Afrika und Übersee

Afrika und Übersee, founded in 1910 by Carl Meinhof under the name Zeitschrift für Kolonialsprachen, is the oldest academic journal for African linguistics worldwide. It has been since one of the most important academic journals for the dissemination of research on African languages and their social and historical contexts. The journal publishes articles and special issues from a broad range of topics that cover various subfields of linguistics. Publishing primary linguistic data and analyses, and the promotion of young scientists and authors from Africa is of key interest in the tradition of Afrika und Übersee. Since 2021, Afrika und Übersee is published online as an Open Access journal by the Abteilung für Afrikanistik und Äthiopistik in the Asien-Afrika-Institut at Universität Hamburg.

We accept articles written in English, French, or German. Submissions undergo a double-blind peer review process.

Current Issue

Vol. 95 (2022)

Image Credit: Annalena Weber

Issue 95 of Afrika und Übersee combines five articles and two reviews: Shamsuddeen Bello delves into the analysis of Hausa praise epithets of the kirari genre, providing an in-depth descriptive study of setting, props and poetic elements of Saka Cira, a piece performed by the hunter-performer Ummaru Usman Malalo. A series of photographs by Sani Maikatanga supplements the article.

All other articles focus on phonology: Klaus Beyer and Janika Kunzmann trace labial-velar consonants in Mbum, Adamawa, in support of their reconstruction on Proto-Kebi-Benue level. Ekkehard Wolff traces the internal development of velar nasals and prenasalised obstruents in Chadic and demonstrates that there is no need for their reconstruction at Proto-Chadic level. Christopher Green discusses moraic mismatches in Somali phonology, and Elaine Scherrer provides a first descriptive outline of the phonology of Naba (Central Sudanic).

The volume closes with two reviews: Ludwig Gerhardt on an anthology on minority language research in Nigeria, edited by Roger Blench and Stuart McGill, and Gardy Stein on Ellen Hurst-Harosh’s sociolinguistic study of the South African “stylect” Tsotsitaal.

Published: 2023-03-24