Papers, 1950s-1980s, of Professor David W Arnott on West African languages, comprising papers, including notes and questionnaires, from his study leave (1955-1956) spent travelling from Nigeria through Niger, Dahomey (Benin), Upper Volta (Burkina Faso), French Sudan (Mali), Senegal and Gambia to Guinea and Sierra Leone; copies (photocopied and photographic) of manuscripts; translations and transcriptions; transcriptions of language recordings; seminar and conference papers; teaching material; offprints of articles by Arnott; typescripts or corrected proofs of articles; and reviews of books by other authors. The papers relate largely to Nigeria but also to Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Gambia, Guinea, Mali, Niger and Senegal, relating mainly to Fulfulde, Fula and Fulani (language of the Fulani people of West Africa), and also to Tiv and to Hausa poetry and songs. The subjects include literature, including poetry (religious and non-religious), oral literature and folklore, proverbial lore, Islamic influences on African literary cultures, grammar, including morphology, verbal and nominal systems, nouns, vocabulary, and the distribution of dialects.

Printed broadsheet of the Proverbs of Poor Richard, or the Way to Wealth, by Benjamin Franklin; printed by T. Brice, in Musgrave Alley, High Street, Exeter.

A dictionary (Italian/English) of Italian proverbs rendered into English, by Benjamin Polsted. A-I only.

Papers, 1955-1957 and undated, of Jeremy Lawrance on Ugandan languages, comprising typescript on Teso proverbs and riddles [1950s], with letter from John Hilders, Soroti Teacher Training College (of the Mill Hill Mission), Uganda, 1955; typescripts by A W Henriksen, 1957, 'Notes on the Teso verb' and 'Notes on the Preposition in Ateso', produced by the Mill Hill Fathers, Tororo, Uganda; undated typescript on the conjugation of verbs by John Hilders, probably the Teso language [1950s]; undated typescript Akarimojong grammar by the Rev Father Farina of the Catholic Mission, Kaangole [1950s].

Papers of Albert Lancaster Lloyd, 1953-[1982], comprising materials relating to traditional folk music from around the world, especially Eastern Europe, notably newspaper cuttings, photographs, typescript notes, drafts of articles, diaries, notebooks, broadcast scripts and texts of lectures on subjects including:
English folk music, including erotic songs, ballads, carols, London songs, Morris dancers, North-East songs and poetry.
Romanian folk music, [1955-1973], including notes on subjects including costume, customs, instruments, proverbs, social life and topography, as well as a large number of photographs depicting native song and dance.
Hungarian folk music, [1946-1970s], including notes on subjects such as art, custom, dance, history and instruments.
Bulgarian folk music, [1954-1960s], including papers, correspondence and photographs on costume, dance, recorded music, and topography.
American folk music, [1949-1967], including materials on cowboys, blues and jazz, spirituals, work songs and vagrants.
Industrial song, [1950s-1970s], including miners, textile workers, political songs, and American work songs.
The collection also includes material on Chinese and Australian traditional music.

Papers, 1902-1933, of and concerning Solomon Tshekisho Plaatje, including biographical material, notes, correspondence and photographs.

Collected papers, c1810-c1899 (some undated), of the Rev William Ernest Taylor, including Swahili verses, proverbs, chronicles, stories, songs, hymns, religious texts, and vocabularies, and some of Taylor's own correspondence.