The Jussive in Chaha

Abstract

The Semitic imperfect as represented by Arabic has three patterns with respect to the vowel of the 2nd radical: (ya)ktal, (ya)ktul, (ya)ktil; thus, yasrabu 'he drinks', yaktubu 'he writes', yanzilu 'he descends'. In Hebrew, these patterns are (yi)ktal, (yi)ktol, (yi)ktel, with the vowels a, o, e respectively; thus, yilmad 'he will study', yismor 'he will watch', yeseb 'he will sit'. In the Ethiopian group, Geez (or Old Ethiopic) is known as the only language that had two patterns, namely yoktdl corresponding to yaktal of Semitic, and yaktal going back to Semitic yaktul and yaktil, with the reduction of the short u and i of the 2nd radical to a. These forms, however, are those of the jussive, not the imperfect indicative as in the other Semitic languages.' The Geez jussive yoktdl goes back to a perfect kdtld, the jussive yaktal to a perfect kdtald; thus, perfect ldbsd 'he put on a dress', jussive yalbds; perfect ndgdrd 'he said', jussive yangar.2 Heretofore no other Ethiopian language was known to have two different patterns in the perfect or in the jussive. In my investigation of Gurage dialects I came across three different patterns of the jussive in the Western Gurage group comprising Chaha, Ennemor, Muher, and Masqan.3 These patterns are ydktdl, ydktal and ydkatl.4 In the perfect, however, these languages have only one pattern, contrary to what happens in Geez.5 In a study 'Le type ldbsd en gouragu6',6 I examined the origin of these three patterns, and particularly the patterns ydkatl and ydktal, which are differentiated only by the syllabic structure. The pattern ydkatl has a final consonant cluster, whereas in ydktal the final cluster is disjoined by a. I attempted to explain the difference in the patterning by the nature of the last consonants, but the inadequacy of the material did not allow me to arrive at a definite conclusion. Since then I have had occasion to reexamine Chaha verbs and their jussive patterns, with informants; and the present article is based on the new material.7