Areal Linguistic Features of Africa
Areal Linguistic Features of Africa (ALFA)
ALFA: Areal Linguistic Features of Africa
As part of a larger ALFA (Areal Linguistic Features of Africa) project, colleagues Florian Lionnet (Princeton), Matthew Faytak (Buffalo), and I created a database of vowel systems in Africa. This ALFA vowel database contains a total of 681 language varieties primarily in West and Central Africa, limited only by access and reliability of phonological descriptions. We coded both for phonemes as well as allophonic variants, with a focus on features pertinent to Advanced Tongue Root (ATR) harmony and interior vowels. This database is open for general use. To cite:
Rolle, Nicholas, Florian Lionnet, & Matthew Faytak. 2020. Areal patterns in the vowel systems of the Macro-Sudan Belt. Linguistic Typology, 24(1). 113-179. [doi] [draft] [supplemental materials]