Muher language
Muher | |
---|---|
Region | Ethiopia |
Native speakers | (undated figure of 90,000)[1] |
Afro-Asiatic
| |
Language codes | |
ISO 639-3 | sgw |
sgw-muh | |
Glottolog | seba1251 |
Muher (Muxar) is an
Phonology
Labial | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar/Glottal | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Prevelar | ||||||
Stop | Voiceless | t | c | k kʷ | ||
Voiced | b bʷ | d | ɟ | g gʷ | ||
Ejective | tʼ | cʼ | kʼ kʼʷ | |||
Affricate | t͡ʃ, d͡ʒ | |||||
Fricative | Voiceless | f fʷ | s | ʃ | ç | h hʷ |
Voiced | z | ʒ | ||||
Nasal | m mʷ | n | ɲ | |||
Liquid | l
|
|||||
Glide | j | w |
The phonemic status of the glottal stop is 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
Like many Semetic languages, Muher has triconsonantal roots for 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 |
Definiteness is marked by the definite suffix -we.
Muher has a decimal number system. The teens are formed by ɑsrɑ̈- 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
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 is perfective or non-perfective.
Object Marker | Light | Heavy | |
---|---|---|---|
Perfective | Non-perfective | ||
1SG | -e | -e | -rɨ |
2SG Masc. | -nnɑhɑ̈ | -hɑ̈ | -kkɑ̈ |
2SG Fem. | -nnɑç | -ç | -kc |
3SG Masc. | -nn | -ʷ/-nn | -ʲ/-ʷ (-c) |
3SG Fem. | -nnɑ | -ːɑ/-nnɑ | -jɑ/-wɑ (-cɑ) |
1PL | -(ɑ̈)nɑ̈ | -ɑ̈nɑ̈ | -nnɑ̈ |
2PL Masc. | -nnɑhmʷ | -hɨmʷ | -kkɨmʷ |
2PL Fem. | -nnɑhmɑ | -hmɑ | -kkimɑ |
3PL Masc | -nnɑ̈mʷ | -ːɑ̈mʷ/-nnɑ̈mʷ | -jɑ̈mʷ/-wɑ̈mʷ (-cɑ̈mʷ) |
3PL Fem | -nnɑ̈mɑ | -ːɑ̈mɑ/-nnɑ̈mɑ | -jɑ̈mɑ/-wɑ̈mɑ (-cɑ̈mɑ) |
References
Citations
- ^ ISBN 978-90-272-0833-0, retrieved 2024-02-26
- ISSN 1890-9639.
- ^ Goldenberg, G. (2009). From Speech to Writing in Gurage-Land: First Attempts to Write in the Vernacular. In Egyptian, 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).
- ^ ISBN 978-0-429-65538-8.
- ISBN 978-3-11-025158-6, retrieved 2024-02-26
- ISBN 978-3-447-03830-0.
Further reading
- Cohen, Marcel (1936). Etudes d’éthiopien méridional. Paris: Geuthner.
- Hetzron, Robert (1977). The Gunnan-Gurage languages. Napoli : Istituto Orientale di Napoli.
- ISBN 3-447-02041-5)
- Leslau, Wolf (1981). Ethiopians Speak: Studies in Cultural Background, Part IV : Muher. Wiesbaden: Franz Steiner. (ISBN 3-515-03657-1)
- Meyer, Ronny (2005). "The morpheme yä- in Muher", in: Lissan - Journal of African Languages and Linguistics 19/1, 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 Posnaniensis 42, pp. 107–116.