ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book includes studies on both competence and performance linguistics themes. It surveys the different methodologies that were employed to arrive at the classification of African language. The book explores the historical approaches employed in earlier description and classification of African languages, Bruce Connell and presents modern and contemporary fieldwork tools invaluable to the scientific documentation and description of unstudied or understudied languages of Africa. It focuses on grassroots fieldwork on tone and tonology, thereby giving prominence to this important but much neglected theme in the field. The book also explores the historical development of the study of African languages, showing contemporary scientific approaches as well as marking a change in the motivation and assumptions of fieldwork. It provides data that show significant facts about human language and a good discussion of the problems and prospects of language planning for development.
