AMHARIC BASIC COURSE Units 1-50 SERGE OBOLENSKY DEBEBOW ZELELIE MULUGETA ANDUALEM FOREIGN SERVICE INSTITUTE WASHINGTON, D.C. 1964 DEP ARTM EN T O F STATEAMHARIC FOREIGN SERVICE INSTITUTE BASIC COURSE SERIES Edited by CARLETON T. HODGE aLBASIC COURSE PREFACE This volume is the first of a so0-volume Basic Course in Amharic, and contains Units 1-$0 of the cowse. The second volume includes Units 5160, on inwoduction to the writing system, a Reader, and a Glossary. Ambaric, the official language of the Ethiopian Empire, is epoken natively by per haps six million people in a small but populous area of the country which includes the ‘capital, Addis Ababa. A member of the Southem Senitic branch of the Afowt siatic fanily of languages, Ambaric is steadily gaining importance as it picks up additional ‘speakers through the spread of communications and education within Ethiopia, The linguist in charge of the entire project has been Serge Obolensky, with the assistance of Mr. Debebow Selelie ond Mr. Mulugeto Andualem. The Amharic script in the second volune is the work of Ir. Zelelie, Valuable suggestions received from Pro- fessor Wolf Leslau daring the beginning stages of the work are gratefully acknowledged. pillage Howard E, Sollenberger, Dean School of Language and Area Sudies Foreign Service Institute Department of Suse autAMHARIC TABLE OF CONTENTS Preface seseeeee Introduction . Unit 1 Symbols used. Basic Sentences ...+ Note 1-1 Transcription used 1.2 Vowels seeeeees 1.3. Consonants «+... 1.3+1 Plein Consonants +... 1.3.2 Glottalized Consonants Drills . unit 2 Basic Sentences .sseseeeee Note 2.1 Masculine Definite Suffix /-w 2.2 tend! /-(i)nne/ Drills seeeesessssseeeeeeee Unit 3 Basic Sentences sss.++ Note 3.1 Independent Pronouns . 3.2 Suffix Pronouns 3.2.1 Verb Suffix Pronouns seseeeseeeeeeeee 3.3 Loss of Vowels ++. 3.4 /i/ and /y/ glides. 3.5 Verb tbe .. 3.6 3.7 Formation of Plural ‘Transitional Vowel /i/ Unit Basic Sentences +++ Note 1 Noun Suffix Pronouns . 4.2 Amharic equivalents of thave' and thave not! .. 4.3. Feminine Definite Suffix /-wa—(y)itu-(y) Ltwa/ 4h Definite Suffix on Modifier essere 4.5 Suffix /-(i)n/-Specific Direct Object sesssse+s iv aut xvi worse Eene 12 13 uy 1s 19 22 23 23 ay ay 25 25 26 eT 29 32 32 33 3h 35BASIC COURSE 4.6 Preposition «+ 44.61 Preposition /b(e)-/ and /vest(o)-/ Drills sess. unit 5 Basic Sentences seeeeeeeeeee ee laletalet elle Vote 5.1 Verbs Perfective seesseees ore 5.2 ‘have! and ‘have not! with feminine object. 5.3 Verb Suffix Pronouns with Perfective ..++++ 5.4 Verb Suffix Pronouns used in apposition «+ 5.5 Prepositions /x(o)~/, /isk(e)-/ and /1le)~/ 5.5.1 /klo)-/ from! .. Paeesene 5.5.2 /isk(e)-/ and /isk(a)-...dires/ tup tot, Mtot seeeee 5.5.3 /1le)-/ fort, 'tot . 5.6 Postpositions /wist/ and /lay/ combined with prefixes /b(o)-/ or /i-/ seeeeseeeee 5.7 Suffixes /-iyye/ and /-iyyo/ to nouns . 5.7.1 Definite Suffixes /iyyew/ and /iyyewa/ « 5.8 Numoralss Ordinals Peedebseta Narrative seeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees unit 6 Basic Sontences sesseseeeeeseceeeeceeeeteeeeeeeeee eens Note 6.1 Relational Prefix /yle)-/ sssseeee 6.2 Verb Infinitive : 6.3 Verbs Imperfective 6.4 Verb Classification an 6.4.1 Regular Three-Radical Verbs 6.4.2 Regular Two-Radical Verbs . 6.5 Verbs Notation . tee seeeeee . 6.6 Postposition /gar-gara/ combined with pre- fix /elo)=/seceesseeeeeeeeesseeesseeens 6.7 Use of /klo)=...dofit/ and /xlol-/.+. behwale/ seeeseeeeeeeeeeees : Drills seseee Narrative Unit 7 Basic Sentences . Note 7-1 Verb Suffix Pronouns with Imperfective .. 7.2 Equivalents of thad' and ‘had not! sssesse 35 35 36 57 59 60 6 63 63 65 65 65 66 66 69 n B 7AMHARIC Drills seseseeee Narrative - Unit 8 Basic Sentences s+eseseeeees teens Note 6.1 Tame. 6.2 suffix /-(1)m/ 8.3 Suttax /-(1)88/ Drills see Narrative « unit 9 Basic Sentences ssseseeee Note 9.1 Imperfective forms connected by /-(2)nna/ 9.2 Negatave Perfectave . 93 Short Imperfective .. 9.4 Negatave Imperfectave 9.5 Negatave Infimtave Drills . Narrative . Unit 10 Basic Sentences ...++.- sees edohaledelalad Note 10,1 Relataonal Affxes to Verbs ssssseeseeeeeeees 10.1.2 Relatzonal Affix /y(o)~~ yomn(1)-/ an Relative Constructions s+... 10.2 affix /and(e)-/ 10.2.1 /ind(e)-/ ‘1ake', ete. . 10.2.2 /rnd(e)~...yalle/ ‘such as!, otc. 10.2.3 /rnd(o)-/ 'as soon as! . tee 10.2.4 /rnd(o)=/ wath Relatave Constructions ‘that'.. Dralis ss : Warrative s+. Unit 11 Basic Sentences « Note 11.1 Verb: Regular Two-Radical Verbs in /-0/ « 11.2 Verbs Gerund see 11.3 Verbs Present Perfect eee : 1.4 Verdi Past Perfect ...++ 11.5 Verbs Imperfect (Past) . Drills sees Narrative . vi 7 80 81 82 bh by 88 89 92 92 3 5 99 100 103 105 107 107 110 io ua a 1 2 118BASIC COURSE unit 12 Basic Sentences « Note 12.1 Tellang Tame .. 12.2 Verbs Jussive 12.3 Verbs Inperatave 12.4 Relational Affix /1yy(e)-/ with nouns ..... 12.5 Relational Affix /1yy(s)-/ with verbs 12.6 Relational Affix /s(1)-/ 12.7 /abro/ "both", ‘together! Drills ... teaerey Narrative aa teeee Unit 13 Basic Sentences seseee+ Wote 13.1 Relataonal Affaxes /1(1)-/ and /~(2)12(2)-—— (a)Me-/ seeeeeee 13.142 /1(a)-/ wath short Inperfectave ... 13.1.2 /1(a)-/ wath Short Imporfectave plus /new/ or [r00b0r/ seeveeeeeeeeeees B13 -G)UG)-—G)ie-/ . 13.2 Relataonal affaxes /1sk(1)-/ and /ask(o)-/ « 13.2.1 /iak(e)-/ wath Relatave Constructions Drills sesseeeeeeees Warratave .. Unit 1h Beare Sentences seeeeeseeseeeeeeees Note 1h.1 Demonstratave Pronouns Uy.2 Nount Gender see 1.3.1 Relataonal affix /o(a)-/ aft .. 1j.3.2 Relational Affix /b(1)-/ "because! Ub — Suffix /-(a)b_()-/ seeeeeeeeeees wy.S Prefix /b(o)-/ with Relative Clauses Up.5.1 /olo)-...gize/ seeeeveees ‘14.5.2 /blo)-...KuTar/ . +Uy.6 — /olo)=...mkmayat/ . 14.7 Relataonal Affix /sil(e)-~ silemm(1)-/ Dril1S seseeceeceeeeeneeeeeceneee Narrative unit 15 Basic Sentences .. Hote 15.1 Verbs /a-/ verbs . vit 133 136 136 yo Uy lp 1s wy? U8 153 155 158 159 159 159 159 160 161 161 163 165 168 169 172 175 176 178 178 178 179 119 180 186 188 189AMHARIC 15.2 Verb: Causataves an /s-/ and /as-/ . 190 15.2.1 Causative Verbs in /e-/ 191 15.2.2 Gausatave Verbs an /as-/ a9. 15.3 Passive-Reflexive Verbs « ag. 15.4 Glassafacation and Notation seer 195 15.5 Relational Affix /k(e)-/ with Perfective .. 197 15.5.1 /klol-/ 120" severe 197 15.5.2 fele)-/ taince! see 198 Drills seseeeeeee 198 Narratave s+ 205 Unit 16 Basie Sentences .+e+++6 cee vee 206 Note 16.2 Relational Affix /ind(1)-/ see 208 16.2 Pronoun /ras-/ !self! seeeeeee see 208 16.3. Regular Four-Radical Verbs se see 209 16.4 ‘Three-and Four-Radacal Verbs an /-0-/ ss.++. 210 16.5 Verbs Noun of Agent see. 210 16.6 Verbs Noun of Instrument . we 212 16.7 Use of /weyam/ and /woyiss/ tort ... . 2B Dr211S seeseseeeeesceeeseeecseveensees Prerrreery 21k Narrative .. + 21s Unt 17 Basic Sentences ..... roe . Wote 17-1 Verbs Classification sees os chart I Regular Three-Radical Verbs ss 222 Chart II Regular Three-Radical /a-/ Verbs 223 Chart III Regular Two-Radacal Verbs in /-a/ « 22h Chart Iv Regular Two-Radcal Verbs an /-0/ 228, chart V Regular Four-Radzcal Verbs 226 Drills .. 7 dateoestdaseses 227 Narrative . 7 : 230 Unit 16 Basic Sentences ssseseeseeeeeeeeereeeeeeeees 232 Note 18.1 Verbs Use of /yihonal/ « 233 16.2 Use of /gona/ 23k, Drills sesesesseeeeeee 235 Narrative .. 239 viitBASIC COURSE Unit 19 Basic Sentences .- Note 19.1 Comparatave and Superlative Drills Narratave umt 20 Basic Sentences ssssseeeeeeesene Note 20.1 Verb Classification, Two-Radical Verbs, types mola2, molo2, mole? and mole? ..ee+eee Chart VI/l mole2 ss. Chart v1/2 molo2 Chart VI/3 mele2 chart VI/4 mele? 20.2 Verbs Impersonal Constructions ..seeeseeeee 20.3 Verb: Present Perfect of verbs denoting tatate! or teondation! 7 Drills seeeeeeees Narrative ss. Unit 21. Basic Sentences Drills sees Narrative Unit 22 Basic Sentences Dralls sesseseee Narrative unit 23 Basic Sentences Note 23.1 Plural Affix /inn(e)-/ 23.2 Question Words .. 23.2.1 /man/ 23.2.2 /man/ or /mmdan/ 23.2.3 /yot/ 7 23.2.4 /yotu/, /yotafifiaw/ end /nannififiew/ 23.3. /mannafifiawam/ or /nannaccewin/ .. 23.4 /manman/ and /manimn/ seeeee 23.5 /mnamm/ wath /ando-/ Dralle se. Narrative 2yo ayn 243 24s aur 248 250 251 252 252 252 253 255 256 258 260 261 263 265 267 268 270 271 an 23 27k 27h 275 215 276 amr 278