Awngi (language)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Awngi (ˈawŋi)

Spoken in

Ethiopia , Amhara Region, Agew Awi Zone
speaker 553,400
Linguistic
classification
Language codes
ISO 639 -1

-

ISO 639 -2

cus

ISO 639-3

awn

Awngi is a Central Cushitic language spoken by the Awis , an ethnic group in central Gojjam in northwestern Ethiopia . In literature, the language is classified as an Agau language, and as such it belongs to the Cushitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family .

Most of the speakers live in the Agew Awi Zone , a district of the Amhara region. But there are other groups of speakers in different areas of the Metekel Zone , a district of the Benishangul-Gumuz region. The status of the Kunfel , another southern Agaw language in the area west of Lake Tana , has not yet been conclusively clarified. It is closely related to the Awngi and could be a dialect.

Phonology

Vowels

front central back
open ​i​ ​ɨ​ ​u​
closed ​e​ ​a​ ​O​

The central vowel / ⁠ ɨ ⁠ / is the default epenthetische vocal language and almost entirely predictable in its occurrence.

Consonants

labial alveolar Palato-Velar Uvular
easy labialized easy labialized
Plosives unvoiced ​p​ ​t​ ​k​ kʷ ​q​ qʷ
voiced ​b​ ​d​ ​G​ G ​ɢ​ ɢʷ
Affricates unvoiced ​ʦ​ ​ʧ​
voiced ​z​ ​ʤ​
Fricatives ​f​ ​s​ ​ʃ​
Nasals ​m​ ​n​ ​ŋ​ ŋʷ
Lateral ​l​
Tap ​r​
Approximants ​w​ ​j​
  • / ⁠ h ⁠ / occurs mainly in Lehnworten in free variation to zero.
  • / ⁠ ɢ ⁠ / is usually used as uvular voiced fricative [⁠ ʁ ⁠] realized.
  • Although / ⁠ for ⁠ / and / ⁠ ʤ ⁠ / are phonetically realized in most environments as fricatives, they are based on their behavior in phonological rules in many respects be regarded as the voiced counterparts to the voiceless affricates.

Sounds

Palmer and Hetzron have both identified three significant pitches in the Awngi: high, medium, and low. The bass occurs only at the end of the word on the vowel a . A falling tone (high-medium) also only appears at the end of the word. ​​

The syllable

In the Awngi, the syllable usually fits into the maximum syllable scheme CVC (C stands for a consonant, V for a vowel). This means that you can find at most one consonant in syllable initials and syllable rhymes . Exceptions can be made at word boundaries where extrametric consonants can occur.

Phonological processes

Gemination

In non-initial positions there is contrast between geminated and non-geminated consonants in the Awngi . Contrast does not occur with the following consonants: / ɢ, ɢʷ, ʦ, ʧ, j, w, ʒ / .

Vowel harmony

Adding a suffix with the closed [+ up] vowel i to a stem creates a productive vowel harmony. Hetzron calls this process vowel pitch assimilation . The process only takes place when the underlying vowel of the last stem syllable is e . This vowel and all preceding manifestations of e and o inherit the trait [+ high] until another vowel is encountered. Then the vowel harmony is blocked. Hetzron provides the following example: / moleqés-á / 'Nun' vs. / muliqís-í / 'monk'. ​​​​​​​​

spelling, orthography

Awngi is used as the language of instruction in primary school grades 1 to 6 in the Awi zone . The spelling is based on the Ethiopian script . Special characters for the Awngi are ጝ for the sound ŋ and ቕ for the sound q . The character ፅ is used for ts , the character ኽ for the sound ɢ . Various aspects of the Awngi spelling have not yet been conclusively clarified. ​​​​​​​​

morphology

The noun

The noun is marked for number with gender ( masculine , feminine or plural ) and for case . In one nominal class the nominative is not marked, in other classes with -i for masculine nouns and -a for feminine nouns. Other cases are accusative , dative , genitive , locative , directional, ablative , comitive , comparative , invocative and translative . Hetzron also names the adverbial as a case of the Awngi, but an interpretation as a derivative marker seems to be more appropriate. Both the number with gender and case are marked by suffixes on the stem.

The verb

The verbal morphology of the Awngi has an abundance of conjugation forms . The four main times are past imperfect, non-past imperfect, past perfect and non-past perfect. There are numerous other coordinated and subordinated forms, which, like the main tenses, are all marked as suffixes to the verb stem . With regard to the person, there are the following distinctions in the Awngi: 1sg, 2sg, 3mask, 3fem, 1pl, 2pl, 3pl.

Hetzron proved that the verb morphology of the Awngi can be described most economically if one uses four different stems for each verb. The first trunk is used for 3mask, 2pl and 3pl, the second for 1sg, the third for 2sg and 3fem, and the fourth for 1pl. These four stems must be recorded for each verb in the lexicon (and also the infinitive and the imperative forms); they then serve as the basis for all forms of the verb. These stems remain the same in all paradigms , and the surface shapes of all members of a paradigm can be reliably predicted if the stem and the immutable tense suffix are known.

syntax

The main verb in the sentence is only at the end of the sentence. The order of the constituents in the sentence is subject - object - predicate . Subordination and coordination is achieved exclusively through suffixes on the verb.

Endnotes

  1. ↑ a b Ethnologue entry for ISO 339-3: awn
  2. ↑ Hetzron 1969 a. a.
  3. ↑ Hussen Mohammed, Ryan Boone & Andreas Joswig (2005): News on Southern Agaw http://www.tca.leidenuniv.nl/content_docs/int_confer._addis_ababa/programme_abstracts.doc
  4. ↑ Joswig (2006), p. 786
  5. ↑ Joswig (2006), p. 792
  6. ↑ Hetzron (1969), p. 4th
  7. ↑ see Hetzron (1969), p. 7f
  8. ↑ Palmer (1959), p. 273
  9. ↑ Hetzron (1969), p. 6th
  10. ↑ Hetzron (1997), p. 485
  11. ^ Hetzron (1978)
  12. ^ Hetzron (1978), p. 125 ff
  13. ↑ Hetzron (1969)

literature

  • Appleyard, David L. (2006) A Comparative Dictionary of the Agaw Languages (Kuschitische Sprachstudien - Cushitic Language Studies Volume 24). Cologne: Rüdiger Köppe Verlag.
  • Hetzron, Robert. (1969) The Verbal System of Southern Agaw . Berkeley & Los Angeles: University of California Press.
  • Hetzron, Robert. (1978) The Nominal System of Awngi (Southern Agaw) Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies 41, pt. 1. pp. 121-141. SOAS. London.
  • Joswig, Andreas (2006) The Status of the High Central Vowel in Awngi in: Uhlig, Siegbert: Proceedings of the XVth International Conference of Ethiopian Studies, Hamburg July 2003 . Pp. 286-793. Harrassowitz. Wiesbaden.
  • Joswig, Andreas (2008) Rethinking Awngi Tone (PDF; 454 kB). in: Ege, Svein, Birhanu Teferra (Eds.): Proceedings of the 16th International Conference of Ethiopian Studies. Pp. 1417-1425. NTNU. Trondheim.
  • Andreas Joswig: The Phonology of Awngi  (= SIL Electronic Working Papers). SIL International, 2010.
  • Palmer, Frank R. (1959) The Verb Classes of Agaw (Awiya) Communications from the Institute for Oriental Studies 7.2. Pp. 270-97. Berlin.
  • Information in the Ethnologue: http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=awn
  • Information in the World Atlas of Language Structures : http://wals.info/languoid/lect/wals_code_awn