In celebration of the conclusion of the Bantu Syntax and Information Structure project, we organised a 2-day conference in Leiden on 8 and 9 June 2023 in hybrid (physical + online) format. It was a wonderful event with interesting research presentations and lots of old and new connections!
Below is the information on registration, the programme, the venue and practical information. For further questions, please contact the organisers via BaSISconference@hum.leidenuniv.nl.
The conference, like the project, is about the influence of information structure on Bantu morphosyntax, including the following questions:
- How is information structure expressed in Bantu languages?
- Where is information structure in the grammar?
- Formal analyses of Bantu syntax/information structure
- Field methods for the investigation of syntax and information structure
- The interaction between information structure and prosody
- Comparative aspects of information structure between Bantu and other languages
- The status (and revision?) of notions in information structure
Conference program
You can download the program here. Below you will find the program including links to the abstracts and slides/handouts.
Day 1: Thursday, 8th June
| 08.45 – 09.15 | Welcome tea/coffee |
| 09.15 – 09.30 | Introduction |
| 09.30 – 11.00 | Bantu word order between discourse and syntactic relations: slides Elisabeth J. Kerr, Allen Asiimwe, Patrick Kanampiu, Zhen Li, Ernest Nshemezimana, Jenneke van der Wal (BaSIS) IAV effects in Southern Bantu Hlumela Mkabile (UFS) & Kristina Riedel (UFS) Disjoint/conjoint alternation and the focus position in Xichangana Fábio Bonfim Duarte (PG-UFMG) & David Seth Langa (Universidade Eduardo Mondlane) |
| 11.00 – 11.30 | Break |
| 11.30 – 12.30 | Functional properties of the particle -o in eastern Bantu languages: slides Patrick Kanampiu, Allen Asiimwe, Amani Lusekelo, Ernest Nshemezimana, Jenneke van der Wal (BaSIS) Morphology and information structure in the comparative analysis of additive focus marking Hannah Gibson (University of Essex) & Lutz Marten (SOAS University of London) |
| 12.30 – 14.00 | Lunch |
| 14.00 – 15.30 | Focus fronting in all-new utterances: Syntax-information structure mismatching?: slides Paul Roger Bassong & Edmond Ossoko (University of Yaounde 1) No FAT and not a LOT: Verum focus in Nguni Jochen Zeller (University of KwaZulu-Natal) & Eva-Marie Bloom Ström (University of Gothenburg) The structure of clausal exclamatives in Kirundi: handout Willie Myers (McGill University) |
| 15.30 – 16.00 | Break |
| 16.00 – 17.30 | Predicate focus in embedded clauses in Kisubi: slides John Gluckman (University of Kansas) & Cyprian Vumilia (St. Augustine University of Tanzania) Predicate doubling and information structure in eastern Bantu languages: slides Amani Lusekelo, Allen Asiimwe, Patrick Kanampiu, Nelsa Nhantumbo, Ernest Nshemezimana, Jenneke van der Wal (BaSIS) Discussion |
| 19.00 – 22.00 | Conference Dinner |
Day 2: Friday, 9th June
| 08.45 – 09.00 | Welcome tea/coffee |
| 09.00 – 10.00 | Plenary: Information Structure as a Syntactic Property: handout Michael Diercks (Pomona College) |
| 10.00 – 11.00 | Information structure and syntax in Teke: slides Zhen Li (BaSIS) Expressing information structure in Laali Syntax: slides Robson Perrin Mberi Ngakala (Marien Ngouabi University) |
| 11.00 – 11.30 | Break |
| 11.30 – 12.30 | The (non-)influence of information structure on Tunen syntax: slides Elisabeth J. Kerr (BaSIS) Licensing of information structure in Kenyang Florence Tabe Oben (University of Yaounde I) |
| 12.30 – 14.00 | Lunch |
| 14.00 – 15.30 | From focus marker to default declarative marker: The unexpected evolution of the copula *nɩ in Kilimanjaro Bantu: slides Gérard Philippson (INALCO, DDL Lyon) & Rozenn Guérois (CNRS LLACAN) Kirundi focus-fronting and non-verbal predication Terrance Gatchalian (McGill University) Strategies for exhaustive focus marking in Hehe: slides Simon Msovela (University of Gothenburg) |
| 15.30 – 16.00 | Break |
| 16.00 – 17.30 | The applicative and the focalization of event location in Rundi (Bantu JD62): slides Manoah-Joël Misago† (deceased), Ernest Nshemezimana (University of Burundi), Koen Bostoen (Ghent University) & Sara Pacchiarotti (Ghent University) Two analyses of eastern Bantu reverse pseudoclefts: slides Ernest Nshemezimana, Allen Asiimwe, Patrick Kanampiu, Amani Lusekelo, Nelsa Nhantumbo, Jenneke van der Wal (BaSIS) Discussion & Closing |
| Drinks! |
Venue
The conference took place in one of Leiden University buildings:
- Lipsius (room 1.47) located at
Cleveringaplaats 1
2311 BD Leiden
Practical information regarding your visit to Leiden can be found here.
For further information, please contact Jenneke van der Wal at g.j.van.der.wal@hum.leidenuniv.nl.
Bantu Syntax and Information Structure 