Turkish improvised lament songs, also known as 'Ağıt', have a rich history within Turkish oral poetry. All the way from complete improvisation during a funeral to full standardization within...Show moreTurkish improvised lament songs, also known as 'Ağıt', have a rich history within Turkish oral poetry. All the way from complete improvisation during a funeral to full standardization within popular music, Ağıt are found everywhere within Turkish culture. By using a musicolinguistic and semiotic approach this thesis uncovers the formal structures that lie beneath the improvised lament songs.Show less
This thesis describes the agreement patterns within the noun class system of Gĩchuka, an underdocumented Bantu language spoken in Kenya. The analyses in the thesis are based on data gathered in...Show moreThis thesis describes the agreement patterns within the noun class system of Gĩchuka, an underdocumented Bantu language spoken in Kenya. The analyses in the thesis are based on data gathered in Kenya with a native speaker of the language. The concepts of gender and noun class, in the languages of the world and in Bantu languages specifically, are explained. Then, an introduction to the language itself is given. Analyses are displayed systematically, supported by examples from the data. The thesis describes a big portion of the nominal domain and touches upon the verbal domain. The agreement morphemes that convey the noun classes are described, but also the parts of speech they attach to. Suggestions for further research are made, and finally a word list of the collected lexemes of Gĩchuka are listed.Show less
