A Grammar of Kambaata

Part I: Phonology, Nominal Morphology and Non-verbal Predication

Author: Yvonne Treis. Series edited by: Hans-Jürgen Sasse †.

Series: KuS Cushitic Language Studies Volume 26

2008
22 pp. Roman, 445 pp.
1 map, 2 colour photos, 107 tables, 16 graphs and diagrams
Text language(s): English
Format: 160 x 240 mm
730 g
Paperback
€ 49.80

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Kambaata (self-name: Kambaatissata) is a Highland East Cushitic language spoken by about 740,000 people (2007 Census) in the Ethiopian highlands, around the Hambarrichcho massif in the South of Ethiopia. The current book constitutes the first part of an in-depth grammatical description of the hitherto hardly explored language.

Kambaata is a language particularly rich in morphology. The first chapter provides a short introduction into the classification of the language as well as the economy, environment, society and history of its speakers. The subsequent chapters (2-5) address phonological and morphophonological issues and explain the grammatical importance of accent. Chapter 6 summarizes the features defining the Kambaata word classes.

The central chapter 7 focuses on the morphology of noun and deals with the complex functions of number morphemes and the elaborate Kambaata case system, which distinguishes not fewer than eight case forms in various nominal declensions. Chapter 8 advocates a word class of attributes, encompassing adjectives, numerals, and demonstrative modifiers. Members of this word class are defined by their ability to agree with their head nouns in case and gender.

The pronoun chapter (9) discusses, among others, recent innovations in the personal pronoun system, takes a look at reciprocal pronouns and examines the functions of the four types of demonstrative pronouns. The final chapter (10) of the book analyses non-verbal predication and describes the intricate distribution of the Kambaata copulas.

Kambaata is used as a medium of instruction in primary schools. The official orthography is Latin-based.

Under these links you will find descriptions of further (Highland East) Cushitic languages and publications of the author:

Accompanying material:

• A Grammar of Alaaba (ISBN 978-3-89645-483-6)
• Das K’abeena (ISBN 978-3-89645-480-5)

Cross-reference:

• Encoding Motion – Case Studies from Africa (ISBN 978-3-89645-505-5)
• Language, Identity, and Conceptualization among the Khoisan (ISBN 978-3-89645-143-9)
• Perception of the Invisible (ISBN 978-3-89645-603-8)

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