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^-
INITIA An
AMHARICA
Introduction to spoken Amharic
CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS WAREHOUSE, C. F.
ILonion:
CLAY, Manager.
FETTER LANE,
so,
Hciviia: l^eta
Bombag
gotk:
anl) Calculta:
E.G.
WELLINGTON STREET.
F. A.
G. P.
BROCKHAUS. PUTNAM'S SONS.
MACMILLAN AND
[A/i Rights reserved.
"l
CO., Ltd.
AA {i^lx^
INITIA AMHARICA An
Introduction to spoken Amharic
BY C.
H.
ARMBRUSTER, Sudan
late of
H.M.
M.A.
Civil Service;
Administration, British Central Africa;
sometime Minor Scholar of King's College, Cambridge.
Part
I
GRAMMAR
Cambridge at
:
the University Press
1908
eMoi Ae HApA
nANTA TON AofON YTTOKeeTAI
yn' eKACTooN ako^
OTI
TA AGfOMeNA
rp^cpcx).
Herod,
ii.
123.
To a Frie?id
PREFACE. rriHE words and
phrases in this work have been taken down from the mouth of natives \ As
-L
many
as possible of the phrases are such as have
been said spontaneously,
The
of cross-examination.
members
are not the products
i.e.
Abyssinian,
like
other
of partially civilised peoples, or uneducated
individuals of
hi
races, does not always
speak naturally when (juestioned by a stranger. If he has had no education of any kind he experiences the same difficulty in answering en(iuiries concerning the language he unreflectingly uses as would, circumstances, an uncultured European.
in similar
Those, on the other hand,
who have any smattering
of learning tend to supply one with
may
which
or
may
'
fine
language
not be idiomatic, instead of the
ordinary conversational expressions current themselves.
'\ '
In any case
of course incompatible
it is
with the position of the white
among
man
that natives should
address him in the style in which they address one another.
what ^
I
I
have, therefore, paid
more attention
to
have heard natives say to each other than to
While the language of
all sorts
and conditions of men, from
wherever they come, has been noted,
it
is
hardly necessary to
say that care has been taken to avoid as informants individuals
speaking Tigrmna, Agadnfia, Gallinna, Arabic,
Amharic only as an acquired tongue. - cp. the so-called ^J^ Lgijt and
t^^**-*-
etc.,
and knowing
Preface.
viii
what they have said to me, and have not excluded words or modes of expression on account of their so-called vulgarity^
:
the object in view being to give
some description not so much of what, in the opinion of learned Europeans and natives, Abyssinians ought to say as of what in point of fact they do say. In dealing with a spoken language
have not
I
hesitated to use colloquial English.
Those who wish to pursue their acquaintance with Amharic beyond this Introduction I would refer to the writings of Guidi, my indebtedness to which I In his magdesire to acknowledge most gratefully. nificent Vocabolario a work indispensable to serious '
'
'
',
students of the language, there
is
a brief bibliography
of Amharic and kindred subjects.
In the few cases where
I
have differed from Guidi
regard to the meaning of words ^
in
has been
it
with diffidence, and only after repeated verification. Differences as regards form are of as I have
occurrence,
more frequent
concerned myself with the
spoken rather than the written word.
The publication of
this series has
been rendered
possible by the financial assistance of the Egyptian
Government, as advised by Lord Cromer, and by the liberal attitude of the Syndics of the Pitt Press.
Quot homines,
^
[).
201 >i'>^T'
vulgaire
'
:
'
:
yet
I
tot sententiae
lieard this useful
Dejjazmach Gassasa, a 2
I
man
In cases like ?iH,^
(Vocab.
p.
487)
find in use.
:
e.g.
Mondon-Vidailhet, Gram.
Cette facoii de parler passe aujourd'hui pour
may be
or
word employed repeatedly by
of great courtesy and refinement.
XH^ = there,
Guidi's
the original meaning
:
I
'quello L\'
give the one
Preface. I wish to express
my
cordial thanks, for valuable
information supplied and for assistance rendered in
many
ways, to Maj.-Gen. Sir F. Reginald Wingate,
K.C.B.
etc..
Sirdar and Governor-General, Lt.-Col. E.B.
W.
May, Capt. R. C. R. Owen, C.M.G., A. L. Butler, Esq. and J. Grieve, Esq., of the Sudan Government: to Lt.-Col. Lord Edward Cecil, D.S.O. and Capt. the Hon. C. James, of the Egyptian Government: to Capt. R. B. Black, Capt. C. Garvice, D.S.O. and El Mulazim Awwal Mustafa Effendi Izzeddin, of the Egyptian Army: to H. Farnall, Esq., C.B. etc., of the Caisse de la Dette, to F. B. Wynch, Esq., of the National Bank of Egypt, to W. B. Heard, Esq., late H.M. Vice-Consul at Addis Abeba, to Dr E. A.Wallis Budge, of the British Museum, and to Prof F. C. Burkitt, Dr M. R. James, George Wherry, Esq., M.A. etc., R. T. Wright, Esq., M.A., A. R. Waller, Esq., M.A. and J. Clay, Esq., M.A., of Cambridge: ?i'}*7^U Ae
U
hi,
h
If
A
la o
A-
lu
A.
li
A
la
A.
l^e
A
li,
1
A- V'o
rh
ha
rh-
hu
rh«
h1
'h
ha
rh.
h>e
rh
hi,
h
rh
!
'
o
9° mi, o'
m T
si,
s
I
ao i*»
(i
ma
ao*
o
mii '^ mil*^
ma
'^ m>e I
sa o
M*- sii
ra o
iiiiiau,
htC^
:
he refused to give §
36,
§
me 42)
allii,
there
is
beggar,
a beggar
last rad.
7
dgiii, find,
::
ti^'ia*^ h.*!"^
me
he gave me,
some parts of verbs with
hl'^
us
lammdniioc, beggars,
.
A*^'*/
in
me, to
ffive
lammau, a beggar,
:
t^a^'f^-'i'
(iii)
suft! (§ 12c)
hii K alsatjinn dla,
:
he refused to
dla,
alsatt'iiiiiim,
standing for A*^'^
us,
alsattanu
::
sattiin,
r.
t\fiifiiiy^9" a
(ii)
he gave
the pers.
(i)
tell us,
yilunnal, they will tell us,
S^fk'^fi\.
-fi,
12c) us, to us:
alun, they told us,
I',
Y\fit^'i9'*
-'•^
(§
pox;
::
find him,
dgiiiii dliiii,
he told
me
to find
words
kiiff*iii,
small-pox,
h^F'ti9°
::
kiiff'iiifi
aidallam,
it is
not small-
:
:
:
:
Amharic Grammar.
16
-T
[§
in certain words
-t
aoa\*?
t
matat, sometbinar to drink,
aoav'?
:
hti
drink
§
matatt
::
36,
allii
?,
is
there something to
?
standing for
(i)
-i,
-je,
6
§
-A.
-li
(§
1h) of the part.
31,
when nothing
or doubled
42), is single
(§
follows or before a consonant, doubled before a vowel: •I'je.
:
qSi or qayy
+J&
:
^fl>-
+^
red
(part, of
qai (qayy) nau,
::
it is
+A
qalla),
red,
qayyu (§11) the red one,
:
?»/Z,^A9"
*I»/S. :
(ii)
(§ 3),
::
qayy aidallam,
it is
not red
;
in parts of verbs with last rad. f is usually single
when nothing
follows or before a consonant,
doubled before a vowel: jili/J.
::
^*fe^
:
/J.'fef
^
yiqwwi, let
Vnc ::
>i'l'*fej&
:
::
him
yiqwwi nabbar, he was waiting,
yiqwwjrj iin, let K/V-^
wait,
::
him wait
for me,
me
not
(sayi
+ /i)
attiqww'yy dluii, they told
to wait.
The
inter, suff
-h -a and -at^ or
-o/Z.
when they
double certain consonants -wi) (wwi, -wdi O' O oo
*'
\
are attached to them
-A
-1,
of the aux.
/ifl^^A
j&n^A
::
::
yiyaqal,
yiyaqalla
jiflj^A^JR
-9"
-m
(as
-KA
::
-al (§
it is ?,
32)
enough,
^flj^Afflje, «
yiyaqallwi
?,
is it
yiyaqallwwi
enough ?
above)
hf^R'M)^"
::
hjf^F-fiVP^
aidallJihim, ::
you are not
(§
40),
aidallidiimmwi ?, are you not ?
?,
:
§
;;
:
Phonology.
6] -'•f
17
certain words
-c in
dinnic, potato,
J^^^
:
JE^"}^
::
dinnicca
The w of -wai oo ao^at^
t -n
::
potato
?,
?
doubled after a vowel
(-wa>i, -wi) is O
\
O'
mattawwf ?, has he come ?
::
words
in certain
consonant
is
single
when nothing or a doubled before a
follows, single or
vowel
man?, who?
'I'i
(§15),
man yauqal who knows ? man (nn) dliih who told you ?
*^'>
:
fah^fi\.
^Tr
:
htiV
::
::
?,
?,
mindin?, what?
y"'>j^-'>
J^^J^*} ^'
:
9^1^''} •^
:
iwi'n
::
15),
(§
matta?, what niindiu o o o •
•
htn*m
::
came?
amatta what did he miudinu ?, o o o •
•
'
bring ? -^ -n in S^Vi yihan (ace;
§
8;
§
13a)
single or
is
double in any position:
^Vi dyM hr*m :
:
yihan (nn) faras anta
K
(§ 7r^),
bring this horse, |MJ'>
:
h9"m
::
yihan (nn)
linta,
bring
this.
In analogy with the above variations the
11
of
becomes 1 when the -9^ is dropped, unless a vowel follows, and -^ -fin in parts of verbs with last rad. 7 is pronounced single Ai^A^AJ^ aidallam (da-
^*7
:
h^^-AJT"
^19^
:
^JR,^•A
::
::
y^F-^ YiTr^Vi :
§
7r/; §
dagg aidallam, and
daggimm .-
didal,
he
is
yaidiill indah'^on, if
biggaii for biggaiin 11*1^ AM. GB,
40)
i
if
he
is
not good
he
is
not
found. 2
:
:
;
:
Amharic Grammar.
18
The doubled
-A
final
[§
6
-11
*
-qq
-h
-kk
-T
-tt
-*?• -cc
of adv. and
with
h^
ala
more than one usually become
of
interj.
VflA)
(s.v.
syllable constr.
single before a
consonant 'flA^P'A'^
:
h^
'nA*P'A'^
:
ftAA
'flA^P'A'^
:
/I.A
biliclicc ala, it lightened,
:
biliclic vilal, it is lightening,
::
:
biliclic
h(D- a
nau, there
lil
is
going to be lightning. -qq, -kk are ft4*4»
:
sometimes retained before y
JiAA
::
siqiqq
yilal, it
J&AA K saksakk rattling sound
?fh?fVl
:
grates,
yilal,
makes a
it
slight
and sometimes before any consonant j^'flA4»A4»
:
hii
::
divliqliqq dla,
it
was in great
confusion, j?:'nA4'A4»
:
JiAA
;:
divliqliqq
(§
8)
yilal,
is
it
in
great confusion, j?:'flA4'A4*
:
rt,A
:
diyliqlfqqi
(§
7d)
sil,
when
it
is
in great confusion.
When final
such words are not constr. with hii their consonant may be single, and remain so before
a vowel: jt'flA4'A4» diyliqliq, in great confusion, j?:'nA4»A4»
:
h^F'^9^
::
in great confusion.
divliqliq aidalliim,
it
is
not
;
:
§
Phonology.
7a]
Monosyllabic adv. and
in
A
;
;
19
and those ending consonants other than the above usually keep a
doubled H(D*
consonant always doubled:
final At
:
A
zauw
::
(UA
r/fl>- 1
interj.
(§
zauwi
:
he entered unexpectedly,
3) dla,
he
if
vil,
(S "Jd)
un-
enters
expectedly; 'i&J^
:
hA
^&J^
:
f *TLA
g" (')fafF dla, he was very stout,
::
:
dfXh
:
g""^
ofaff yammfl sau, a very stout
man. Crasis or Contraction of Adjacent Voiveh.
When
§
the formation of words, grammatical in-
flexion, or the application of
other prefixes or sufiixes
involves the meeting of certain vowels, the following
contractions and modifications occur giiz
a(a) giiz
a(a) fffiz
a(a) rdvi
a
+ + + +
gfiz
a
(§
=
46)
rdyi,
=a
rayi
=
rdyi,
a
=
a
+ sddis = + i =
"rSz,
offiz
=
rdvi,
a
=
a
+ +
^A
e.g.
for ffl/wi'T*
e.g.
for e.s:.
yii-
e.or.
+ hii
exists,
dlla
bdmat, by the year,
fl-
ba- +*>/w>'> amat;
f CA« varsiT, of him, his, for f -
a(ji)
which
yalla,
yii-
fc<w»'')A,
+ ?»CA-
frsii
vimatal, he
is
f^tm^ yimata
ing, for
com-
+ -^i
-al(§32); rdvi
a
+ +
ravi
=
rdvi
a
=
a
e.a:.
^;^^fl^ g^etdccau, their master,
for
-accau
1^
(§
gJ'eta
+
-dl^iD-
126)
2—2
7a
:
:
; ;
.
Amharic Grammar.
20
= =
gTiz
i
+ +
sddis
+
sadis
i
-f
i
sddis
a
= =
So
rdyi,
sadis,
ftrh.j^
e.g.
for
i
o
+ y= + ya = i(i § 7r?) + ya
i
e.g.
ft- sio
= =
+ R -f
i
yi
^
when
I go,
-f ?irh.J?: '^ ihad o
'
syam), when he brings, for
7d)
(i §
shall I
?,
+^9"^anta;
sihad,
+ ^ao^ yamata
e.g. ft.«w»^
salis,
7d)
7a
fL^aom siyamata (siam-,
ft- si-
sadis
(§
bring?,for A-li-
a
^i sdlis +
sadis
[§
Mnta
fi9^m
e.g.
.
simata (sim), when
he comes, for
ft- si-
4- J&<w»«l
yiniata. o o
*>
may
f
+
salis 1
-f
arise
= a =
gjiz
from
salis
+ ^,
sadis
e.g.
(the con-
sonant)
•
-f ya
^A4'?"^A7I tilaqmyallas,
you (f are picking, for ^A^**^ tilaqmi htiti alias )
-I-
°° (§32a).
mav
f
hamis + yg
-h
arise
= =
gfiz
a
from hdmis
sadis -h^-, (the con-
sonant)
hamis + e
^
-1-
rdyi
=
sadis
a
=
(the con-
sonant) ^
This
is
phonology -
in
§
+ ya
;
-I-
-I-
e.g.
A^'J^^Aih laqimmyallau^
have picked, for A4**^ laqimm> e -H ^Ai> al(§ 7f?),
I
l^b
32«)
(§
^-, e.g. flC^'f fl>-
ya
bull, for
^
baryaccau, their
fl<J.
bar> e
+ a^fl>-
-dccau.
a point of orthography rather than of the common pronunciation is syam-
one of the resultants absorbing ^ e.g. /*J&^^Aih
If the consonant in sadis is o
7b
it
may become
aiccyallau'*
h e.%'
jucc' e
rdyi,
or ^l^^Al^ aiccallau^',
+ ^Al^
allau'^.
:
I
have seen, for
:
§
Phonology.
7&] ID
may *l
21
arise fi^om kdiv or sdvi: o* o •
kaiy
+
rdyi
=
sadis
u
+
a
=
(the con-
sonant)
+ gfiz = ^o + a =
sdyi
sonant)
+ 'P,
-f-
sddis
wa
+ 'P,
(the con-I-
wa (6a)
(=
e.g. rtrju^flH
rtT^Pif^flJ- §
46)
sattwdccau, they gave them, for rtm- sattii e.g.
+ -a ^flH -dccau
A4»^A(=
laqmoal,
A4»9", I arave,
allau^, allau^ for allahu ^lAl^, I
hh'^ltKih ilaqmallau'\
I
am
am
present,
picking,
hf^lih addaguh, I was brought up.
This ending
is
also written
-"^^
hwii,
which be-
comes -uh and by a similar displacement hwa becomes uha: ;
bauhdla for bahwdla AAA,
after.
A
:
§
7d]
:
Phonology/. in the pron. suff. (§12
(ii)
;
:
-a^l^
25)
(§
ft,
c)
27
and 2nd
-ac(c)yuh, for
pi.
-dc(c)ihu
ending (see
at
other than the aux. -hA
-al
below)
^%7^^l^ agardc(c)yuh, your
(pi.)
A+*^'f i> laqqamdc(c)yuh, you
But before a
suff.
country,
(pi.)
picked.
(§32, §12c) this displacement does not occur:
A4»'^^AA laqmac(c)yuhal
for laqmdc(c)ihwal,
you
have picked,
(pi.)
but A+'^^l^•'^ laqqam5,c(c)ihut \ you
sammahuh,
A*^i>0
iimih^ sattahut,
I
PAiM'" yallahum, I
I
(pi.)
picked
it,
heard you,
gave him,
am
not present,
f^lihd^' yaddaghubbat, in which
I
was brought
up.
A
similar displacement occurs in dur-^e for
lugdm
and
arw>e hC*S, beast,
for
cp.
hgwdm
ma" wq
A^/", bridle,
(m^'' wq) twat^ for maq'^o (m>'eq''o)
'^*, oribi,
wsao i'h-A, scorch, twkkosao for takk'' o '
dkkul for ofkkul ^YhA, half sdlis,
T
:
fLao"}
often
i,
especially
when not accented
when he comes or simata, sTmata o o o •
•
sometimes when accented Auf^ hid, go. occasionally -dc(c)iihut.
:
; :
:
;
:
Amharic Grammar.
28
For
before -^ -ya see
salis
§
la
it
:
[§ *ld
is
pronounced
+ ya
as sadis
e: o
-ryii,
a,
a in
lela,
duf!^
it is
a tool,
most noticeable when
is
accented, and in e in A»A
tool,
massaryd nau,
::
^
when
-
Initial
o
o
'
(his)
leopard
seems,
'
bimas(!)lau, if
it
seems to him.
disappears after a preceding vowel
i
Tiflhn.U iskazzih, as far as this, o
'
'
<w»/n-
TifihM.U
:
mattu skazzih, they came as far
;:
as this.
ooo
In words beffinninff ~ O with in-, in-, im- the omitted, the n, n or forming a syllable by
m
:
ooo
hh fmbi
dla or n'lbio dla, o
but after a consonant the Ag*^
:
o
often
itself^
rikwan, indeed,
tx'iXK'i ?ilP'fl.
is
i
JiJ^fl.
:
ht\. a
li
i
f
O" o
i
o
is
mbio
he refused
heard: ala, o
the child refused.
on the other hand, vocalised in a word ending
without a vowel, sddis o slightly
consonants or in one doubled ^
as in
Bantu
;
(§
riitu (^v>), etc.
6)
is
often
in two consonant
:
;;
;
;
:
;:
Amharic Grammar.
30
when
[§
consonant, especially an enclitic
i,
119^"}^
Sim mint, eight,
ft?°7^
:
"flC
:
simminti
Ohff:
wudd, expensive,
- wi.
see
li
above
;
§ 3.
wii (see sddis above), ^u,
becomes u
after a,
and forms diphthongs with them, in becoming yu: it,
a, e,
fl^^
wi'ta o
Y\ai*"\
H
:
z is
i
and
.
iluta,
come
wiita,' •
out,
take out.
sometimes
s
before h
(x, k,
see
I/)
yash for yazh ^11 U, you took, yasx for yazx
^'H'fi,
= ^TU
yask for yazk ^'Mh, = ^TiU AM. GR.
3
:
:
:
;
Amharic Gh^ammar.
34
[§
sometimes assimilated to following yass for yazs ^'HTl, you (f ) took. Tf
%
see
:
interchange with
f
and
for y
:
i
see
z^^e
zi,
:
does not
7h)
(§
j.
^ 3.
yi following
Ji
from
z arising
;
s
7d
a,
a,
a becomes
co,
and forms
i
diphthongs with them:
him
yihun, let
j&ihT-
him not be
h^ihTf aihun, let initial J&- yi-
be,
may do
this with the final vowel of
the preceding word ^'^'i'
:
dahnaidaru
/i^4- s
many
In the mouth of
vowels tends to become
i,
!,
good-night
!
(poL).
individuals yy between
and
i
to
become
^
or dis-
appear altogether: ^ft;^^A:: yastdyyal, yastaial, he lets (something)
be seen,
0^
ha^^a,
h^A'h?"
haa ;:
(S.),
aialfim, a>alfim, adl-,
Similarly initial y \l4*9°
s
fA
twenty,
;:
becomes
kffumm
he
will
not pass.
^
yalla,
there
-mm^^all-,
isn't
any bad.
^ d :
before other consonants often becomes r
qarm^o
for
qadm^o
liharnafi for lihad
harku for liadku
*l*J^*r*,
formerly,
nan Arh.Jt V^ :
::
I
am
going,
rh.j^Vh I went,
wwssarku for wwssadku
(Drtj^Vh, I
removed,
h^^ClOh tidrigau becomes drgau, do
it.
:
:
:
:
;
;
Phonology.
§ 8]
%
initial j
:
jS'*?^
interchanges with z in
0o%aod^ majammarya sometimes when
from
with
continues
final
di,
:
d>e
be begun,
taza-),
{aolT- maza),
A^f (§
Ih)
liz,
beginning
for Aj^-
lij,
child,
does not interchange
z.
sometimes almost yy before
:
it
(Tf- za-), begin,
tajammara ('Mf-
arising
verb
derivatives
its
jammara
•f'^ao^
Ok
S.
this variation occurs in a
throughout
j
35
jfgra or 3^7^- zigra, guinea-fowl
when j^#n>
:
t
afwayy toal for afwdctoal hi^^'X^, he has whistled. X,
s is t
:
'm.
tafa,
out of G.
and
axtUf^ i^\^^i,
safa (G.
J\-
:
nau maca o o
;:
^Tfi
tinnis, small,
'IhTfi
;
'i"'ll' ::
Id)
nau\
when
is it
(§
?,
tinnis nat, she
(it) is
<w»Aln'l*''f
malaktanna, messenger,
<w»Ah'^?
:
*i\}
::
malaktiinnd nah
h9°fi amsa,
fifty,
K9"A
amsd
-flC
:
?iVhA tikkul ?iVh
A +7 :
:
pleasant
?
small
?,
senger ?
:
it is
when ?
?,
o
malilfyd
::
yirr, fifty
(§ 7(?),
half,
iikkiil
qan,
^
dollars
noon
Cp. KpeiTTOV
eCTTLV.
are you a mes-
;
;
;:
:
;:
'
;
;
Amharic Grammar.
40
M't
[§
8
dnta, you,
M-lr Ajf
anta
;:
i
(§
Id)
li j
!,
you there
!
(calling a
boy) "h^ fqa, goods,
h^
:
n.'>
TJH'fl
:
iqd yyet, store
:
JiHU
•7Hfl>'
:
::
money and buy I^H-fl
;
j&HU
^i"
:
ganzav yfzah gfzau, take some
it,
ganzav yizah na, bring some
::
money
^VhA ^VbA :
:
flA
cikkul cikkul
;:
yal,
make
great
haste.
The accent from an i
or u (see above),
e.g.
enclitic
the article
the preceding syllable, or the
formed by the ao'i'lfi'
first
-(D*
-u
(§
11),
final
but on
vowel of a diphthong
article
mano^adu, the road,
dao'ilH'lfl;^fl^
does not rest on
A^ bamangadu
s
:
lai,
on the road
o^avatau, the table,
•fld^oh H*C :
::
tasfavatau zur, ^o
round the
table.
Certain suffixes bring the accent to the vowel
immediately preceding them e.g.
the emphatic J&U
suff!
-ah -u
yihe, this,
^OtD* yihau, this very one
hH,U
kazzih, here,
hlti>'
kazzfhu, just here
but 'tH.^oh tazzyau and tazzyau, just there.
:
:
;
:
:;
Phonology.
§ 8]
An
:
41
does not throw back its accent across a pause, or on to a word with which it is not immedienclitic
by the sense
ately connected
"h^
AH,U
h^
:
there f A.fl
:
f A.n
:
yJ et, store,
iqd
fl.^
:
:
^^ah9^
for these things
yaPevd nau, he
::
^T
lazzih fqa y>et yallaum,
::
no receptacle
is
'lOh
n.->
:
*iah
i
is
a
thief,
yaP eva damm^'o nau, he O
::
V
is
•
a
thief, too.
The sense,
position of the accent may determine the by showing what words are closely connected
f f«;l:
rt.^
:
which
Ajf
:
«
yiiyetwd-s^ et
?,
the child of
woman ?
yjiyetwa
of which daughter?
s^et-lij,
In some cases an enclitic
back
lij
may
or
may
not throw
accent, however closely connected with the
its
preceding worcU h/*'C 'flH'
:
"flC
:
ifl>-
9^1J^C
i
::
assir virr,
:
bizii o
Vfl>-
::
and
assir virr, ten dollars
nau, and bfzu nau, o o o '
it is
a lot
mindir nau?, and mfndir nau
?,
'
what
is it?
When falls
accented
initial
i
(m a preceding vowel
following n,
hf
'•!"
••
n,
m
disappears ;
if
(§
Id)
its
accent
no vowel precedes, a
takes the accent
M^ah K
ayyacc fndau, she just looked
Both accentuations are common and apparently they do not differ in meaning: all inquiries on the point meet with the reply l^/V- hlff: hah Ki^ViplC ^
:
hahii
.-
.-
-.
:
:
;
:
!
Amharic Grammar.
42 Y\^
:
Mf^Oh
"kl"^!
ayya ndau, he jus^ looked
::
h^aotny*
:
[§
;:
8
;
6kwan, almattam, no, he hasn't
come.
The
enclitic particle
Ki^.
oh, but..., indeed,
(i)nji,
retains its accent
antau
}\9^ii\ah «
h9^fi}(D'
The
:
(§
bring him,
7d),
"hlfK K antaunji
inter, suff.
-h and
oh,
!,
-flij& (§
but bring him
6)
do not throw back
their accent
?iA^A
K alqoal, it is finished,
hA^A «
alqoalla
?,
is it
finished
h^F't{9° K
aidallam, he
is
h^F'^H^j!, K
aldallammwf
,
?
not,
is
he not
?
Other suflSxed particles sometimes affect the accent of the word to which they are attached and sometimes do not e.g. -*^
-mm a,
as for,
^U
yihe, this,
^V1
yihamma, as for
d.^fi'
this
farasu, the horse,
d.dd'^ farasumma, as for the horse. Other variations of Accent.
Apart from the disturbance that may be caused by an enclitic, the accentuation of a word varies in
many is,
as
cases according to
it
its
position
:
according, that
stands (a) alone or before a pause, or
any other word with which
it
is
{b)
before
connected by the
;
§
Phonology.
8]
sense
43
and many words exhibit further variations of
;
accent in each of these positions^. called in this section
nected
'
final
',
The
position (a) is
and the position
(6)
'
con-
'.
Isolated words in the course of this work
Note.
marked with two accents usually take the first, sometimes^ the second, when final, the second when connected. But words with accented suffixes such as -h. -a, -wai (-wwi, -wf),
-IDJ&
accent as
well,
marked with
their
own
original
are pronounced with both accents.
Taking any letters 1, et,
fine
flour,
also
lizziy d''6q^et,
Vh*P^ is
:
f a>pfl^
:
Vfl>«
::
kuffiii
pitted with small-pox.
yawwggau nau, he
;
:::
^Id.G gafar^o
sometimes gafar^ o
gafar^^o,
conn, Oo ffafar"" o o "Jflrt"
fin.
8
:
sometimes gayal^o
:
Kf l^
:
[§
:
IflA" gayal^o, gecko,
*7et, (ir"i
^^^;iA
I
bad''6q^et
?,
(IFa-t-
I
what
cil^'ot,
f-^
'T'f^flH T
rtmflJ-
:
::
the
-p^ when a
-gaf,
:
ih,'^
AhC AM. GR.
000'
i/
in the office
J.
::
?
tacfl^'ot
?,
?
•
•
cil"ot liadu, they
^
suflix is
?
d^oq^ ct sattau, he gave him some
oflice, also
-1^
flour
ofiice,
yet ndccau
::
?
d"oq- et sattau, o o
flour,' also
^•A—K*
with
?
also -g^ef, -g'^of
'-g^ef, 'g''of, /^*&'lh
?
bamfn yiddarragal
made
is it
'h^-A"'>
where are they conn,
::
government
'7-A"'1*
:
flour,
-g- ef,
have gone to
cil^ot hadu. o -"J*?
-g^of receive the accent
attached to them:
sakkar, drunkard, 4
;
:
Aniharic Grammar.
60
8
[§
drunkards, i\hG^ sakkdr^oc, o -^
the drunkards CihC^ sakkar^occu, o
ao&^
market, ground,
<w»<J»i2
mar^etu, the ground
and there
is
;
a perceptible secondary accent on the
penultimate in words like ao'Ufi- manofadu, the road, 4«V-rt*
fdnusu, the lantern,
rt.'t'fs
s^etitu (-itu), the
ihA*fe
tilliqu,
The
adj.
woman,
the large one.
ending -? -nna has the accent on the
syllable preceding it:
hlC^
and conn.
fin.
amariiiiia, ' o
Amharic, '
9^C\i^ mirk^oilna, prisoner;
but when
-at* is
P»^?(»-
added the accent
varies
:
conn, yetiiinau.
fin. yetififiau,
The general tendency in these the accent to come forward before a
variations suffix or
is
for
another
but in some cases nothing but an enclitic brings it forward
word
:
aoMi^ malakat,
malakat "^oc, o o o
aoiiXi-^'^'
tn»h\\^
:
buo^le,
'
V4«
jioMi-f'^'i
:
malakat o o o
::
Vf-
::
buo^les, O
'
naffa,' o
he sounded a bugle, o '
malakaf^occun naffu, they sounded o o o o *'
the bugles,
twl\h^
:
VflH
::
malakat nau,
it is
a bugle.
;
:
:
ACCIDENCE. The Noun. The Substantive.
§
9
§
9a
§
9b
Substantives are of two genders, masculine and feminine, have two numbers, singular and plural, in addition to the nominative
an accusative
and
case.
Gender.
There
is
no special form of the substantive
for
either gender.
Number.
The
pi.
is
before a vowel
formed by adding -"o^ -^oc (-^occ § 6) to the last consonant of the sg.
b>et, house,
n.-!-
Ijf* gxeta,
pi. n.'f^^- b^et^'oc.
master,
A*^^ lammdn
(§
8)
pi. l-f*^*
beggar,
g^ef'oc.
pi. A*^'*?-/-
lammann'''oc
(§ C).
In some cases (see vocab.) -f -ya disappears flC^ bdrya, slave,
and
i
is
pi. fl(?^'
sometimes retained
fid» sail, tailor,
:
pi. AC'lf*
saf^ oc
and (not Besides the
pi.
in
bdr^oc
-''o'T*
G.) fld,P'^ safi^Oc.
some
irregular plurals
(Ethiopic forms) occur fl4'A"
baqP'o, mule,
also
M*^^^
and
?ifl4*^A-f''f
abdqwilt
pi.
fl^A-^ baql^oc,
(ay-, -qwii-, -4»- -qi-),
abdqwilt'^oc (ay-, -qwii-,
-4'- -qi-).
4—2
:
:
Amharic Gramma7\
52
The
irregular pis.
in the vocab.
the regular
all
;
pi.
[§ 9c, § 9c?
more commonly
in use are given
nouns with irregular
pi.
also
have
in -^'o^.
Case.
9c
The
accusative
formed by adding
is
nominative (of which
final sadis receives
nom.
n.'^
b^et,
„
^;^
g^eta,
„ „
-1
ace. fl.^'}
-1 -n to the i)
b^etin. o
„
^;^'>
g>etan.
A*^^ lammafi,
„
^*n^l^
lammdiimn
n.-^^ b^et^oc,
„
n.-f^'}b^et^6ccin(§6).
comes
after the art. (§11)
but before other
and
(§
12&),
sufF.
the house,
n.iJ'}
b^etun,
rt.'fci^'}
s-
rt.'fc'J
b^et^en,
my
fl»;l:'>
b^etwan,
her house,
the woman,
etitun, ' o
'
'
b^etunim,
house,
our house.
dt^'^lr'i b^etdccinin, o o fl.i^'JJ^
pers. suff.
(§ 6).
and
his (the) house.
The Ethiopic Accusative.
Qd
some cases, in which the form but not necessarily the meaning is acc.^ the effect in Amharic is generally to give an objective sense to a following noun
The Ethiopic accusative
in -a
survives in
:
:
^
'Status
I 125,
constructus.'
'Quoad formam
num nomen
in eo
an genitivi an
Praetorius,
Gram.
^th.
status constructi nihil refert
positum nominativi sensum habeat
accusativi.'
:
:
Accidence.
§10, §11]
53
t'h^^ nigus, king, 'i'hw
i
hl^^
peror
nigdsa nagast, king of kings, em-
:
;
flA bal, master,
flAHi^ balav>et, master of the house.
But
in
tive sense
some phrases the form (§
67c)
'lie naar, 'lid
iid
s
word,
nagara
:
sari,
The The
in -a has the objec-
(maker of words), slanderer.
Adjective.
adjective does not differ in accidence from
§
10
the substantive: sg.
nom. ^*7 dagg
good,
(dii-),
ace. f^ll daggin, pi.
nom.
^-J'T-
dagg" oc
(-cc
§ 6),
is
kd-), bad,
\\^}1'
kif^oc (-cc
*!(."'/-'>
§ 6),
kif^^dccin.
(Eth.) pis. see vocabulary; all adj.
with these form the regular
There
(Ivii-,
h^'J- kffun,
ace. ^^'-I'l dagg^^occin.
For irregular
h^- kffu
pi.
as well.
no special form of the
adj.
for either
gender.
The The
definite
article
Article, j 'the'
is
expressed by the §11
suffixes sg.
m. f
pi.
-u, -i'|2
m. & f
1 i.e.
written -Oh after a voweP, -itu (-itu),
written -^l^ after a vowel,
-u.
after
any
class of letter
but sddis
(§
4a),
Amharic Grammar.
54
has
S.
sg.
-*?
f.
-wa.
All the above form the ace. in (!••>
house,
b^'et,
[§11
fl>'fc
b^^etu,
-'>
-n.
the house, ace. (Ll^^
b^etun.
1^
l^tD' g^etau, the master, ace.
o^eta, master,
1^(D*1
woman,
s^et,
rt.^"
ace.
gJ^etaun.
A.'t'fs'}
s^etitu (-Itu), the
ih't'}?
woman,
s^etitun (-itun).
b^ef^oc, houses, n.-f'^ b^et'^occu, the houses,
tt.'f'l'
ace. fl.'f^T' b^et^Occun.
horse,
d^^tl faras,
article
or to the
may be
+yerb
rel.
When
it is
nant, the form (gfiz
§
4a
attached to a noun sub. or adj.
(§ 14).
attached to a verb ending in a conso-fl^ is
of connecting the pron.
The f ending -^'' out the connecting a, and in
-Oh
§
12c).
-c (-cc
-t
or -*
E.g. f T*^'
§
suff.
takes -Oh with-
6)
G. -v^ -itu (itu).
After a verb ending in -u the
-^
by the vowel a
used, connected
mode
cp. the
;
9a),
(§
the mare, ace. d*Ci\Ji faraswan. faraswa, o o o o
S. <J.^0,
The
mare
art.
takes the form
-tu.
:
yam^dta, who died,
^*Pi'ah
1
fioh
:
yam'^otdu
(§
8) sau,
the
man who
died.
P'^aiC^
:
^'^atCf^Oh
yammiwwrd, that s
H'^il
:
(rel.)
yiimmiwwrdau
that descends. ^qo^'^f
:
yam^dtac,
who
(f ) died.
descends, zfnay, the rain
:
§
12,
§
12a]
Accidence.
fTi-'^Oh'}
woman f f"?^/!*^
rt?*^
who were fi'l^t^r'P'i
those P/n«i3
who
(ace.) :
yam'^otaccyim
rt.^:
:
55 (§
6)
s^et,
died, G. -^'t'J -ccitun
vatagaddalut sau^oc, the
:
the
(-it-).
men
killed,
hf
:
::
yiitagaddalutun ayya, he saw
who were killed, T^m- K yamattutu ndccau, they
:
are those
who came. There
is
no form
for the indef art. in
Amharic.
The Pronoun. The Personal Pronoun.
The personal pronouns
are of two kinds, disjunc-
§
12
emphasizing and distinguishing forms), which stand alone, and conjunctive, which cannot stand tive (the
alone, but are suffixes attached to nouns, verbs, etc.
Disjunctive Personal Pronouns.
The
disjunctive personal pronouns are hi, in?e (§ 8),
sg. 1st
2nd m.
hl'l'
2nd f
h"}^ anci-, you.
3rd m.
TiCCh frsii
3rd f
?iCO, frsod
ht^
^
or
2
hTrh anc,
^
or hib
or
anta (-ta)\ you.
(§ S)^, (§
he,
it.
8)^ she,
it.
ant, (see vocab.)
fssii,
„
?»0. fssod.
„
(see vocab.),
of inanimate objects. ^
I.
which
is
generally used
§12a
:
Amharic Grammar.
56
tx^ fund
pi. 1st
(§ 8),
"kM^
3rd
"hCfi^Oh irsac(c)au-, they.
2nd
is
you, which
"kCCl?* frsa'^o^ (§ 8),
with the verb in the
The
8)\ you.
(§
form of address
polite
sg.
fllant
pi.
3rd
;
pi.
constr.
is
hA^^.
form of reference
polite
12a
we.
2nd
The
is TxCfi^fD',
the Ras, the Rases), with verb in
(e.g.
[§
he, they
pi. 3rd.
form the ace. in -l -n (§ 9c), may take the article (§11), and simple and composite prepositions (§ 47) may be constr. with them All the above
e.g.
"hVi
ao^'^
i
::
in^en mattaii, he
::
yan^en anta
(it)
struck
me,
myself ^^'i
h9^tn
:
(some
of)
h9°'^
f iflj-'}
!
^I'i'
pC
i
mine
:
;:
(f
+X=f
:
1
7a).
§
tanta gar, with you
:
from
bring one of
yan^eun anta, bring mine.
ACA- W»- K larsu nau,
n? ;^^
Id),
(§
it's
for
(i*
+ K = ;^
§
7a).
him ( A + ?i = A
7a).
§
baiind tac, beneath us (as distinguished
:
others).
or MTr-i- illanta
(-ta),
Mt^'
(i)nnant
which
is
(--h -ta, -ta),
S.V. KV-. 2
or
M^ah
issdc(c)au,
generally used of
inanimate objects, or 3
MCd'
or XCAJP
fss'^6
;
(i)nnarsu (-na), ^VA* (i)nnassu (-na-),
:
[?iCA]
frs 6,
hfl?"
in S. also used as pol.
issa o,
htlP
-.
s.v.
[hA]
form of reference.
§
12^
Accidence.
M'i^'i Y\^d,^nT* :
::
5t
you
illaiitin alfalligim,
(pi.) I
don't want.
f V^'^^'l^
yiinnantaitu
«i"'lh ::
:
"
(pi).
"hCfi^Oi*!
i
^»f "V-
::
(§
8) nat,
she
is
yours
_ them
irsdccaun ayyitu^,
I
have
seen.
Personal Pronouns conjunctive
tvith
Nouns.
§
The personal pronouns conjunctive with nouns, other pronouns (§§ 16 19), and some adverbs, render-
—
ing the suffixes
possessive
or
the following
are
genitive,
:
sg. 1st
after a
->e,
2nd m.
-U -h^
2nd f
-*rt
2nd
voweP
-f»
-ye
(-ie, ^e)-^,
my. your.
your.
-s,
pol. -a?' -a''o*, after
a vowel
3rd m.
-u,
after a vowel -Oh
3rd f
-
b''etac(c)ihu (-c(c)yuh),
your
^t;^^fl^
b^etac(c)au,
their
(pi.) (his, pol.)
Accidence.
§12&] ()S)
to -a
1^ g^eta,
:
59
master.
^;^p.
g^etai^e (-a^'e)^
my
1^{)
gJetah,
your (m.)
^;^7I
g^etas,
your
(f.)
^;^Jp
gyetd^\
your
(pol.)
^;^a^
g^etau,
his (its)
l;f-e (-1^6^)2,
my
n^'/t-U
bdql'^oh,
your (m.)
n4*/V"7i
baql'^^os,
your
(f.)
n^A-JP
baql^d^o
your
(pol.)
n4'A"flH
bdql^'oii,
his (its)
n4'A"'P
baql^^dua'^
her
n4*{y,'f^
baql5ac(c)in,
our
(-1^6)2,
mule.
„
(its)
„
n4'0u^'^ baql6dc(c)ihu (-c(c)yuh),
your
(pi.)
n4»0L^iii- baqloac(c)au,
their
(his, pol.) „
1
fin.
matta,
(§ 8),
but conn, g^eta^e
my master
has come.
:
^^f"
i
<w>«l «
„
g^eta^e
Similarly, conn, g^eta^o,
g^'etaua. 2
fin.
(§
8)
;
conn, baql^oye, baql^o, bdql^oua.
:
:
Amharic Grammar.
60
12c
[§
The genders and numbers given above
refer to the
possessor, not to the object qualified: 9°t\^\) mistih,
e.g.
flATl
»'
'
fl4*A"^ baql^^occ^^e,
With
wife,
vour husband.
balls, o
your
my
mules.
adv.
a^^'^l
bataccdc(c)in,
guished from
e.g.
beneath us
above
us).
Personal Pronouns conjunctive
12c
(as distin-
Verbs.
loith
The personal pronouns conjunctive with verbs \ rendering the dative and accusative, are the following
used as infixes
suffixes, also
connecting vowel
-^
sg. 1st
-fi
to me, me.
(-nil § 6),
-U -h^
to you, you.
2nd f
-7i -s,
to you, you.
i
2nd
-P
to you, you.
a and none
pol.
^
J
o„j 3ra
-^o^,
-^
-u, -t
I.
after
o, u,
2nd
^
none
„
i^^ne
\
'i\
a
to us, us. ,
-.^.^ .ac(c)au "
also with
IxW or
6)^
fl-,
q.v.
-P^'lh
-''ot;
A-,
*^ *^^^"^' ^^^^^ to him (him, pol.)
when joined -
OY-'^
S. also sg.
(ii)
none none
'
'
to a verb
(§
47a)
;
also
-X, -k, (§ 7^/).
3rd pol.
(a)
a
r
-ad(c)ihu ) you. vyv, / \ ^°^ ,, I to you, ^ '^ (-ac(c)yuh §7^),j
3rd pol.) 3rd j
with
§
-a*'l'i>
pi.
^
]
to her. her. (to)
-> -n (-nn
and a
]
„
,.
'i
pi. 1st
^
-x -^x it, it).
^a- -at, ^+ -aT
/»
i
to him, him, (to
-fl>-
„
&
(a)
2nd m.
o 3rd m.
sg.
a
^
or
->
-una.
:
§
Accidence.
12c]
These (§
61
,
suff.
are attached to
34) except the infin.
the
given in
suff.
The
|^
and
all
parts of the verb
part, which, as nouns, take
Vlh.
connecting- vowel joins
them
to a verb ending
in a consonant.
They are inserted between the verb and the aux. }\ii
(§
32) or another
suff.,
such as the neg.
(§37).
E.g.: (a) after
a consonant fj,li1C
je.'>9^'^
yingar
(iir), let
him
tell.
suff.
-9^
Amharic Grammar.
62 /iV*7Ci'f
A
}1nagrisal,
[§
he
tells
you
(f.)
(pol.)
ff.hmjPYx^
yinagra^aP,
„
„
you
J&V*7^'PA
jdnagraual,
„
,,
him.
JlV*7^;^A
yinagratal,
„
„
her.
^YllS^
yinagrannal,
„
„
us.
^**7^^AA
yinagi'dc(c)ihwal) "
"
(-c(c)yuhal)
J&i*7^^'PA
f
yinagrdc(c)aual,
„
12c
vou (dH ^^""^P'-^
them
„
(him,
pol.)
h^'i*lC9" ainagrim, he will (does) not
h^^*1^^9° ainagraiinim
(-ra-),
he will not
tell.
tell
me.
^j&i*7C01^ ainagr(i)him2,
„
„
you(m.)
hje,i*7C7!9" ainagrisim,
„
„
you(f.)
h^'ind9*9° alnagra^m^,
„
„
you
h^'i*l^(D'9° ainagraum,
„
„
him.
h^'i*1^^9° ainagratim,
„
„
her.
„
„
us.
h^'i1^'^V'9° ainagrdc(c)ihum,
„
„
you
h^'i*l^^ai*9° ainagrdc(c)aum,
„
„
them
h^'i'*ld'i9^
ainagrannim
(-ra-)^,
(pol.)
(pi.)
(him,
pol.)
1
or ^?';^A ra^otal, C?';^A
2
or fl9° -xim.
3
or *lC?*^r*
^
or -V9" -nnam.
:
:
[
C;^A]
[na^'9^] -gr^otim.
r^^otal.
:
§
Accidence.
12c] (13)
sg.
always
ending -"^ -c (-cc § the connecting vowel,
after the
3rd f
;
i (i
Am^U
6) if
of the simp. perf.
there
is
y)
rtm^
rtm^^
63
sattaccin,
sattac,
she gave. she gave me.
one,
is
:
Amharic Grammar,
64
Y\M1^9^
alnaofofaram,
[§12c
he did not
tell.
h^lh^^^ alnao^orarannim (-ra-),he did not tell me. Y\M'\dM9° alnaggarahim^
„
„
you
(m.)
h^h1^'^9° alnaggarasim,
„
„
you
(f.)
hAV7i*7C^^
saticc^esaliau^,
„
„
you
(f.)
AT^P^Al^
saticc^e^odllau^2^
„
„
you
(pol.)
rt'P^*PAl^
saticc^'ewallau'\
„
„
him.
„
„
her.
AT^^;^AiI' saticcyatallau^^,
rtT^^-f :5tAih saticcyac(c)yu-
^
you
(i*f^'^^''^t^(ii)n
saticcyac(c)aual-)
lau^^ {d) after
^*7(^?A 'incvfi^
them (him, pol.)
)
-^o (sdyi):
V^^A
:
[i*7C?>t
A :]
nagr^^onnal,
(pi.)
"
hdllSi^*(§7c/)J
nagrSal, he has told.
he has told me.
§
Accidence.
13«]
67
The Demonstrative Pronoun.
The demonstrative pronouns nom. m.
sg.
f ace.
m. f.
nom.
pi.
^U
yfhe
(yili,
near objects
are, for
yahe)^
§13a :
this, that,
J2.0^ yihic (cc) or je.^ yic (yicc)2, .fcU*}
yihiin (-nn
§
6)
or
^UV^ yihannan,
je.^'J yiccin,
?i^lLU (i)nnazzlh (-az-, -fh
;
§
or KiO
8)^
(ijunyih'ils), ace.
(i)nnazzihin
?iVll,U'>
(-az-,
-fh-),
hMl
(i)nn>ehin.
For distant or absent objects sg.
nom. m. f.
ace.
m. f.
pi.
nom.
^
ya, that, that other,
,?*-!•
jfi
yac
(-cc),
yan or ^V)
MlL^
(i)nnazzya
"MlU^Tr (i)nnazzyan (-az-
also written ^Ti
^
§ 7c?
-
G. "M^f' Ihicc
3
or hiitlV illazzih
*
^
or ?iA.O ilPeh,
§8)^ or Ki^
(-dz-;
(§ 8),
(i)nny§:n
;
yanniin,
^-T-7 yaccin.
(i)nnya ace.
:
;
§ 8),
or hi.^'i
(§ 8).
;
G.
M iWe.
(-ice), ^icc, ice.
(-^z-, -ih
?»5:U
or XAH.^ illazzya
;
§ 8).
(i)nnih (-fh
(-az-),
;
§ 8),
hi^V
fllih (-fh).
?iA.^ fUyS.
5—2
;
Amharic Grammar.
68
[§ ISot
After prefixes
becomes
-H,U
-zzih (zi-).
„
-»t^
-zzic (-cc).
y
,,
-H.^
-zzya^.
^^
„
It^^
-zzyac
J&U
^0^
(-cc).
[P]ai-^U?fl>- (ya)w&;dihfnndu (-dih-
the nearer
§ 8),
;
(of two), nearest (of several),
(ya)w6>dydiinau
[f ]aij?:^?fl>-
(-wda-
S.
§ 8),
;
the
further (of two), furthest (of several) in these forms -ah
All the above
inflected like the article (§11).
is
refer
animate
to
or inanimate
and may be used substantivally or
objects,
adjectiv-
ally.
fE.g.
may be prefixed to its noun. ^U j&flj^A « yfhe yiyaqal, this
^^
:
9"ti'P
:
T^
yacci
::
(§
enough.
is
:
7d) mistu nat, this
is
(that's) his wife.
JiU
:
^H'b ^"J
:
d,dll
yihe faras, this horse, that (near) horse.
:
ydzaf, that (distant) tree.
:
H*b
:
M''^d.may'
yan zaf
«
cut that other tree
down
were speaking about, hil)
oDrnGrh
:
f'^'i
:
:
attiqwiiratau, don't
we
(that tree
saw,
etc.).
T'Tfl^
::
nn>eh
matdf^^oc o •
yiimdn ndccau?, whose are these books?
Mnj)
:
je.nA^rt-
nazzya 1
(§
7a),
but '^^ tdya
in or
on that
:
(§
:
-t^nj
•.-.
these are 8)
there.
nnazzih
yiyaltiillu
more than those
or -Mi.^ tazzyS
(§ 8),
tan-
(others).
from, than,
:
Accidence,
§136] silazzfh
tliiUj)
:
f H,^
rt,^
:
iskazzya
?»fthH,^
:
JiO
AA
:
JiYf
i'H,^
:
because of this, therefore.
(§ 8),
yazzfcci
:
7d)
(§
(§ 8), ::
69
s^et,
of this woman.
as far as that,
up
to there.
yihe yissalal tazzya, this
is
better than that other.
f a)-?.U?(»(-est)
:
^A ydidiil is
who, which, what
present, there
is
39), hf!.?'^T (§ 40)
(§
^A
,
^
becomes
sonant (which,
hti alia (§32),
^
1
mm(i)- after a
eA9"
25),
prei. to
°
cont.(§26) fl^- is
(§
•
or
(§
who
la,
(that which)
-11 § 6),
is
absent,
he who (that which)
not.
The neg. pref ^A- al- (§ 37) comes between the rel. and the verb. The relative refers to animate and inanimate objects.
The antecedent, ^
if
expressed, usually follows the
also written '^VU
r.
mdimiih ?
:
§
Accidence.
14]
verb to which the relative
cedent
expressed the
is
no anteimplies one of any numattached.
is
rel.
Tl
If
ber, gender, case or person, according, if
nom., to that of the verb to whicli
The
take the -1 -n of the ace. E.g. ^aotn
fan")
rto^
:
^oDfRV
he who (that which) came.
yjimatta,
J
yiimatta
:
man who
a
came.
yamminnimata, we who are coming.
^9°TfaDfU
;
^*^aofi]
rtfl>-
:
8) sau,
(§
you who came.
yjimattrdi,
:
in the
it is
attached.
tantamount to a noun, may (§ 9c) and the article (§ 11)^
verb, being
rel. -h
it is
:
yjimmimata
7a
(§
;
§
8) sau,
man who
a
coming.
is
f iP*'"l'/w>m'
::
hCfb
:
:
Vfl)*
yammittmatu, you 'h'%00^
who
(pi.)
nau nnnimata, o o o
a irsil o
•
'
are coming.
he who
it is
coming.
is
h'i'V
:
ifl>-
"htT'l'iiD^
:
::
anta nau mmittmata
?,
is
it
you who are coming ?
^A
:
jifl.'^A
::
f *^A
ace.
'^^'i
nom.
'H'i
man
(-nn
§
6)
?,
who ?,
mdnnan?,
man
(-nn §6)?, or
KWJ
(i)nndman?^
(-nn§6;§8), ace.
'^V'J
mdnnan?, or
or hii^^'i illdmdn
?
M'^'i'i
(-nn
§
(i)nnamdnnan ?
6
;
§
8)
:
§
:
Accidence.
15]
7B
Referring to inanimate^ objects: sg.
nom. &
pi.
nom.
rT'T-
ace.
9"^^'J min'^dccin? o o
may
9"^
ace. 9"'i niin?, what?,
take the m.
conjunctive with nouns
art. (§11),
(-cc
§ 6),
and the
pers. suff.
126).
(§
sg.
nom. &
pi.
nom.
9^'i^C'l' mindir^^oc?^ (-cc
ace.
9^'i^'G'1''i
A
them with the pi.
take the m.
and
'^'>
of
pi.
mindir?^ what
ace. 9°'i^C
may
9^'i^C
mindir^'Occin? o o o
also
formed by repeating
-nna = and
man(nin)n§;man ?* (nn
^'i'7'^'i
ace.
'^IV'^V^ man(nin)namanniin?^
nom.
&
these forms
with a
pi.
sg.
I
rt^^jfJflj,
mannillaccdccau?,
*^V^^^fl>« mannacc'' occaccau
?,
1'i'i¥^'f(D' mannillacc''occdccau?, all
with ace.
-^at'lr -ccaun. o
^
also written f 1^ etc., G.
^
or f -t;/: vetitwa
^
or
?
O'l:
(-tit-).
hatu ? o G.
U^i: hatitu
?,
U^
hatwa ? o ?»&•?•*'?•
(i)nn> et'V)c
?
(-cc;
--f ^•'> -t^^occin (--f ^'>
G.
O-f-'f
hdt^T)c?
(-cc),
?iV(;'|5 (i)nnahdtu? \Q' ft ft
ace.
-•f''^
-f'Occu),
-t^^occun) -f-'-l-'i
-t^^occin,
ace. -*'> -tun.
or
ace.
§
Accidence.
15]
yetffinau?!
f-'V^flJ-
of which
sint
how much
?,
and usually
is indecl.,
which?, what kind
(§ 8),
of?,
inflected like the art. (§11)^.
-at* is
hl^
75
sometimes with the
how many
?,
?,
constr. with a sg.
noun or
verb,
pi.
All the above are used substantivally or adjectivally,
except ri^'C,
^-if;"!-}
and ri^ri, which are
only used substantivally. E.g. *^'>
:
*^*i'Ti
A'^'J
man nau
::
Kf U
I
:
rtrnii
:
iiOh
:
lamdn
::
Va^
?iVT>
man :
:
I
V'-f U-
*^'J
:
hdr
'^'JV^'J
::
::
:
man .
.
.
is it
!
l'"^
I
?
::
man
sdu nau
that will do
it
?
mmya(who
is
?).
nnamdu O
ndccau?, O
who are they? ''
?,
mfinninnaman
::
Y\^\)
AA a min ^A « min
(S 8)
matta
?
(or
who have come? ::
mfinninnfimannan ayyiih
persons did you see l^**
whom did you see whom did you give
man naccyuh ?, who are you (pi.) ? mann m- mdttu),
"ll^^n'il
?
::
twi'n
:
sattiih?,
Hx'X^^S^lOh
that
'i'f•fl^
It
is it
?
dargau ?, what the
who
\
?
mtinnan ayyiih ?,
::
(them) to
it
-
:
time shall ftU *^
Ai T*% :
:
use 9^'h'i
:
::
gizJ e
lantau ?
(§
A9"«l
::
::
9°lf^C
:
hah
l^'Jj^^ *^
:
>nc
9^1i^l
i
Y\^\}
vihe lan^e min^e nau o O o o
mhum idnta?. mindir
mmdin o o
::
shall I bring?
nau ?, what
8)
(§
what
is it
:
'
ri^ri ^nn « -.
:
ligza
things shall I ^^ii
.
?,
I
am
'V'?*'f^
ace.
may
§ 6),
anything,
minimmin, anvthinar at
all.
M^l {i)i\im, what's-its-name,
sg.
these forms
(-mm
(i)ntin^^oc (-cc
§
6) 3,
(i)ntin^5ccin;
take the
art. (§11).
Referring to animate or inanimate objects sg.
nom.
*^'i'^ah9° (-body),
ace.
ace.
some
mannacc^' occim (mm),
*n'i¥^'}9° mannacc''6ccinim (-mm). o o \
The
§ 6)^,
1^^(D'19^ mannaccaunnim (-mm),
nom. '^T^'f 9"
pi.
mannac(c)aum (-mm any(-body), one of the,
pi.
of this form
is
/
constr. with a sg. or pi.
noun.
^
G. PhA. yiikaPe, ace.
t
-n;
P- (q.v.)
is
after a prp. 2
G. JiS'hA* (i)nnakal^e, ace. -1
^
or nom.
^
or '^l'\'\'ah9° m{lnnillac(c)aum (-mm),
&
ace.
Ml^'i
-n.
(i)nfntin. etc.
dropped
;
Accidence.
16] sg.
nom. &
hlfrl- anddc (-cc
ace.
(-body) sg.
nom.
sg.
;
one of
;
h'i^-l'Oh'}
nom, &
any (-body)
;
§
;
§
8)\
some
one of the.
some
andac(c)au^,
>i'J^'7-fl>-
(-body) ace.
79
(-body);
any
the,
anddc(c)aun.
andand
ace. hlfi'tfii'
some, a few,
(§ 8),
several, pi.
sg.
nom.
hlHlrF''^' andclnd^^oc (-cc
ace.
h'ifi'iP''''f'i
nom.
h^ii*
andand'' Occin. o
ayydPe\ several; much, a good deal, many what a lot how many
a great
pi.
;
!,
ace.
h^Ci*! ayydPen,
nom.
K^A"'T' ayydl''oc (-cc
ace.
h^ti^'-'t'lr
I
§ 6),
ayyal''6ccin.
h^l[» is constr. with
sg.
nom. &
pi.
nom.
A.A"^'* l^l^'oc (-cc §
ace.
A»A"^'''} lel^'occin
a
sg.
or
pi.
noun.
ace. A.A lela, other, another, different,
o
with the
§ 6),
(5),
'
art. (§ 11), A.Afl^ lelau,
^
or h'iH'^9° anddccim (-mm
2
or
h'i^'fi'l'Ot'
h'ifi'l''ah9^
the other.
§ 6).
andilldc(c)au, ace.
anddc(c)aum
--f^fl^'J
(mm),
-c(c)aun,
ace.
-^ahlf^
-c(c)aunnim (-mm), h'>j^-A^flM^ andilldc(c)aum (-mm), ace. -^ahl9^
-c(c)aunnim (-mm). 3
or
h^A
ay>^dl (§ 8).
;
Amharic Grammar.
80 ihA- hull-,
every,
all,
with the pers.
may
it
with -u
1
may be
addition to Avhich
2h), in §
6)
noun;
constr. with pi.
generally follows a
it
Of the
suff. (§
take -9" -m (-mm
it
[§16
noun
it
qualifies.
above,
hl-t-l, JilA,, 9"^9",
nri, M^l
are used sub-
stantivally,
used
Y\^ti» is
and the hlflrty
adjectivally,
rest are
MWtB*
used in either way.
and the forms
in -9" are generally
(Tli9°, *r'i9^'} always) followed (§ 37),
which drops
its
own
by a neg. verb
final -9", if
the pron.
give
to some-
has one. E.g. ti*n'i9°
s
ftT
::
lamannim
(§
8) sit,
it
body. A*^9°
hiiUun
::
ftmoJ-
:
::
sftau, arive
hiiUunim
him
all
sitau, give
of
it.
him
every-
thing. l^Hfl-
li-rt*
:
^TT^7
:
bring ihK^li rh."^
:
l^/V•
:
?i9°^
hullu, all the
money.
K satin^^Occin hiillu
anta
(§
Id),
the boxes.
all
hA*}
:
ganzavu
::
huUdccin o
;:
allan, '
we are
all here.
hfdu hulldccyuh, go away,
l^A't•l^ «
all
of
you. (D^ff^C
:
ihdr
s
rh.^
(D^^C
:
iht\r
:
rh.«^
tD^fjG^
:
l^A•
Oi^fjC^
i
ih^i'Vah
hadu,
all
:
wce>ttaddar hullu hadii, or
::
::
rh.-^ 3
wwttaddar ::
hiillu
hadu, or
w wttaddar'' 6c hullu hadu, or
ih,H'
::
wwttaddar''oc hullaccau
the soldiers have gone.
:
§
Accidence.
17]
83
The Reflexive Pronoun.
For the
pronoun the words
reflexive
li-li
ras,
V^ft
nafs
§
head,
lit.
(nJi-, -vs), lit.
flAO.^ balab^et
iiohh^ saunnat
soul,
(-av-), lit. (-at), lit.
householder,
person,
and the phrase fllH
JtS"
:
bagazzajj
•
has in
(§ 8), lit.
power
its
(s.v.
are used with the pers.
when
7H)
suff! (§
not expressed with
it is
with what the hand
126) to express 'self,
clearness or
s\ifficient
emphasis by the reflexive form of the verb
The above
refer only to pereons,
(§ 21).
and are used sub-
stantivally or adjectivally e.g.
ifib'i
:
l^A
oraddala, he killed himself rdsun O o o
::
'
f onft
:
hCflP
:
^rtP
:
J^.-^
:
each
Xf rt.*
85
AS'PT'
JiP^TV-
hA+? hulattanna
e.g.
AAi"? s^'ostanna
U^?
-anna (-anna)
suffix -a?^
(-la-,
-an-) 2, 2nd,
(-an-), 3rd,
hayaiina^ 20th, etc.
1st is dM-i"^ fitdnna
(fl-,
-an-),
ao%ao6^ majammarya h^l>-
s
Axltf^i
or (-ar-)
asrahandanna
;
but
(-an-), 11th.
In compound numbers only the ordinal form e.g.
i*»AA
:
last takes
the
:
hj'^Ai'? saldsa ammistanna, 35th.
^
or -?
2
or U-A^? hulattiiina
3
or
-nfia.
ue? ha^anna.
(-la-),
AA^?
s^ostfniia, etc.
:
§
20c,
All ordinals d>'\r^ e.g.
:
:
Accidence.
21]
§
:
commonly take the
and ao^aod^
f ^i'^OH
:
rta>-
89 art.
11),
and
first
man.
(§
also the pref. P- yak yafitaiiiiau (§ 8) sau,
the
^ao%aD^^ah Vnc yamajammaryau nabbar, he (it) was the first. ::
:
Another ordinal form U*A^^ hulattiyya
in -^ -(i)yyai
is
2nd, etc.
(-la-),
The Frdction. Fractions are expressed by the ordinals, usually
by the form in -f e.g.
l^A^ /^A^^2. :
is
1/2
V4 is