Dr. Girma A. Demeke Bücher

Non-Semitic features are visible in every aspect of the grammar and lexicon of Ethio-Semitic languages. Because Amharic has been serving as a language of administration for over a millennium, it has developed unique polite forms for second and third persons. These polite forms underwent a number of fascinating changes throughout history. This book describes the historical grammar of Amharic which furthers our understanding of the changes that Ethio-Semitic languages underwent. The research is based on ancient manuscripts and grammatical works of different periods.

Argobba belongs to the South Ethio-Semitic language group and is considered to be in critical endangerment. It has at least four speech varieties which are grouped in this book as North Argobba (NA) and South Argobba (SA). This book is a comparative analysis of the grammar and lexicon of the two groups of Argobba considering one speech variety from each. For a better understanding, data from Amharic, the closest relative of Argobba, is considered and compared against the two groups throughout the book.