Interrelationships Between Ethnomusicology and Linguistics, with Examples from the Wider Rift Valley Region

The talk will begin with an introduction to ethnomusicology and its intersections with anthropology/ethnology and linguistics. Specific examples of the latter will be drawn from the Sabaot and Sangu music systems which either border or sit within the Eastern Rift Valley, and there will be reference to the value of linguistic checking during a short visit to the Sandawe, as well as challenges of data collection. The place for determining emic elements of a music system will be considered in light of other approaches to music analysis, along with reflections on the importance of evaluating the stability and malleability of artistic forms of communication.