Amharic - m and - ss: Morphology, theme and assumed knowledge

Abstract

The Amharic conjunctive particles - m and - ss correspond to a wide range of forms in English and apparently most other languages. This study seeks to account for the distribution of each of the particles in terms of unitary functions which reflect the processing needs of listeners and readers. The analysis is based on an examination of written and spoken texts. Plausible inferential strategies are presented for all of the interpretations that the particles have in these texts. It is argued that - m and - ss have dual functions. Both serve to draw an addressee's attention to relevant given information. This information, which I call ASSUMED KNOWLEDGE, consists of a proposition in the addressee's memory which either has been referred to in previous discourse or can be identified on the basis of the context. The particles also signal the relationship between the ASSUMED KNOWLEDGE and the new information which follows: - m conveys CONTINUITY and - ss DISCONTINUITY. The particles operate in conjunction with the thematic structure of discourse. In order to identify the ASSUMED KNOWLEDGE for an instance of - m or - ss and to arrive at a particular category of CONTINUITY or DISCONTINUITY, an addressee needs to determine which of two major thematic pattern types the speaker or writer is using. The analysis contributes to an understanding of how language is structured in ways which facilitate processing by listeners and readers.