History and the Testimony of Language

Title Page, Series Page, Copyright, Dedication

e publisher gratefully acknowledges the generous support of the Ahmanson Foundation Humanities Endowment Fund of the University of California Press Foundation, which was established by a major gi from the Ahmanson Foundation. e publisher also gratefully acknowledges the generous support of Charles and Mary Anne Cooper as members of the Literati Circle of the University of California Press Foundation. This page intentionally left blank History and the Testimony of Language THE CALiForniA WorLd HisTory LibrAry Edited by Edmund burke iii, Kenneth Pomeranz, and Patricia seed 1. e Unending Frontier: Environmental History of the Early Modern World, by John F. richards 2. Maps of Time: An Introduction to Big History, by david Christian 3. e Graves of Tarim: Genealogy and Mobility across the Indian Ocean, by Engseng Ho 4. Imperial Connections: India in the Indian Ocean Arena, 1860–1920, by omas r. Metcalf 5. Many Middle Passages: Forced Migration and the Making of the Modern World, edited by Emma Christopher, Cassandra Pybus, and Marcus rediker 6. Domesticating the World: African Consumerism and the Genealogies of Globalization, by Jeremy Prestholdt 7. Servants of the Dynasty: Palace Women in World History, edited by Anne Walthall 8. Island World: A History of Hawai‘i and the United States, by Gary y. okihiro 9. e Environment and World History, edited by Edmund burke iii and Kenneth Pomeranz 10. Pineapple Culture: A History of the Tropical and Temperate Zones, by Gary y. okihiro 11. e Pilgrim Art: Cultures of Porcelain in World History, by robert Finlay 12. e Quest for the Lost Nation: Writing History in Germany and Japan in the American Century, by sebastian Conrad; translated by Alan nothnagle 13. e Eastern Mediterranean and the Making of Global Radicalism, 1860–1914, by ilham Khuri-Makdisi 14. e Other West: Latin America from Invasion to Globalization, by Marcello Carmagnani 15. Mediterraneans: North Africa and Europe in an Age of Migration, c. 1800–1900, by Julia A. Clancy-smith 16. History and the Testimony of Language, by Christopher Ehret History and the Testimony of Language Christopher Ehret UnivErsiTy oF CALiForniA PrEss Berkeley Los Angeles London University of California Press, one of the most distinguished university presses in the United States, enriches lives around the world by advancing scholarship in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. Its activities are supported by the UC Press Foundation and by philanthropic contributions from individuals and institutions. For more information, visit www.ucpress.edu. University of California Press Berkeley and Los Angeles, California University of California Press, Ltd. London, England© 2011 by Christopher Ehret Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Ehret, Christopher. History and the testimony of language / Christopher Ehret. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. isbn 978-0-520-26204-1 (cloth : alk. paper) — isbn 978-0-520-26205-8 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. History—Methodology. 2. Language and history. 3. Social history. 4. Africa—History. I. Title. D16.135.E57 2011 907.2—dc22 2010001040 Manufactured in the United States of America 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 is book is printed on Cascades Enviro 100, a 100% post consumer waste, recycled, de-inked fiber. FSC recycled certified and processed chlorine free. It is acid free, Ecologo certified, and manufactured by BioGas energy. In memoriam Patricia Durousseau, Laura Fliegelman, Madoda Hlatshwayo, John Ochieng, and Gloria Waite, young scholars of history, taken from us before their time This page intentionally left blank ...