Description: Only recently discovered by linguistic scholars, Tondi Songway Kiini (TSK) is a tonal language spoken in the small country of Mali in western Africa. Unlike other Songhay languages, TSK preserves the lexical and grammatical tones of its proto-language and also exhibits unique systems for the expression of focalization and relativization. Tondi Songway Kiini is a valuable overview of the grammar of an African language with a tone system quite different from that of the more familiar Bantu system. It is also an irreplaceable guide to the grammar and meanings of this unusual African language.
Brief description: Jeffrey Heath is professor of linguistics at the University of Michigan.