Table Of ContentnOClJMENTATION AND GRAMMATICAL DESCRIPTION OF
GOFA
Ily: Chern llirooro
Selln~if
Supcorvisor; Dinyam SiSilY (phD)
A Submlned 10 the Sfhool or Graduate StudiH. College of
Dis~rlation
Humanities. Language Stndin. Jonrnalism and Philology
l:kplrlmenl of Linguistics Ind Philology
l'rHtnted in .·ulfillmenl$ of tbt Rtquirtments for the Dtgru of
of Philosophy in Documentary Linguisliell and Culture
~Ior
Addis Ababa Uohuslty
June 20lS
... <Ioth. ,' .... b. I 61. • .,11)
rur, ,. ......
TN" ", .. d ............ ~<".,t<I.,. S.lluol<l_ .... ~ .... ~I"-'
o....n..""al '¥'n,.. .. oro.r. ..b mo"""", obr ~ or l,.p""'" ~ I'bilolup-;.
,..,...1 ru.foI_ 0("" r T •• '".1«""'0.,...",0......011'101-..101. Do<-,
, .... ..1 '11 ..........,. . .'. _ _ 011 .......- ..1...,_ .............
_.""'~,
• 1 ..... _ .... S I,'Y""'''''''
•
I. \Ilc "rl(ic"ign«l, d«lare \hal \hi. Ji~nmi<)n hcreb) SUOOllUOO for 1M dt8/ff nf
Philooopby In Doc"""1IIaI) Lln~Ut$IIC' and Culture at Add;$ AhabII Uni"''fSlly il my
""n "O<k lind lias fI()\ brm P"" iousl) MibnIll\C'd 10 an) otlla llni'..nil) for any Ik~
To It.. but of m) ~""" IMgt. ;1 COIIt.;nRS "" "",":rIal pKnoosly published or ... nutn by
anulh<-r pofJQn. "''';~pI ,,110,.., d"" refc,..,,..~ II.u been rna..k in 1110 \e<1
NarrIO oflllO cMclidatc: Sdlassic Chef\!
'Q\L
0+ ,. 201b
•
Table of Contents
LIST OF TABLES ......................................................................................................................................... VII
LIST OF MAPS AND FIGURE .........................................................................................................................IX
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND SYMBOLS .....................................................................................................X
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................................................ XIV
ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................................. XV
1. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................... 1
1.1. THE GOFA PEOPLE AND THE LANGUAGE ................................................................................................... 1
1.1.1. The Gofa People ......................................................................................................................... 1
1.1.2. The Gofa Language .................................................................................................................... 3
1.2. THE REVIEW OF THE PREVIOUS STUDIES ................................................................................................... 5
1.3. THE PRESENT STUDY ............................................................................................................................. 9
1.3.1. The Objectives of the Study ........................................................................................................ 9
1.3.1.1. General Objectives ........................................................................................................................... 9
1.3.1.2. Specific Objectives ........................................................................................................................... 9
1.3.2. The Significance of the Study .................................................................................................... 10
1.4. METHODOLOGICAL AND THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK ................................................................................ 10
1.4.1. Basic Linguistic Theory ............................................................................................................. 10
1.4.2. Language Documentation ........................................................................................................ 11
1.4.2.1. Data Collection ............................................................................................................................... 11
1.4.2.2. Data Analysis .................................................................................................................................. 13
1.4.2.2.1. Software Used for the Transcription ......................................................................................... 13
1.4.2.2.2. Interpretation of Data ............................................................................................................... 14
1.4.2.2.3. Transcription and Glosses ......................................................................................................... 14
1.5. THE SCOPE AND ORGANIZATION OF THE STUDY........................................................................................ 16
1.5.1. The Organization of the Study .................................................................................................. 16
1.5.2. The Scope and Limitation of the Study ..................................................................................... 17
2. THE SEGMENTAL PHONOLOGY OF GOFA .......................................................................................... 19
2.1. CONSONANT PHONEME INVENTORY ...................................................................................................... 19
2.1.1. Obstruent Consonant Phonemes .............................................................................................. 19
2.1.1.1. Pulmonic Consonant Segments ...................................................................................................... 20
2.1.1.2. Glottalic Consonant Phonemes ...................................................................................................... 25
2.1.2. Sonorant Consonant Phonemes ............................................................................................... 27
2.1.2.1. Nasals ............................................................................................................................................. 27
2.1.2.2. Liquids ............................................................................................................................................ 28
2.1.2.3. Glides ............................................................................................................................................. 29
i
2.2. VOWEL PHONEME INVENTORY.............................................................................................................. 30
2.2.1. Short Vowel Phonemes ............................................................................................................. 31
2.2.2. Diphthongs ............................................................................................................................... 33
2.3. CONSONANT GEMINATION .................................................................................................................. 36
2.3.1. Simple Consonant Gemination ................................................................................................. 36
2.3.2. Complex Consonant Gemination .............................................................................................. 37
2.4. VOWEL LENGTHENING ........................................................................................................................ 42
2.5. SYLLABLE STRUCTURE ......................................................................................................................... 43
2.5.1. Types of Canonical Syllable Pattern.......................................................................................... 43
2.5.2. Types of Syllable Structure ....................................................................................................... 45
2.5.3. Syllable Weight ......................................................................................................................... 45
2.5.3.1. Light Syllable .................................................................................................................................. 45
2.5.3.2. Heavy Syllable ................................................................................................................................ 46
2.6. PHONOTACTICS.................................................................................................................................. 47
2.6.1. Onset Constraint ....................................................................................................................... 47
2.6.2. Restrictions of Coda Co-occurrences ........................................................................................ 49
2.6.3. Restrictions of Vowel Co- occurrences ...................................................................................... 52
3. MORPHOPHONEMIC PROCESSES AND RULES ................................................................................... 55
3.1. PHONOLOGICAL PROCESSES AND RULES ................................................................................................. 55
3.1.1. Free variation ........................................................................................................................... 56
3.1.2. Spirantization of labial segments ............................................................................................ 58
3.1.3. Allomorphic variations of plural marking morphemes. ............................................................ 60
3.1.4. Fortition or devoicing rules. ...................................................................................................... 61
3.1.5. Assimilation Rules ..................................................................................................................... 62
3.1.5.1. Progressive (dis)continuous assimilation rule . .............................................................................. 62
3.1.5.2. Regressive contiguous assimilation rule. ....................................................................................... 64
3.1.5.3. Complete assimilation rule. ........................................................................................................... 65
3.2. MORPHOLOGICAL PROCESSES AND RULES ................................................................................................ 66
3.2.1. Epenthetic segment insertion ................................................................................................... 66
3.2.1.1. Semivowel insertion rule................................................................................................................ 66
3.2.1.2. Basic vowel insertion rule .............................................................................................................. 68
3.2.2. Affix suppletion . ....................................................................................................................... 70
3.2.3. Vowel raising rule . ................................................................................................................... 71
3.2.4. Vowel dropping rules ................................................................................................................ 73
3.2.5. Diphthongization rules ............................................................................................................. 74
4. TONOLOGY ....................................................................................................................................... 77
4.1. OVERVIEW ........................................................................................................................................ 77
ii
4.2. LEXICAL TONE AND TONAL MELODIES .................................................................................................... 79
4.2.1. Lexical tone assignment ........................................................................................................... 79
4.2.1.1. Simple words of class of nouns ...................................................................................................... 79
4.2.1.2. Simple words of class of verbs ....................................................................................................... 80
4.2.1.3. Simple words of a class of adjectives and adverbs. ........................................................................ 81
4.2.1.4. Personal pronouns. ........................................................................................................................ 82
4.2.1.5. Demonstrative pronouns . ............................................................................................................. 82
4.2.2. Tonal melodies ........................................................................................................................ 83
4.3. MORPHOLOGICAL TONE ...................................................................................................................... 84
4.3.1. The inflectional tone ................................................................................................................. 84
4.3.1.1. Vocative tonal affix ........................................................................................................................ 85
4.3.2. Tonal accent spreading ............................................................................................................ 86
4.3.2.1. Plateauing. ..................................................................................................................................... 86
4.3.2.2. Boundary tone . ............................................................................................................................. 87
4.3.3. Derivational tone ...................................................................................................................... 88
5. NOUNS ............................................................................................................................................. 90
5.1. INFLECTIONAL NOUN MORPHOLOGY...................................................................................................... 90
5.1.1. Gender ...................................................................................................................................... 90
5.1.1.1. Biological gender ............................................................................................................................ 90
5.1.1.1.1. Gender expressing lexicons of some proper nouns .................................................................. 91
5.1.1.1.2. Gender expressing lexicons of some common nouns ............................................................... 92
5.1.1.2. Morphological gender .................................................................................................................... 92
5.1.2. Number ................................................................................................................................... 101
5.1.2.1. Singular ........................................................................................................................................ 101
5.1.2.2. Plural ............................................................................................................................................ 104
5.1.3. Definiteness ............................................................................................................................ 108
5.1.3.1. Definiteness and case interaction ................................................................................................ 109
5.1.3.2. Using premodifying gentives ........................................................................................................ 109
5.1.4. Case ........................................................................................................................................ 112
5.1.4.1. Overview ...................................................................................................................................... 112
5.1.4.2. Core case ...................................................................................................................................... 115
5.1.4.2.1. Nominative case ..................................................................................................................... 115
5.1.4.2.2. Accusative case ....................................................................................................................... 119
5.1.4.2.3. Dative case .............................................................................................................................. 124
5.1.4.2.4. Gentive case............................................................................................................................ 125
5.1.4.3. Peripheral case ............................................................................................................................. 128
5.1.4.3.1. Abessive case .......................................................................................................................... 128
5.1.4.3.2. Equative case ........................................................................................................................ 129
5.1.4.3.3. Instrumental/comitative case ................................................................................................. 130
5.1.4.3.4. Locative /Directive case .......................................................................................................... 131
iii
5.1.4.3.5. Vocative case .......................................................................................................................... 132
5.2. NOMINAL DERVATION AND COMPOUNDING .......................................................................................... 134
5.2.1. Derivation of nominals ........................................................................................................... 135
5.2.1.1. Abstract nominals ........................................................................................................................ 135
5.2.1.2. Agentive nominals ........................................................................................................................ 136
5.2.1.3. Locative nominals ........................................................................................................................ 137
5.2.1.4. Manner/ Process nominals ......................................................................................................... 137
5.2.1.5. Conversion ................................................................................................................................... 138
5.2.1.6. Derivational tone ......................................................................................................................... 138
5.2.2. Compounding ......................................................................................................................... 139
5.2.2.1. The two-word compounds ........................................................................................................... 140
5.2.2.2. The three and four- word compounds ......................................................................................... 140
6. PRONOUNS ..................................................................................................................................... 143
6.1. PERSONAL PRONOUNS ...................................................................................................................... 144
6.1.1. Subject and direct object pronouns ........................................................................................ 145
6.1.2. Dative pronouns ..................................................................................................................... 147
6.1.3. Genitive pronouns and possessive predicates ........................................................................ 148
6.1.4. Instrumental/Comitative pronouns ........................................................................................ 151
6.2. REFLEXIVE PRONOUNS ....................................................................................................................... 152
6.3. DEMONSTRATIVE PRONOUNS ............................................................................................................. 154
6.4. INDEFINITE PRONOUNS ...................................................................................................................... 157
6.5. INTERROGATIVE PRONOUNS ............................................................................................................... 159
6.6. RECIPROCAL PRONOUNS .................................................................................................................... 163
6.7. VOCATIVE PRONOUNS ....................................................................................................................... 164
7. VERBS ............................................................................................................................................. 166
7.1. THE VERB ROOTS .............................................................................................................................. 166
7.2. VERB INFLECTIONS ............................................................................................................................ 167
7.2.1. Subject agreement ................................................................................................................. 167
7.2.2. Tense ...................................................................................................................................... 168
7.2.2.1. Future tense ................................................................................................................................. 169
7.2.2.2. Present tense ............................................................................................................................... 170
7.2.2.3. Past tense ..................................................................................................................................... 171
7.2.3. Aspect ..................................................................................................................................... 172
7.2.3.1. Progressive ................................................................................................................................... 172
7.2.3.2. Prospective................................................................................................................................... 175
7.2.4. Mood ...................................................................................................................................... 175
7.2.4.1. Declarative ................................................................................................................................... 175
7.2.4.2. Interrogative ................................................................................................................................ 176
iv
7.2.4.3. Imperative and prohibitative ....................................................................................................... 177
7.2.4.4. Jussive .......................................................................................................................................... 178
7.2.4.5. Hortative ...................................................................................................................................... 179
7.3. DERIVATION OF VERBS ...................................................................................................................... 180
7.3.1. Causativization ....................................................................................................................... 181
7.3.2. Frequentative verb stems. ...................................................................................................... 183
7.3.3. Passivization of verb stems. ................................................................................................... 184
7.3.4. Reciprocal verb stems. ............................................................................................................ 186
7.3.5. The middle voice verb formation ............................................................................................ 187
8. NOMINAL AND VERBAL MODIFIERS ................................................................................................ 189
8.1. ADJECTIVES ..................................................................................................................................... 189
8.1.1. Citation forms of basic adjectives ........................................................................................... 189
8.1.2. Semantic types of basic adjectives ......................................................................................... 190
8.1.3. Attributive and predicative uses of adjectives ........................................................................ 192
8.1.3.1. Attributive adjectives .................................................................................................................. 192
8.1.3.2. Predicative adjectives .................................................................................................................. 194
8.1.3.3. Degree of adjectives ..................................................................................................................... 195
8.1.4. Basic adjectives that behave like noun phrases ..................................................................... 197
8.2. ADVERBS ........................................................................................................................................ 198
8.2.1. Temporal adverbs ................................................................................................................... 198
8.2.2. Direction adverbs ................................................................................................................... 199
8.2.3. Place adverbs ......................................................................................................................... 200
8.2.4. Attributive and predicative uses of adverbials ....................................................................... 201
9. SYNTAX ........................................................................................................................................... 203
9.1. PHRASE STRUCTURE .......................................................................................................................... 203
9.1.1. Noun phrases .......................................................................................................................... 203
9.1.1.1. The head nominals in a noun phrase ........................................................................................... 203
9.1.1.2. Specifiers and the direction of head nouns .................................................................................. 205
9.1.1.3. Complements and the direction of head nouns ........................................................................... 209
9.1.2. Adjective phrases.................................................................................................................... 212
9.1.3. Verb phrases ........................................................................................................................... 213
9.1.4. Adverb phrases. ...................................................................................................................... 214
9.2. STRUCTURE OF CLAUSES .................................................................................................................... 215
9.2.1. Simple clauses ........................................................................................................................ 215
9.2.1.1. Declarative clauses ....................................................................................................................... 216
9.2.1.1.1. Affirmative declarative clauses ............................................................................................... 216
9.2.1.1.2. Negative declarative clauses .................................................................................................. 218
9.2.1.2. Interroagative clauses .................................................................................................................. 220
v
9.2.1.3. Word order in simple clauses ....................................................................................................... 222
9.2.2. Complex clauses ..................................................................................................................... 223
9.2.2.1. Relative clauses ............................................................................................................................ 224
9.2.2.2. Converb clauses ........................................................................................................................... 228
9.2.2.3. Adverb clauses ............................................................................................................................. 230
9.2.2.3.1. Temporal clause ...................................................................................................................... 230
9.2.2.3.2. Reason clause ......................................................................................................................... 231
9.2.2.3.3. Manner clause ........................................................................................................................ 232
9.2.2.3.4. Purposive clause .................................................................................................................... 232
9.2.2.3.5. Conditional clause .................................................................................................................. 233
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................. 237
REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................................. 243
APPENDICES ............................................................................................................................................. 251
vi
List of Tables
Table 1: Orthography and Representation ....................................................................... 15
Table 2: Consonant Phonemes of Gofa ............................................................................ 19
Table 3: Pulmonic voiceless consonant phonemes at word initial ................................... 20
Table 4: Pulmonic voiceless consonant phonemes at word medial ................................. 20
Table 5: Pulmonic voiceless consonant phonemes at stem final...................................... 21
Table 6: Fricative consonant segments ............................................................................ 21
Table 7: The occurrence of pulmonic fricative voiceless consonants .............................. 21
Table 8: Occurrence of affricates at stem final ................................................................ 24
Table 9: Occurrence of ejectives at word initial, medial and stem final. ......................... 25
Table 10: Occurrence of a glottalic stop at word initial and medial ................................ 26
Table 11: Occurrence of glottalic affricates at word initial and medial .......................... 26
Table 12: Vowel phonemes .............................................................................................. 31
Table 13: Diphthongs ....................................................................................................... 33
Table 14: Occurence of diphthongs affixed to word final................................................ 35
Table 15: Examples of simple gemination ....................................................................... 36
Table 16: Occurence of long vowels ................................................................................ 42
Table 17: Co-occurrences of cluster of consonants ........................................................ 50
Table 18: Members of C C consonants ........................................................................ 51
1 2
Table 19: Gender expressing proper names of persons ................................................... 91
Table 20: Gender expressing proper names of domestic animals .................................. 91
vii
