User:Thomas Bearth

Vita Born 18 May, 1937 in Basel (Switzerland) as son of Peter Paul Bearth, prof. of geology, and Gertrud, born Burckhardt. Citizen of Sumvitg (GR) and Basel. 1956: Maturity A in Basel. 1963: Lic. phil., University of Basel : German and French language & litterature, History. 1963-4: Postgraduate grant : studies in general and African linguistics at Cologne University (HJ. Seiler, O. Köhler). April 1964: Marriage with Ilse, born Braun. – 2000. 1 child. June 1964-July 1965: Field research in Ivory Coast on Kru and Mande languages. Main focus on Tura.. 1967-71. PhD studies in General linguistics at the University of Geneva (dir. H. Frei). 1969-70: Linguistic survey in the Lake Chad area (SIL/University of Zaria) and in Togo. 1971: PhD defence of thesis: L’énoncé toura (Côte d’Ivoire). (SIL, Ann Arbor, 1971.) 1971-79: Linguistic consultant in Ivory Coast with Société Internationale de Linguistique (SIL), affiliated to Institut de Linguistique Appliquée, University of Abidjan. 1979-1982: Cours d’Introduction à la Linguistique (CIL) in cooperation with SIL and Sorbonne Nouvelle (Université de Paris III). (Initiation & direction.) 1986-1995: Translation consultant in the service of the Geneva Bible Society. 1988: Habilitation in General Linguistics at the University of Zurich. 1992-2004 : Development of African languages and linguistics curriculum up to MA level at the University of Zurich, Department of General Linguistics. 1996: Titulary professor for General and African Linguistics. 2004: Retirement from regular teaching. Research interests Syntax of natural language, discourse studies, pragmatics with special emphasis on information structure, tonology, lexicology; language as a factor of development; human language technologies in the teaching of African languages. Languages/areas of special interest: Eastern Mande (Tura, Dan), Kru (Wobe-Guere), Akan, Bantu: Swahili, Duala, Ugandan languages. Awards/honors • Commandeur de l’ordre national du mérite de Côte d’Ivoire (Dec. 2007) • Swiss transdisciplinary Award (Fondation Mercator) 2008: shortlisted (LAGSUS project) • 5e Prix CSRS/LODH pr la recherche scientifique en partenariat 2009 (with F. Adopo et J. Baya) Recent or current project directions LAGSUS: Language, Gender and Sustainability, a pluridisciplinary and comparative study of development communication in traditional societies, Volkswagen Foundation. 2003-2008. (Scientific coordinator; project admin. Ivory Coast). <www.lagsus.de> French-English glossary of linguistic terminology: http://www.sil.org/linguistics/glossary_fe/ (Editor) Lexicology of Eastern Mande languages in the context of Mande linguistic comparison. Swiss National Science Foundation. 2000-2008. (in coll. with V. Vydrine, St. Petersburg) ALI Swahili Update. Swahili e-learning. Stiftung für wissensch. Forschung, Univ. Zurich. 2009-2013. HIV/AIDS communication facing African multilingualism. SNSF-sponsored exploratory workshop, Nov. 2010, Univ. of Lausanne. <www.csrs.ch/atelierlausanne> Makerere University (Uganda). July 2011. Linguistic summer school (dir.). (Coop. UZH-Makerere). Pilot project CSRS-UNDP-2 no 11-13 (August 2012-January 2013). Linguistic mediation in agricultural innovation (with CNRA and other agricultural research partners, W. Ivory Coast.)