Linguistic Fieldwork in Nilotic Languages

Fieldwork is an opportunity to study languages and cultures that may not exist in a few generations. Although fieldwork is often largely neglected, data collected and described by field linguists forms the basis of many linguistic theories. I will begin by exploring key questions regarding fieldwork: What is classed as fieldwork? What research do fieldworkers conduct? How do researchers escape eurocentrism? Secondly, I will present the suprasegmental and phonemic systems of Shilluk, which include phenomena largely absent in European languages. Finally, I will explore number marking by comparing the plural formation systems in Luo and Shilluk. This will highlight some of the remarkable linguistic phenomena that are currently being researched in Nilotic Linguistics.