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"Defaka is an endangered and divergent Nigerian language of uncertain classification. It is spoken in the Opobo–Nkoro LGA of Rivers State, in the Defaka or Afakani ward of Nkọrọ town and Ịwọma Nkọrọ. The low number of Defaka speakers, coupled with the fact that other languages dominate the region where Defaka is spoken, edges the language near extinction on a year-to-year basis. It is generally classified in an Ijoid branch of the Niger–Congo family. However, the Ijoid proposal is problematic. Blench (2012) notes that "Defaka has numerous external cognates and might be an isolate or independent branch of Niger–Congo which has come under Ịjọ influence."Roger Blench, Niger-Congo: an alternative view People Ethnically, the Defaka people are distinct from the Nkoroo, but they have assimilated to Nkoroo culture to such a degree that their language seems to be the only sign of a distinct Defaka identity. Use of the Defaka language however is quickly receding in favour of the language of the Nkoroo, an Ijaw language. Nowadays, most Defaka speakers are elderly people, and even among these, Defaka is rarely spoken the total number of Defaka speakers is at most 200 nowadays (SIL/Ethnologue 15th ed.). The decrease in use of Defaka is stronger in Nkoroo town than in the Iwoma area. Since the language communities between Defaka and Nkoroo are so intertwined, it is hard to determine which language influences the other. All children grow up speaking Nkoroo (an Ijo language) as a first language. The next most used language among the Defaka is Igbo, owing to the political influence of the Opobo since the days of the Oil Rivers Trade. Igbo has been a language of instruction in many schools in the region and still functions as a regional trade language. Classification The Defaka language shows many lexical similarities with Ijọ, some shared regular sound correspondences and some typological similarities with proto-Ịjọ. For example, both languages have a subject–object–verb basic word order, which is otherwise extremely rare in the Niger–Congo language family, being found only in the Mande and Dogon branches. * ebere ko̘ okuna ɓááma (the dog SUBJECT the fowl kill:PAST) The dog killed the fowl (Defaka) * obiri ɓé o̘ɓó̘kō̘ ɓé ɓám̄ (dog the fowl the kill:PAST) The dog killed the fowl (Ịjọ, Kalaɓarị dialect) Also, Defaka has a sex-gender system distinguishing between masculine, feminine, and neuter 3rd-person singular pronouns; this is once again a rarity among south-central Niger–Congo languages other than Ịjoid and Defaka. *á tóɓo 'her head' *o toɓo 'his head' *yé tóɓo 'its head' While some of the lexical and maybe typological similarities can be attributed to borrowing (as Defaka has been in close contact with Ijọ for more than 300 years), the sound correspondences point to a (somewhat distant) genealogical relationship. Phonology Nearly all Defaka are bilingual in Nkọrọọ, and the phonology appears to be the same as that language. =Tone= Defaka has two tones, and . On long vowels and diphthongs, as well as disyllabic words, and contours occur. In addition, there is a downstep that may appear between high tones, and which is the remnant of an elided low tone. However, Shryock et al. were not able to measure significant differences in the pitch traces of , , and –downstep–, all of which have a falling pitch, suggesting that there may be fewer distinctive word tones than the combinations of syllable tones would suggest. However, these all clearly contrast with level-pitched and rising-pitched . =Vowels= The Ijoid vowel harmony has collapsed in Defaka, as it has in Nkọrọọ. There are seven oral vowels, , though and are uncommon. There are five nasal vowels, . All may occur long. Long vowels are at least twice as long as short vowels. =Consonants= { class="IPA wikitable" border="1" - ! !! Labial !! Alveolar !! Postalveolar ~ palatal !! Velar !! Labial velar - ! Nasal m n (ŋ) (ŋ͡m) - ! Implosive ɓ - ! Plosive p b t d k ɡ k͡p ɡ͡b - ! Affricate d͡ʒ ~ z - ! Fricative f v s ~ ʃ - ! Lateral approximant l - ! Tap ~ central approximant ɾ ~ ɹ j w } Most voiceless obstruents are tenuis. However, has a slightly negative voice onset time. That is, voicing commences somewhat before the consonant is released, as in English "voiced" stops such as b. This is typical of labial-velar stops. , on the other hand, is fully voiced, as are the other voiced obstruents. Shryock et al. analyse the prenasalised stops as consonant clusters with . varies with , with some speakers using one, some the other, and some either, depending on the word. and may be nasalised before nasal vowels. The velar plosives & may be lenited to or between vowels. The tap is pronounced as an approximant, , by some speakers. It only occurs between vowels and at the ends of words. See also *Defaka word list (Wiktionary) References * Blench, Roger (2000, rev. 2003) 'Language Death in West Africa' (unpublished paper given at the Round Table on Language Endangerment, Bad Godesborg, February 12–17, 2000). * Jenewari, Charles E.W. (1983) 'Defaka, Ijo's Closest Linguistic Relative', in Dihoff, Ivan R. (ed.) Current Approaches to African Linguistics Vol 1, 85-111\. * Shryock, A., Ladefoged, P., & Williamson, K. (1996/97) 'The phonetic structures of Defaka', Journal of West African Languages, 26, 2, 3-27\. *Williamson, Kay. 1998. Defaka revisited. The multi-disciplinary approach to African history, edited by Nkparom C. Ejituwu, Chapter 9, 151-183. Port Harcourt: University of Port Harcourt Press. External links * Defaka at UNESCO * Defaka word lists and recordings at The UCLA Phonetics Lab. * Defaka targeted by a proposal to document endangered languages. * Defaka and Nkoroo a project to document Defaka and Nkoroo Category:Indigenous languages of Rivers State Category:Endangered languages of Africa Category:Ijoid languages Category:Languages of Nigeria "
"Kristian Smeds, 2009. Tomi Kristian Smeds (born 1 December 1970) is a Finnish playwright and theatre director.Smeds, Kristian in Uppslagsverket Finland (in Swedish). Kristian Smeds has worked in Finland, Estonia, Belgium and Lithuania. His plays are wild, energetic, and filled with many distinctive voices. They can be interpreted in many different ways, and can take full advantage of a wide variety of theatrical techniques. His language is rich and colorful, but at the same time natural. In Smeds world, the personal and the political are indistinguishable, and his work is characterized by a deep concern for human beings. In the autumn of 2007, he dramatized and directed an explosive production of Väinö Linnas "The Unknown Soldier" at the Finnish National Theatre. This re-interpretation of a cherished Finnish novel has been the most controversial theatrical event in Finland, provoking wide acclaim as well as fierce debate. Smeds stage version was a great success. During 2007-2009 it was performed 122 times with 73265 tickets sold. In 2007, Smeds established his own theatre group, Smeds Ensemble, which has partners around Europe. Smeds Ensemble had its first production, Mental Finland, premiered at the Royal Flemish Theatre (KVS) in February 2009. During the same year, the production toured in Finland, Lithuania, France and Austria. In 2011 Kristian Smeds dramatized and directed an adaptation of Paul Auster's novel Mr Vertigo at the Finnish National Theatre. Same year, Smeds got awarded with the XII Europe Theatre Prize for New Theatrical Realities as a first Scandinavian theatre director. References External links Smeds Ensemble – theatre group of Kristian Smeds * Mental Finland – production homepage * Cherry Orchard – production homepage Category:Finnish dramatists and playwrights Category:1970 births Category:Living people Category:People from Tornio "
"Stanisław Lanckoroński (c. 1597-1657) was a Polish–Lithuanian magnate as well as a politician and military commander. Stanisław became starost of Skała in 1641, castellan of Halicz in 1646, castellan of Kamieniec, voivode of Bracław Voivodeship and Grand Regimentarz of the Crown in 1649, voivode of Ruthenian Voivodeship in 1652, Field Crown Hetman from 1654 until February 19, 1657 and starost of Stobnice and Dymirsk. He was married to Anna Sienienska and had eight children: Hieronim Lanckoroński, Przecław Lanckoroński, Franciszek Stanislaw Lanckoroński, Jan Lanckoroński, Zbigniew of Brzezia, Mikołaj Lanckoroński, Marcin Lanckoroński and Joanna Lanckorońska. Category:Polish people of the Russo-Polish War (1654–1667) Category:Polish nobility Stanislaw (Hetman) Category:1590s births Category:1657 deaths Category:Members of the Sejm of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth Category:Polish people of the Polish–Muscovite War (1605–1618) Category:Polish military personnel of the Khmelnytsky Uprising Category:Field Crown Hetmans "