Senior Researcher, Department of African Languages
PhD
Employed at the Institute since 1969.
Research interests
The lesser-known African languages, Bantu languages, Swahili, Taita, linguistic typology, nominal classes, morphology, syntax.
Ryabova graduated from the Institute of Oriental Languages (today the Institute of Asian and African Studies) at Moscow State University. PhD since 1973. PhD thesis "Analitičeskie glagol’nye konstrukcii v jazyke suaxili" [Analytical Verbal Constructions in Swahili]. Moscow. The Institute of Linguistics at the USSR Academy of Sciences, 1972.
At different points in time from 1969 to 1990, she was developing and teaching Swahili courses at the Military Institute of Foreign Languages, the Diplomatic Academy and the Moscow Institute of International Relations.
From 1993 to 2017, she was the Deputy Head of the postgraduate department of the Institute of Linguistics at the Russian Academy of Sciences.
Grants
All of the research below was founded by the Russian Science Foundation for Humanities.
- № 05-04-04149 "Foundations of African linguistics. The syntax of nominal and verbal groups" (2005-2007).
- №10-04-00269 "Diachronic processes and genetic relations of African languages" (2010-2012).
- №14-04-00488 "Linguistic contacts in Africa" (2014-2016).
Science Index
Selected publications
- Jazyk dabida [The Taita language]. Мoscow. URRS, 2000.
- Čislitel’nye bantu v uslovijax mnogostoronnix jazykovyx kontaktov [Bantu numerals under the circumstances of multilateral linguistics contacts] // Osnovy afrikanskogo jazykoznanija. Jazykovye kontakty v Afrike. [Basics of African linguistics. Language contacts in Africa.] Moscow. 2018. Pp. 201-220.
- O vyraženii količestvennyx značenij v jazykax bantu [On the expression of amounts in Bantu languages]. // Osnovy afrikanskogo jazykoznanija. Diaxroničeskie processy i genetičeskie otnošenija jazykov Afriki. [Basics of African linguistics. Diachronic processes and genetic relations in African languages]. Moscow 2014. Pp. 202-310.
- Sintaksičeskie svojstva ukazatel’nyx mestoimenij v jazyke dabida [Syntactic properties of demonstrative pronouns in the Taita language]. // Osnovy afrikanskogo jazykoznanija. Sintaksis imennyx i glagol’nyx grupp. [Basics of African linguistics. The syntax of nominal and verbal groups]. Moscow 2010. Pp. 173-210.
- Morfologija glagola v jazyke dabida [Morphology of the verb in the Taita language]. // Osnovy afrikanskogo jazykoznanija [Basics of African linguistics]. Glagol. Moscow. 2003.
- Funkcional’no-kommunikativnyj status jazyka suaxili v stranax Vostočnoj Afriki [Functional-communicative status of the Swahili language in East African countries]. // Formirovanie i funkcionirovanie jazykov mežètničeskogo občšenija v Afrike. [Formation and functioning of the languages of inter-ethnic communication on Africa]. Moscow. 1985.
- Imennye klassy v jazyke dabida [Nominal classes in the Taita language]. // Imennye klassy v jazykax Afriki [Nominal classes in African languages]. Moscow. 1987.
- Različija v funkcional’nom členenii suaxili v Kenii i Tanzanii [Differences in the functional division of Swahili in Kenya and Tanzania]. // Funkcional’naja stratifikacija jazyka [Functional stratification of language]. Moscow. 1985.
- Skazki dabida. Slovar’. Očerk fonologii i morfologii jazyka dabida [Taita fairy tales. A dictionary. An essay on Taita phonology and morphology]. // Afrikanskaja skazka. Materialy k izučeniju jazyka afrikanskogo fol’klora. [The African fairy tale. Materials for studying the language of African folklore]. Moscow. 1984.
- Jazyki Afriki [The languages of Africa]. // Jazyki i dialekty mira. [Languages and dialects of the world]. Moscow. 1982.
- Jazyk suaxili v Tanzanii – specifičeskij tip naddialektnosti [Swahili in Tanzania: The specific type of superdialect]. // Tipy naddialektnyx form jazyka. [Types of superdialectal forms of language]. Moscow. 1981.
- Jazykovaja situacija v Vostočnoj i Èkvatorial’noj Afrike [Language situation in Eastern and Equatorial Africa] // Jazykovaja situacija v stranax Afriki. [Language situation in African countries]. Moscow. 1975.
- Jazyk suaxili – varianty i dialekty [The Swahili language: Variants and dialects]. // Jazykovaja situacija v stranax Afriki [Language situation in African countries]. Moscow. 1975.
- Nekotorye problemy jazykovogo planirovanija v stranax Vostočnoj Afriki [Questions of language planning in East African countries]. // Jazykovaja politika v afro-aziatskix stranax. [Language policies in African and Asian countries.] Moscow. 1977.
- O jazykovoj politike v Tanzanii [On language policies in Tanzania]. // Problemy jazykovoj politiki v stranax Tropičeskoj Afriki [Problems of language policies in Tropical African countries], Moscow. 1977.
- O nekotoryx osobennostjax glagol’nogo analitizma v jazyke suaxili [On certain peculiarities of verbal analytism in Swahili]. // Tipologija glagola v afrikanskix jazykax [Typology of the verb in African languages]. Moscow. 1972.
Selected articles in English
- (with Nadezhda Makeeva). Noun Classes and Agreement in Dawida // Language Matters, 53:2, 2022. P. 37-67. DOI: 10.1080/10228195.2022.2069846
- (with Nadezhda Makeeva) “infinitive” class 15 in Dabida // Language in Africa 1(4), 2020. P. 183-198.
- (with Nadezhda Makeeva) Assimilation in Dabida // Language in Africa 1(2), 2020. P. 4-29.
- (with Viktor Porkhomovsky and Ph. Cassuto) The names of God in Swahili and Zulu versions of the Old Testament // Swahili Forum, 27, 2020, P. 82-98.
- Demonstrative pronouns in the Dabida Language // WOCAL 6 – The World Congress on African Linguistics. Cologne, 2009.
- Ways of expressing the attribute in the Dabida Language // 39th Annual Conference on African Linguistics / University of Georgia USA, 2008.
- Vowel harmony in the Dabida language // Bantu Languages: Analysis, Description And Theory. International conference. Gothenburg, 2007.