Electronic Library of Scientific Literature



ASIAN AND AFRICAN STUDIES



Volume 8 / No. 1 / 1999

 

 


YOUNG ZHANG WENTIAN AND HIS "GOETHE'S FAUST"

Marián Gálik
Institute of Oriental and African Studies, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Klemensova 19, 813 64 Bratislava, Slovakia

The aim of this study is to show how the first extensive Chinese article on J.W. Goethe's Faust was written and to point out in this way the typical features of modern Chinese literary criticism in the age of transition between the old and modern treatment of literary problems.
Asian and African Studies, 8, 1999, 1, 3-16

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"KLEINE AUGEN" AUF GROßER FAHRT - ZUR STERNNAVIGATION IN RONGORONGO (TEIL II.)

Michael H. Dietrich
Stitzenburgstraße 17, D-70182 Stuttgart, Germany

"Little Eyes" on a Big Trip - Star Navigation as Rongorongo Inscriptions
An attempt is made here to prove that rongorongo does not reproduce coherent texts, creation chants, rituals, etc., as has been conjectured so far. All signs are symbols of stars and planets, quaters, winds, the moon, the guiding stars, etc.
The new endeavour to analyse the rongorongo signs is based on the accessible astronomical knowledge of Micronesia and Polynesia. The body of rongorongo signs consists of tropical descriptions of single stars, planets, zodiacal signs and other constellations. What has been registered are particular nights and, on the smaller tablets, general data on astronomical itineraries. The all in all about 12,000 rongorongo signs convey exclusively instructions for sidereal navigation within the Pacific.
This article deals with the signs which are supposed to represent the Pleiades (matariki) in rongorongo. More than half of all signs can only be understood through the astronomical knowledge of the New Zealand Maori. The present approach, then, provides the possibility to explain nearly all existing rongorongo signs, which hitherto was held to be an illusion.
This is the second part of the study; the last part will appear in the next issue.
Asian and African Studies, 8, 1999, 1, 17-50

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NOMINAL PHRASE IN MARQUESAN (A SURVEY)

Viktor Krupa
Institute of Oriental and African Studies, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Klemensova 19, 813 64 Bratislava, Slovakia

This paper is a description of nominal paticles in Marquesan. Most examples are quoted from Récits marquisiens collected by H. Lavondes. Problems of low phonetic redundancy and orthography are also discussed.
Asian and African Studies, 8, 1999, 1, 51-61

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ON THE CATEGORY OF ASPECTUALITY IN SLOVAK ROMANI

Anna Rácová
Institute of Oriental and African Studies, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Klemensova 19, 813 64 Bratislava, Slovakia

The category of aspectuality reflects a viewpoint of progression or of functionality of verbal action. From the viewpoint of aspectuality, the following features of the Slovak Romani verb are considered essential: duration of action, iterativity, intention, and specification (beginning, end, suddenness, completion, space specification, etc.) of verbal action. All of these features are expressed by different grammatical means, mainly suffixes.
Asian and African Studies, 8, 1999, 1, 62-66

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TURKISH MIMETIC WORD FORMATION

Shinji Ghaeyri Ido
The School of Asian Studies, The University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia

This paper attempts to find systematic correspondences among some Turkish mimetic words. Mimetic words semantically related to one another are examined. The examination reveals certain phonological correspondences among them. Alternations of particular sets of vowels and consonants as well as addition of certain `extenders' expressing subtle shades of meaning in Turkish mimesis are proposed.
Asian and African Studies, 8, 1999, 1, 67-73

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SOME ASPECTS OF RELATIVIZATION IN EGYPTIAN COLLOQUIAL ARABIC

Ladislav Drozdík
Institute of Oriental and African Studies, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Klemensova 19, 813 64 Bratislava, Slovakia

The study surveys main structural properties of the Egyptian Arabic relative clauses and examines some critical border-lines of their grammaticalness.
Asian and African Studies, 8, 1999, 1, 74-82

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SOME OBSERVATIONS ON NEW DEPARTURES IN MODERNIST INTERPRETATIONS OF ISLAM IN CONTEMPORARY TURKEY: FETHULLAH GÜLEN CEMAATI

Gabriel Pirický
Institute of Oriental and African Studies, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Klemensova 19, 813 64 Bratislava, Slovakia

This paper is an attempt to analyse the thoughts and activities of Fethullah Gülen, the leader of the Turkish religious order called after him the Fethullahciler. Within the modernist framework he offers an alternative to the rejectionist tendencies in Islam and provides an Islamically based rationale for religious, social and educational reform in Turkey. Also, through Gülen's personality the transformation of sufi religious orders into faith movements becomes more apparent. Whereas so called Islamic fundamentalism is normally used to prove that Islam and politics means almost the same, this article tries to uncover those modernist trends which claim that politicizing of Islam means an insult to religion.
Asian and African Studies, 8, 1999, 1, 83-90

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THE HISTORY AND CURRENT SITUATION OF CULTURAL HERITAGE CARE IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

Hasen Said
Dolnozemská 1, c.i. 909, 852 19 Bratislava, Slovakia

Information about the contribution of Sub-Saharan Africa to the diversity of world culture is either missing or very insignificant. The author found it vital to point out some facts regarding the history of cultural heritage care in Sub-Saharan Africa, to identify the current problems and propose some possible means to overcome the existing problems. After assessing the alarming situation how the number of representatives of cultural heritage personnel from Sub-Saharan Africa decreases at international conferences, symposia and congresses, the paper also tries to propose how to kill two birds by one stone, i.e. to establish one department/training centre for related subjects as Archaeology and Cultural Heritage care in Sub-Saharan African countries.
Asian and African Studies, 8, 1999, 1, 91-100

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A NEW WORLD LITERATURE SERIES IN WILD PEONY

Marián Gálik
Institute of Oriental and African Studies, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Klemensova 19, 813 64 Bratislava, Slovakia

The aim of this review article is to introduce to literary comparatists, especially those interested in Western and East Asian genetic-contact relations or typological affinities, the first two volumes, published recently (1997_1998) by the University of Sydney World Literature Series.
Asian and African Studies, 8, 1999, 1, 101-109

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BOOK REVIEWS

Asian and African Studies, 8, 1999, 1, 110-116

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