Kafa language

Spoken in

  • Afro-Asiatic Omotisch Nordomotisch Gonga - Gimojan Gonga

Kaffa (also Kafa, Kefa, Kaficho; self-designation kəfa ) is the language of Kaffa, who live in southern Ethiopia. It belongs to Gonga group ( also Kefoid ) of the northern branch of the omotischen languages ​​, a primary branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family. It is used particularly with the Bosha and the Mocha / Shekacho close.

Phonology

As is typical of Afro-Asiatic languages ​​, the Kaffa has voiceless, voiced and glottalized consonants; all non- glottal consonants can also geminiert occur. There are ten vowel phonemes ( / i /, / e /, [ a] ~ [ ə ], / o /, / u / ), the long and short can occur both. Diphthongs are rare. Tone and accent seem to stand strong in conjunction with the vowel quantity, but more accurate findings are still lacking.

Morphology

The personal pronouns distinguish the Numbers singular and plural; the genera masculine and feminine are separated only in the 3rd person singular. The declination is accomplished by various suffixes.

Nouns mark the masculine and the feminine with -o/-a with -e; for plural formation serve the suffix -inao/-enao and reduplication ( nato - natito " Year (s )"). Case be - marked suffixes, examples are nominative -i, -n accusative, genitive -e/-i, dative c, ne locative, instrumental na, allative -wan - often optional.

The verbal system is here mainly represented by Cerulli 1951, the most detailed description; Data from other publications differed considerably. The verb has the modes jussive / imperative, indicative ( " long conjugation " ), indicative ( " short conjugation " ), concessive and a relative conjugation; In addition, the verb on its own negative conjugation. In each case, the tenses perfect and imperfect are formed which differ mostly by different sets of personal endings, in the "long" conjugation of the indicative are the perfect tense with -t -, - ∅ -, the past tense with -m ,-h - and the negated verb with -ac - marked; the negation of the relative conjugation of by -. Unlike other languages ​​omotischen the Kaffa does not have a conjugation system for interrogative sentences. There can also be various deverbal nouns such as the infinitive in-e, as well as verbs Causative on -s/-c ( UWE "drink" - Use / uje " to drink " ) form.

Syntax

The word order seems to be generally SOV:

The copula ne is in affirmative sentences, tone negated and negated in relative clauses tono.

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