Muher language
| Muher | |
|---|---|
| Region | Ethiopia |
Native speakers | (undated figure of 90,000)[1] |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | sgw |
sgw-muh | |
| Glottolog | seba1251 |
Muher(Muxar) is anEthiopian Semitic languagebelonging to theGuragegroup. It is spoken in the mountains north ofChehaandEzhana WoleneinEthiopia.The language has two dialects, which are named after the first-person singular pronoun "I" they use: Ana usesəni/anä,Adi usesadi/ädi(similar to the related languageSoddo). The language is sometimes written in a modifiedArabic(Ajam) orAmharicscript.[2][3]It has approximately 90,000 speakers.[1]
Phonology[edit]
| Labial | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar/Glottal | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prevelar | ||||||
| Stop | Voiceless | t | c | kkʷ | ||
| Voiced | bbʷ | d | ɟ | ggʷ | ||
| Ejective | tʼ | cʼ | kʼkʼʷ | |||
| Affricate | t͡ʃ,d͡ʒ | |||||
| Fricative | Voiceless | f fʷ | s | ʃ | ç | hhʷ |
| Voiced | z | ʒ | ||||
| Nasal | m mʷ | n | ɲ | |||
| Liquid | rl | |||||
| Glide | j | w | ||||
The phonemic status of theglottal stopis uncertain.[5]In some cases, /kʼ/ or /kʷ/ may be reduced to [ʔ] or [ʔʷ], respectively, postvocalically.
| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Close | i | u | |
| Mid | e | ɨ (ə)
ɑ̈ (ɜ) |
o |
| Open | ɑ |
The basic syllable structure of Muher is C(C)V(C)(C)
Grammar[edit]
Like many Semetic languages, Muher hastriconsonantal rootsfor verbs and nominals.
Personal pronouns both substitute for subjects and function as possessive suffixes on nominals.
| Gender | Singular | Plural | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pronoun | Possessive | Pronoun | Possessive | ||
| 1 | Common | ɑ̈di | -ddi | ɨɲɲɑ | -nnɑ |
| 2 | Male | (-)dɑ̈-hɑ̈ | (-)dɑ̈-hɨmʷ | ||
| Female | (-)dä-ç (<*dähʲ) | (-)dɑ̈-hmɑ | |||
| 3 | Male | hʷɑ | -hʷt(ɑ) | (-)hinnɑ̈mʷ | |
| Female | (-)çɑ/(-)hijɑ | (-)hinnɑ̈mɑ | |||
Definitenessis marked by the definite suffix-we.
Muher has adecimalnumber system. The teens are formed byɑsrɑ̈-plus the digits, usually preceded by -m.
| Digit | Gloss |
|---|---|
| ɑtt/kʼunɑ | 'one' |
| hʷett | 'two' |
| sɔɑst/sost | 'three' |
| ɑrbɑ̈tt | 'four' |
| ɑmmɨst | 'five' |
| sɨddɨst | 'six' |
| sɑ̈bɑ̈tt/sɑ̈bɑtt | 'seven' |
| simmutt | 'eight' |
| ʒɑ̈tʼɑ̈ | 'nine' |
| ɑssir/ɑsrɑ̈ | 'ten' |
Verbs[edit]
The basic word order of Muher is SOV. However, a known argument always has to precede a new argument, regardless of their function. Primary conjugations differentiate between the perfective and imperfective aspects. The subject and object are marked on the verb. Object markers are divided into the categories Light and Heavy. Heavy object markers are those who occur with impersonal and plural subjects. Light markers are any others. Light markers may differ based on if the aspect isperfectiveornon-perfective.
| Object Marker | Light | Heavy | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Perfective | Non-perfective | ||
| 1SG | -e | -e | -rɨ |
| 2SGMASC | -nnɑhɑ̈ | -hɑ̈ | -kkɑ̈ |
| 2SGFEM | -nnɑç | -ç | -kc |
| 3SGMASC | -nn | -ʷ/-nn | -ʲ/-ʷ (-c) |
| 3SGFEM | -nnɑ | -ːɑ/-nnɑ | -jɑ/-wɑ (-cɑ) |
| 1PL | -(ɑ̈)nɑ̈ | -ɑ̈nɑ̈ | -nnɑ̈ |
| 2PLMASC | -nnɑhmʷ | -hɨmʷ | -kkɨmʷ |
| 2PLFEM | -nnɑhmɑ | -hmɑ | -kkimɑ |
| 3PLMASC | -nnɑ̈mʷ | -ːɑ̈mʷ/-nnɑ̈mʷ | -jɑ̈mʷ/-wɑ̈mʷ (-cɑ̈mʷ) |
| 3PLFEM | -nnɑ̈mɑ | -ːɑ̈mɑ/-nnɑ̈mɑ | -jɑ̈mɑ/-wɑ̈mɑ (-cɑ̈mɑ) |
References[edit]
Citations[edit]
- ^abShumneka Nurga, Awlachew (2021-04-23), Ado, Derib; Gelagay, Almaz Wasse; Johannessen, Janne Bondi (eds.),"Language contact and its effects on language use of the Gurage varieties of Muher",Grammatical and Sociolinguistic Aspects of Ethiopian Languages,IMPACT: Studies in Language, Culture and Society, vol. 48, John Benjamins Publishing Company, pp. 65–90,doi:10.1075/impact.48.03shu,ISBN978-90-272-0833-0,retrieved2024-02-26
- ^Meyer, Ronny (2017-02-10)."The Ethiopic Script: Linguistic Features and Socio-cultural Connotations".Oslo Studies in Language.8(1).doi:10.5617/osla.4422.ISSN1890-9639.
- ^Goldenberg, G. (2009). From Speech to Writing in Gurage-Land: First Attempts to Write in the Vernacular. InEgyptian, Semitic and General Grammar: Workshop in Memory of HJ Polotsky (8-12 July 2001), edited by Gideon Goldenberg and Ariel Shisha-Halevy(Vol. 184, p. 196).
- ^abcHuehnergard, John; Pat-El, Na’ama (2019-02-18).The Semitic Languages.Routledge.ISBN978-0-429-65538-8.
- ^Meyer, Ronny (2011-12-23),"72. Gurage",The Semitic Languages,De Gruyter Mouton, pp. 1220–1257,doi:10.1515/9783110251586.1220,ISBN978-3-11-025158-6,retrieved2024-02-26
- ^Leslau, Wolf (1996).Essays on Gurage Language and Culture: Dedicated to Wolf Leslau on the Occasion of His 90th Birthday, November 14th, 1996.Otto Harrassowitz Verlag.ISBN978-3-447-03830-0.
Further reading[edit]
- Cohen, Marcel(1936).Etudes d’éthiopien méridional.Paris: Geuthner.
- Hetzron, Robert(1977).The Gunnan-Gurage languages.Napoli: Istituto Orientale di Napoli.
- Leslau, Wolf(1979).Etymological Dictionary of Gurage (Ethiopic).3 vols. Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz. (ISBN3-447-02041-5)
- Leslau, Wolf (1981).Ethiopians Speak: Studies in Cultural Background, Part IV: Muher.Wiesbaden: Franz Steiner. (ISBN3-515-03657-1)
- Meyer, Ronny (2005). "The morphemeyä-in Muher ", in:Lissan - Journal of African Languages and Linguistics19/1, pp. 40–63.
- Polotsky, Hans Jakob(1939). "L labialisé en gouragué mouher", in: GLECS 3, pp. 66–68 [=Collected Papers by H. J. Polotsky(Jerusalem: Magnes press 1971), pp. 516–518].
- Rose, Sharon (1996). "Allomorphy and Morphological Categories in Muher", in: G. Hudson (ed.),Essays in Gurage Language and Culture(Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag), pp. 205–227.
- Rose, Sharon (2000). "Velar Lenition in Muher Gurage", in:Lingua Posnaniensis42, pp. 107–116.
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