Similative and equative demonstratives in Kambaata

Abstract

Based on data from recordings, written sources and elicitation, the present paper investigates in detail the morphology, morphosyntax and use of six similative and equative demonstratives in Kambaaata, a Cushitic language of Ethiopia. The first manner demonstrative, hitt-ita ‘like this’, is a simplex pronoun; the stem of the second demonstrative, hittig-uta ‘like this’, is synchronically not segmentable but can be assumed to result historically from a compositional form containing an element *g ‘manner’. The two manner demonstratives are predominantly used in adverbial function and have a reduced pronominal case system. Both can be used interchangeably in exophoric and endophoric function; they have, however, developed distinct non-deictic uses. The quality demonstrative adjectives hittigoon-a(ta) ‘such, of this kind’ and hittigaam-u/-ita ‘id.’ are derived in a morphologically transparent way from the second manner demonstrative. Finally, Kambaata has two synonymous equative demonstrative adjectives, kank-a(ta) and hibank-a(ta) ‘this many/much, to this extent’. As adjectival modifiers of nouns and as adverbial modifiers of non-gradable verbs they identify a quantity; as adverbial modifiers of adjectives, property verbs and ideophones they identify a degree. The degree/quantity demonstratives are commonly used non-deictically as intensifiers (‘very’).