Cover not available
Part of
Similative and Equative Constructions: A cross-linguistic perspective
Edited by Yvonne Treis and Martine Vanhove
[Typological Studies in Language 117] 2017
► pp. 91–142

Chapter 4
Similative morphemes as purpose clause markers in Ethiopia and beyond

In more than 30 languages spoken at the Horn of Africa, a similative morpheme ‘like’ or a noun ‘manner’ or ‘type’ is used as a marker of purpose clauses. The paper first elaborates on the many functions of the enclitic morpheme =g ‘manner’ in Kambaata (Highland East Cushitic), which is used, among others, as a marker of the standard in similative and equative comparison (‘like’, ‘as’), of temporal clauses of immediate anteriority (‘as soon as’), of complement clauses (‘that’) and, most notably, of purpose clauses (‘in order to’). The second part of the paper gives a detailed account of the distribution of the use of ‘like’, ‘manner’ or ‘type’ as a purpose clause marker in Afroasiatic and Nilo-Saharan languages of the Horn of Africa. Similative-purpose multifunctionality, which is cross-linguistically rare, concentrates especially in central areas of Ethiopia and can be assumed to be the result of language contact between certain Cushitic, Ethio-Semitic and Omotic languages.

Keywords: Similarity, purpose clauses, language contact, Ethiopian Linguistic Area, multifunctionality replication
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.The multifunctionality of =g ‘manner’ in Kambaata
    • 2.1Introduction
    • 2.2Morphology and morphosyntax of =g ‘manner’
    • 2.3Similarity
    • 2.4Simulation
    • 2.5Equality
    • 2.6Accord
    • 2.7Correlation
    • 2.8Exemplification
    • 2.9Role phrases (Functives)
    • 2.10Immediate anteriority
    • 2.11Contrast
    • 2.12Purpose
    • 2.13Weak obligation
    • 2.14Complementation
    • 2.15Exclamation
    • 2.16Summary
  • 3.Similative-purpose multifunctionality in Ethiopia
    • 3.1Cushitic
    • 3.2Ethio-Semitic
    • 3.3Omotic
    • 3.4Ethiopian Nilo-Saharan
  • 4.Summary
  • Notes
  • References
  • Appendix
Published online: 31 May 2017
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/tsl.117.05tre
References
Abdurahman Garad & Wagner, Ewald
1998 Harari-Studien. Texte mit Übersetzung, grammatische Skizzen und Glossar. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz.Google Scholar
Ahland, Colleen
2012 A Grammar of Northern and Southern Gumuz. PhD dissertation, University of Oregon at Eugene.Google Scholar
Ahland, Michael
2012 A Grammar of Northern Mao (Mawes Aas’e). PhD dissertation, University of Oregon at Eugene.Google Scholar
Anbessa Teferra
2000 A Grammar of Sidaama. PhD dissertation, Hebrew University of Jerusalem.Google Scholar
Andersen, Torben
Forthcoming. Berta. In Handbook of Ethiopian Languages, Bedilu Waqjira, Ronny Meyer & Zelealem Leyew eds Oxford OUP
Appleyard, David L.
1975 A descriptive outline of Kemant. Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies 3 (2): 316–350. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Azeb Amha
2001a The Maale Language. Leiden: CNWS Publications.Google Scholar
2001b Ideophones and compound verbs in Wolaitta. In Ideophones [Typological Studies in Language 44], F. K. Erhard Voeltz & Christa Kilian-Hatz (eds), 49–62. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.Google Scholar
2007 Verbal subject-agreement and modality distinction in Zargulla. Paper presented at the Research Centre for Linguistic Typology, Melbourne, La Trobe University, 10 October.
2009a The morphosyntax of negation in Zargulla. In The Linguistics of Endangered Languages. Contributions to Morphology and Morphosyntax, Leo Wetzels (ed.), 199–220. Utrecht: LOT.Google Scholar
2009b Discourse particles and attitudinal markers in Wolaitta. Paper presented at the Discourse Markers in African Languages Workshop, CNRS-LLACAN, Villejuif, 20 November.
Babaliyeva, Ayten
2013 Études sur la morphosyntaxe du tabasaran littéraire. PhD dissertation, École Pratique des Hautes Études, Paris.Google Scholar
Banti, Giorgio & Vergari, Moreno
2005 A sketch of Saho grammar. Journal of Eritrean Studies 4 (1–2): 101–131.Google Scholar
Beachy, Marvin Dean
2005 An Overview of Central Dizin Phonology and Morphology. MA thesis, The University of Texas at Arlington.Google Scholar
Beniam Mitiku Cherinet
2013 Harari. A Descriptive Grammar. PhD dissertation, Addis Ababa University.Google Scholar
Benishangul-Gumuz Language Development Project
2014 Bertha – English – Amharic – Arabic Dictionary, 2nd edn, Assosa, Addis Ababa: Education Bureau, Bureau of Culture & Tourism; SIL Ethiopia.Google Scholar
Berhanu Chamora & Hetzron, Robert
2000 Inor. Munich: Lincom.Google Scholar
Bliese, Loren F.
1981 A Generative Grammar of Afar. Dallas: SIL.Google Scholar
Carlson, Robert
1994 A Grammar of Supyire. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Crass, Joachim
2005 Das K’abeena. Deskriptive Grammatik einer hochlandostkuschitischen Sprache [Kuschitische Sprachstudien 23]. Cologne: Rüdiger Köppe.Google Scholar
Crass, Joachim & Meyer, Ronny
2008 Ethiopia. In A Linguistic Geography of Africa, Bernd Heine & Derek Nurse (eds), 228–249. Cambridge: CUP.Google Scholar
Creissels, Denis
2014 Functive phrases in typological and diachronic perspective. Studies in Language 38 (3): 605–647. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Deginet Wotango Doyiso & Treis, Yvonne
transl. In preparation Qakkichchu Laaha The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint Exupéry
Deutscher, Guy
2000 Syntactic Change in Akkadian. The Evolution of Sentential Complementation. Oxford: OUP.Google Scholar
Eggs, Frederike
2006 Die Grammatik von als und wie. Tübingen: Narr.Google Scholar
Elias, David Lyndon
2005 Tigre of Habab. Short Grammar and Texts from the Rigbat People. PhD dissertation, Harvard University.Google Scholar
Evans, Nicholas
2007 Insubordination and its uses. In Finiteness: Theoretical and Empirical Foundations, Irina Nikolaeva (ed.), 366–431. Oxford: OUP.Google Scholar
Fuchs, Catherine
2014 La comparaison et son expression en français. Paris: Ophrys.Google Scholar
Gasparini, Armido
1983 Sidamo-English Dictionary. Bologna: Editrice Missionaria Italiana.Google Scholar
Girma Mengistu
2014 A Grammar of Sezo. PhD dissertation, Addis Ababa University.Google Scholar
Gragg, Gene B.
(ed.) 1982 Oromo Dictionary. East Lansing MI: African Studies Center, Michigan State University.Google Scholar
Güldemann, Tom
2008 Quotative Indexes in African Languages: A Synchronic and Diachronic Survey [Empiricial Approaches to Language Typology 34]. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Hartmann, Josef
1980 Amharische Grammatik. Wiesbaden: Steiner.Google Scholar
Haspelmath, Martin
1993 A Grammar of Lezgian. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Haspelmath, Martin & Buchholz, Oda
1998 Equative and similative constructions in the languages of Europe. In Adverbial Constructions in the Languages of Europe, Johan van der Auwera (ed.), 277–334. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Hassan Kamil, Mohamed
2015 L’afar: Description grammaticale d’une langue couchitique (Djibouti, Erythrée et Éthiopie). PhD dissertation, INALCO, Paris.Google Scholar
Hayward, Richard J.
1978–79 Bayso revisited: Some preliminary linguistic observations I, II. Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies 41 (3): 539–570; 42 (1): 101–132. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
1990 Notes on the Zayse language. In Omotic Language Studies, Richard J. Hayward (ed.), 210–335. London: School of Oriental and African Studies.Google Scholar
Hayward, Richard J. & Eshetu Chabo
2014 Gamo-English-Amharic Dictionary. With an Introductory Grammar of Gamo. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz.Google Scholar
Heine, Bernd & Kuteva, Tania
2002 World Lexicon of Grammaticalization. Cambridge: CUP. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Hellenthal, Anne-Christie
2010 A Grammar of Sheko. Utrecht: LOT.Google Scholar
Hetzron, Robert
1969 The Verbal System of Southern Agaw. Berkeley CA: University of California Press.Google Scholar
Hompó, Éva
1990 Grammatical relations in Gamo: A pilot sketch. In Omotic Language Studies, Richard J. Hayward (ed.), 356–405. London: School of Oriental and African Studies.Google Scholar
Hudson, Grover
1989 Highland East Cushitic Dictionary. Hamburg: Buske.Google Scholar
Inui, Hideyuki
2012 エチオピア言語調査用基本動詞例文集 (Basic verb sentences for Ethiopian language research). Studies in Ethiopian Languages 2012: 48–211.Google Scholar
Joswig, Andreas
Forthcoming. Majang. In Handbook of Ethiopian Languages, Bedilu Waqjira, Ronny Meyer & Zelealem Leyew eds Oxford OUP
Kambaatissata. Rosaanchi Maxaafa
(Kambaata Language. School Book) 1989 E.C. Grade 1–8. Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Regional State: Education Bureau.Google Scholar
Kane, Thomas Leiper
1990 Amharic-English Dictionary. 2 Vols. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz.Google Scholar
Kawachi, Kazuhiro
2007 A Grammar of Sidaama (Sidamo), a Cushitic Languages of Ethiopia. PhD dissertation, State University of New York at Buffalo.Google Scholar
Forthcoming. Mermaid constructions for evidentiality in Sidaama. In Mermaid Constructions, Tasaku Tsunoda ed. Berlin De Gruyter Mouton
Kießling, Roland
1994 Eine Grammatik des Burunge [Afrikanistische Forschungen 13]. Cologne: Rüdiger Köppe.Google Scholar
Killian, Don
2015 Topics in Uduk Phonology and Morphosyntax. PhD dissertation, University of Helsinki.Google Scholar
Kortmann, Bernd
1997 Adverbial Subordination: A Typology and History of Adverbial Subordinators Based on European Languages. Berlin: De Gruyter. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Lamberti, Marcello & Sottile, Roberto
1997 The Wolaytta Language [Studia Linguarum Africae Orientalis 6]. Cologne: Rüdiger Köppe.Google Scholar
Leslau, Wolf
1941 Documents tigrigna (éthiopien septentrional). Grammaire et textes. Paris: Klincksieck.Google Scholar
1945 Short grammar of Tigré: [1.] The verb in Tigré (North-Ethiopic), dialect of Mensa, [2.] Grammatical sketches in Tigré (North-Ethiopic), dialect of Mensa. Journal of the American Oriental Society 65 (1): 1–26; 65 (3): 164–203. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
1995 A Reference Grammar of Amharic. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz.Google Scholar
Martowicz, Anna
2011 The Origin and Functioning of Circumstantial Clause Linkers: A Cross-linguistic Study. PhD dissertation, University of Edinburgh.Google Scholar
Mason, John
1996 Säwasǝw Tǝgrǝñña, Tigrinya Grammar. Lawrenceville NJ: Red Sea Press.Google Scholar
Meyer, Ronny
2005 Das Zay. Deskriptive Grammatik einer Ostguragesprache (Äthiosemitisch). Cologne: Rüdiger Köppe.Google Scholar
2006 Wolane. A Descriptive Grammar of a Gurage Language (Ethiosemitic). Cologne: Rüdiger Köppe.Google Scholar
Moline, Estelle
2006  Et comme minuit allait sonner, … Pour en finir avec la partition temporelles vs. causales. Cahiers Chronos 15: 63–90.Google Scholar
2008 L’emploi exclamatif de comme, proforme qu- de manière. LINX 58: 25–45. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Morin, Didier
1995 “Des paroles douces comme la soie”: Introduction aux contes dans l’aire couchitique (bedja, afar, saho, somali). Leuven: Peeters.Google Scholar
1996 Afar praise poetry: Orowwah. In Voice and Power: The Culture of Language in North-East Africa. Essays in Honour of B. W. Andrzejewski [ALC Supplement 3], Richard J. Hayward & Ioan M. Lewis (eds), 269–274. London: Taylor & Francis.Google Scholar
2012 Dictionnaire afar-français (Djibouti, Erythrée, Ethiopie). Paris: Karthala.Google Scholar
Mous, Maarten
1993 A Grammar of Iraqw. Hamburg: Buske.Google Scholar
Mous, Maarten & Ongaye Oda
2009 The semantics of clause linking in Konso. In The Semantics of Clause Linking, Robert M. W. Dixon & Alexandra Y. Aikhenvald (eds), 336–355. Oxford: OUP.Google Scholar
Ongaye Oda Orkaydo
2013 A Grammar of Konso. Utrecht: LOT.Google Scholar
Owens, Jonathan
1985 A Grammar of Harar Oromo (Northeastern Ethiopia). Hamburg: Buske.Google Scholar
Perrett, Denise Lesley
2000 The Dynamics of Tense Construal in Hadiyya. PhD dissertation, University of London.Google Scholar
Pillinger, Steve & Galboran, Letiwa
1999 A Rendille Dictionary (Including a Grammatical Outline and an English-Rendille-English Index [Kuschitische Sprachstudien 14]. Cologne: Rüdiger Köppe.Google Scholar
Rapold, Christian
2006 Towards a Grammar of Benchnon. PhD dissertation, Leiden University.Google Scholar
Rapold, Christian & Zaugg-Coretti, Silvia
2009 Exploring the periphery of the Central Ethiopian Linguistic Area: Data from Yemsa and Benchnon. In Language Contact and Language Change in Ethiopia, Joachim Crass & Ronny Meyer (eds), 59–81. Cologne: Rüdiger Köppe.Google Scholar
Raz, Shlomo
1983 Tigre Grammar and Texts. Malibu: Undena.Google Scholar
Reh, Mechthild
1996 Anywa Language. Description and Internal Reconstructions. Cologne: Rüdiger Köppe.Google Scholar
Roba Dame & Wedekind, Charlotte
2008 Burji Dictionary. Ms.Google Scholar
Saeed, John
1999 Somali [London Oriental and African Language Library 10]. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Saxena, Anju
1995 Unidirectional grammaticalization: Diachronic and cross-linguistic evidence. Sprachtypologie und Universalienforschung 48 (4): 350–372.Google Scholar
Schlee, Günther
1978 Sprachliche Studien zum Rendille. Grammatik, Texte, Glossar. With English Summary of Rendille Grammar [Hamburger Philologische Studien 46]. Hamburg: Buske.Google Scholar
Schmidtke-Bode, Karsten
2009 A Typology of Purpose Clauses [Typological Studies in Language 88]. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Schneider-Blum, Gertrud
2007 A Grammar of Alaaba, a Highland East Cushitic Language of Ethiopia [Kuschitische Sprachstudien 25]. Cologne: Rüdiger Köppe.Google Scholar
2009 Máakut(i) t’awá shuultáa ‘Proverbs finish the problems’: Sayings of the Alaaba (Ethiopia) [Verbal Art and Documentary Literature in African Languages 28]. Cologne: Rüdiger Köppe.Google Scholar
Sim, Ronald J.
1989 Predicate Conjoining in Hadiyya: A Head-Driven PS Grammar. PhD dissertation, University of Edinburgh.Google Scholar
Simeone-Senelle, Marie-Claude & Hassan Kamil, Mohamed
2014 Expression de la comparaison d’égalité, de la similitude et polyfonctionnalité du lexème ìnna ‘manière’ en afar. Ms, Villejuif.Google Scholar
Stroomer, Harry
1995 A Grammar of Boraana Oromo (Kenya). Phonology, Morphology, Vocabularies. [Kuschitische Sprachstudien 11] Cologne: Rüdiger Köppe.Google Scholar
Tadesse Sibamo Garkebo
2015 Documentation and Description of Hadiyya. PhD dissertation, Addis Ababa University.Google Scholar
Taine-Cheikh, Catherine
2004 De la grammaticalisation de ‘comme’ (comparative) en arabe. In Approaches to Arabic Dialects. A Collection of Articles Presented to Manfred Woidich on the Occasion of his Sixtieth Birthday, Martine Haak, Rudolf de Jong & Kees Versteegh (eds), 309–328. Leiden: Brill.Google Scholar
Taylor, Nicholas
1994 Gamo Synax. PhD dissertation, University of London.Google Scholar
Tesfay Tewolde
2006 Some points of comparison between Akkadian kīma and Tigrinya käm . In Proceedings of the 15th International Conference of Ethiopian Studies, Hamburg, July 20–25, 2003, Siegbert Uhlig (ed.), 876–884. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz.Google Scholar
Tosco, Mauro
1997 Af Tunni. Grammar, Texts, and Vocabulary of a Southern Somali Dialect [Kuschitische Sprachstudien 13]. Cologne: Rüdiger Köppe.Google Scholar
2001 The Dhaasanac Language [Kuschitische Sprachstudien 17]. Cologne: Rüdiger Köppe.Google Scholar
Treis, Yvonne
2008 A Grammar of Kambaata, Part 1: Phonology, Morphology, and Non-verbal Predication [Kuschitische Sprachstudien 26]. Cologne: Rüdiger Köppe.Google Scholar
2010 Purpose-encoding strategies in Kambaata. Afrika und Übersee 91: 1–38.Google Scholar
2012a Categorial hybrids in Kambaata. Journal of African Languages and Linguistics 33 (2): 215–254. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
2012b Complementation strategies in Kambaata (Cushitic). Paper presented at the Journée d’étude: La complémentation , LACITO-CNRS/INALCO, Paris, 14th May.
Forthcoming a. “They are only two, like the teats of a donkey“: Kambaata denumerals revisited. In Mechthildian Approaches to Afrikanistik: Advances in Language-based Research on Africa. Festschrift in Honor of Mechthild Reh, Roland Kießling & Raija Kramer eds 339 366 Cologne Rüdiger Köppe
Forthcoming b. Comparison in Kambaata: Superiority, equality and similarity. Linguistic Discovery.
Triulzi, Allesandro, Atieb Ahmed Dafallah & Bender, Marvin Lionel
1976 Berta. In The Non-Semitic Languages of Ethiopia, Marvin Lionel Bender (ed.), 512–532. East Lansing MI: African Studies Center, Michigan State University.Google Scholar
Wakasa, Motomichi
2008 A Descriptive Study of the Modern Wolaytta Language. PhD dissertaton, The University of Tokyo.Google Scholar
Wedekind, Klaus
1990 Generating Narratives: Interrelations of Knowledge, Text Variants and Cushitic Focus Strategies. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Weninger, Stefan
1999 Gəʿəz (Classical Ethiopic), 2nd rev. edn. Munich: Lincom.Google Scholar
2001 Das Verbalsystem des Altäthiopischen. Eine Untersuchung seiner Verwendung und Funktion unter Berücksichtigung des Interferenzproblems. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz.Google Scholar
Wetter, Andreas
2010 Das Argobba. Eine deskriptive Grammatik der Varietät von Shonke und T’ollaha (Zentraläthiopien). Cologne: Rüdiger Köppe.Google Scholar
Zelealem Leyew
2003 The Kemantney Language: A Sociolinguistic and Grammatical Study of Language Replacement. [Kuschitische Sprachstudien 20] Cologne: Rüdiger Köppe.Google Scholar
Cited by

Cited by 7 other publications

Łukasz Jędrzejowski & Carla Umbach
2023. Non-Interrogative Subordinate Wh-Clauses, DOI logo
Kuteva, Tania, Bernd Heine, Bo Hong, Haiping Long, Heiko Narrog & Seongha Rhee
2019. World Lexicon of Grammaticalization, DOI logo
Martinez, Jesus Olguin
2022. Contact-Induced Language Change: the Case of Mixtec Adverbial Clauses. Journal of Language Contact 15:1 ► pp. 1 ff. DOI logo
Olguín Martínez, Jesús & Alonso Vásquez-Aguilar
2022. The contribution of amazonian languages to the typology of purpose clauses. LIAMES: Línguas Indígenas Americanas 22 ► pp. e022018 ff. DOI logo
Wiemer, Björn
2023. Polishjakoby: an exotic similative-reportive doughnut? Tracing the pathway and conditions of its rise. Linguistics 0:0 DOI logo
H. Ekkehard Wolff
2019. The Cambridge Handbook of African Linguistics, DOI logo
[no author supplied]
2020. Morphologically Derived Adjectives in Spanish [Issues in Hispanic and Lusophone Linguistics, 30], DOI logo

This list is based on CrossRef data as of 12 april 2024. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers. Any errors therein should be reported to them.