ABSTRACT
Until recently, the true linguistic diversity of the JE40 languages has been kept hidden because many of the languages of this group have remained under-described. Bastin's (2003) chapter on Bantu J dealt with JE40 to some degree, but was largely limited to Gusii [JE42] and Kuria [JE43]. The main goal of this chapter is to complement Bastin's by providing a descriptive and comparative overview of six Tanzanian JE40 (Mara) languages. By examining the micro-variation and divergent phenomena within the Mara languages, we demonstrate that even closely related languages in geographical/historical proximity can be extraordinarily diverse, across a range of topics from phonology to discourse.
