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Main Verb-Markers in Northern Gurage

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 January 2012

Robert Hetzron
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Extract

The Northern Gurage subgroup of Ethiopian Semitic consists of three languages, Soddo (also known as Aymälläl), Gogot (or Dobbi), and Muxǝr. Grouping these languages together is contrary to the general classification of Gurage hitherto adopted, which puts Soddo as the unique representative of Northern Gurage, and Masqan, Gogot and Muxǝr as a special branch of Western Gurage. We disagree with this classification, propose a new one with three Northern Gurage languages, and dissociate Mäsqan from Gogot by putting it as the easternmost representative of Western Gurage, the only one of its type. It is considered that the phenomenon to be dealt with—a common feature of Soddo, Gogot, and Muxǝr, and of these three only—is enough to justify this new classification, though there is other evidence.

Résumé

INDICATEURS DE VERBE PRINCIPAL EN GOURAGUÉ SEPTENTRIONAL

La catégorie d'indicateur de verbe principal apparaît dans la même forme dans trois langues gouragué: soddo (aymallal), gogot (dobbi) et muxǝr. Elles constituent ensemble le sous-groupe gouragué septentrional. Ces indicateurs se suffixent aux formes affirmatives de l'indicatif imparfait et parfait. Lorsqu'il y a des suffixes de complément attachés au verbe, les indicateurs se mettent après ces suffixes. Du point de vue de la distribution allomorphique, aussi bien que pour les suffixes de complément, nous devons distinguer entre une position ‘lourde’ (après voyelles longues historiques) et ‘légère’ (après consonnes et voyelles brèves historiques). Cette distribution est arbitraire d'un point de vue synchronique. Pour la position ‘légère’ nous pouvons reconstruire l'allomorphe *wt donnant -u et -t dans les trois langues modernes, et pour la position ‘lourde’ l'allomorphe *nt donnant -n en soddo et gogot, et -tt en muxǝr. Tous les deux allomorphes reconstruits avaient été des copules (attestées ailleurs encore maintenant). Les -t finaux sont des développements spéciaux en sémitique méridional (qui n'inclut pas l'arabe). Leur relation génétique avec les indicateurs d'indicatif de l'imparfait en arabe, notamment -u et -na, semble probable.

Type
Research Article
Information
Africa , Volume 38 , Issue 2 , April 1968 , pp. 156 - 172
Copyright
Copyright © International African Institute 1968

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