Root Reductions and Extensions in Amharic Revisited

• Authors: Baye Yiman
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

The author argues that verbal roots in Amharic consist of only three radicals of which only any two could be identical. Such roots serve as input for the derivation of various types of verbal and nominal stems. The process involves reduction and extension of one or two of the three radicals. The reduction affects only laryngeals and glides, and only exceptionally /b/ and /r/. The extension includes the insertion of radicals into basic roots, and reduplication and /or gemination of one of their radicals.The inserted radicals are those with the feature [+continuant] and the position of insertion is that of epenthetic or prothetic, the former applying to quadri-radicals and the latter to quinqui-radicals. The process of reduplication, which also includes gemination, affects any of the radicals of basic roots. Ultimate and the penult radicals are extended to express adverbial notions like, 'durativity', 'iterativity', 'intensity' and 'attenuativity'. The initial radical is extended to show 'adjutativity' in verbals and manner in nominals. The language uses such devices to expresses adverbial functions since it does not have lexical adverbs.

Keywords

EN

VERBAL ROOTS IN AMHARIC

Discipline

• PHILOLOGY_&_LINGUISTICS: PHILOLOGY & LINGUISTICS

• Publisher: Polska Akademia Nauk
• Journal: Rocznik Orientalistyczny
• Year: 2006
• Volume: 59
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 58-78
• Document type: ARTICLE

Contributors

author

Baye Yiman

• Baye Yiman, Institute of Language Studies, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Identifiers

CEJSH db identifier

07PLAAAA01914098