Emeritus Professor Norbert Cyffer, a prominent figure in studying African languages, particularly Kanuri, has passed away. With nearly ten million speakers across Nigeria and neighboring countries, Kanuri had been an under-researched language until Cyffer dedicated over four decades to its study. His work not only documented grammar and usage but also highlighted the language's cultural significance. Cyffer's contributions include creating the first Standard Kanuri Orthography, which continues to guide its written form, and recording language and music in Kanuri-speaking communities, raising awareness of the need for more research on African languages in academia.
Norbert Cyffer dedicated over 40 years to studying the Kanuri language, highlighting its vast number of speakers and underscoring the academic neglect faced by African languages.
Despite Kanuri having a comparable number of speakers to Finnish, it remains largely overlooked in academic research, a fact Cyffer passionately challenged during his lifelong studies.
Collection
[
|
...
]