Grammaticalization in Ethiosemitic

Grammaticalization in Ethiosemitic With Comparisons to Oromo Abinet Sime Gebreyes Mekelle University, Ethiopia This book aims at identifying, describing, and explaining selected instances of grammaticalization in Ethiosemitic languages and Oromo. Body part terms, similatives, demonstratives, and allatives are the major topics considered in the book. Body part terms are observed grammaticalizing into markers of spatial, temporal and logical relations. In the North Ethiosemitic languages the Semitic root msl is found developing into a comitative and temporal marker. The evolution of similatives into complement, temporal, and purpose clause markers is also observed in the majority of Ethiosemitic languages and in Oromo. The word for ‘one’ (and) is proposed as an alternative etymology for the Amharic similative marker ǝndä. Relative and genitive markers are analyzed with a demonstrative origin as a common source. The genitive-relative element yä- is treated as a result of polygrammaticalization from a common demonstrative element. This is a must-read book for linguists interested in grammaticalization and Ethiopian languages. Abinet Sime Gebreyes is Assistant Professor of Linguistics at Mekelle University, Ethiopia. ISBN 9783862887446. LINCOM Studies in African Linguistics 91. 138pp. 2016.