history, philosophy, theology and law (Times Higher Education).

And in 2009 the university was awarded the royal prize for significant contribution to the teaching of languages.

The institute managed to achieve such heights largely thanks 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).

Teaching programs and organization

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

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

Each faculty has several departments, of which there are 19 in total. Foreign students enrolled in some programs are awarded scholarships. Also, the university constantly organizes short-term summer courses.

The Career Service deals with the employment prospects of future graduates. She arranges various seminars, trainings and workshops on finding a job, as well as meetings of students with employees of HR departments and recruitment agencies; advises students on career issues and provides information on vacancies from its database.

After classes

The extracurricular activities of the student community are also quite active, especially since in an institute of such specialization, study and social life are closely interconnected. 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 rest and meditation.

But students have something to do and besides introspection, because there are about 50 different clubs of interest - sports, culinary, political, cultural (including its own radio station with programs about contemporary 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 Pancras and King's Cross stations and offering 510 and 259 rooms with private baths, respectively. Each has a common room with TV and DVD, vending machines and laundry facilities.

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

The School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London is an important center for the training of specialist orientalists 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) eastern history and law. With the exception of the Faculty of History and Law, the main focus of the school is on the study of oriental languages. During World War II, the largest number of students studied Japanese and Chinese.

Along with language training, the school provides its listeners with episodic lectures or short lecture cycles, on average, no more than two to three lectures on one topic on the history, cultural history or economy of the countries under study. An example of this kind of thematic cycles is the 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". African students attended lectures in 1944 on the following topics: "Social Anthropology", "American View of the Colonial Administration", "African Music".

The faculties of the school carry out practical consulting work for the British Ministry of the Colonies. It should be noted that a number of English departments are represented on the school board that are interested in training orientalists; ministries of foreign affairs, colonies, Indian affairs and military. The chairman of the school board is a prominent colonial figure in England, Lord Haley, who served as a former governor of Bengal.

The faculty of the school is largely composed of specialists in India and other colonial possessions of England. It is characteristic that of the twenty-odd public lectures read at school in 1944, three-quarters were devoted to India and Burma. In 1944, the professorship of the Faculty of Oriental History and Law consisted of the following specialists: Dean prof. Dodwell - the history and culture of the British, possessions in Asia and especially India, Captain Phillips - the history of India, Barnett - senior lecturer on the history of India, prof. Minorsky - history of Iran "Bernard Lewis - history of Islam, Wittek - history of Turkey and Turkish culture, Visie-Fitzgerald - Indian law. MacGregor - Burmese Buddhist law, Farnivall - history of Burma, Hall - history of Burma, Lieutenant Colonel Hart - history of India, prof Toinbi - history of the Near East, Luce - ancient and medieval history and epigraphy of Burma The composition of lecturers shows a clear predominance of Indo-Burmese topics in the teaching system.

According to the school's reports, 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, which trained mainly translators. This was reflected in the scientific research printed materials of the school, among which linguistic works predominate, mainly of pedagogical and applied value. Of the few non-linguistic publications of a general nature, attention is drawn to the articles by Sir Richard Winstadt "Spiritual Trouble of Dependent Peoples", "Training of Colonial Civil Officials", "Anthropology for the Colonies" (all were published in The Quardian, Wiesey-Fitzgerald article " Training of sales representatives for Asia and Africa ", etc.

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