FOREIGN SERVICE INSTITUTE

AMHARIC

BASIC COURSE
Units 1 - 50

o EPA R T MEN T 0 F S TAT E

 AMHARIC

BASIC COURSE
Units 1 - 50

SERGE OBOLENSKY
DEBEBOW ZELELIE MULUGETA ANDUALEM

FOREIGN SERVICE INSTITUTE

WASHINGTON, D.C.
1964

D EPA R T MEN T 0 F S TAT E

 AMHARIC

FOREIGN SERVICE INSTITUTE

BASIC COURSE SERIES
Edited by
CARLETON ~ HODGE

ii
 BASIC COURSE

PREFACE

This volume is the first of a two-volume Basic Course in Amharic, and contains
Units 1-50 of the course. The second volume includes Units 51.<JO, an introduction to
the writing system, a Reader, and a Glossary.
Amharic, the official language of the Ethiopian Empire, is spoken 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 Semitic branch of the Afro~siatic
family of languages, Amharic is steadily gaining importance as it picks up additional
speakers through the spread of communications and education within Ethiopw.
The linguist in charge of the entire project has been Serge Obolensky, with the
assistance of Mr. Debebow Selelie and Mr. Mulugeta Andualem. The Amharic script in
the second volume is the work of Mr. Zelelie. Valuable suggestions received from Pro-
fessor Wolf Leslau during the beginning stages of the work are gratefully acknowkdged.

Howard E. Sollenberger, Dean

School of Language and Area Studies
Foreign Service Institute
Department of State

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 AMHARIC

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Preface ...................................................... iii

Introduction ................................................ xvi

Unit 1
Symbols used . . ••. •. •••. . . . . •••••••••••. . ••••. •. •. •••••••• 1
Basic Sentences . . .. . . . . ... . . . . .... .. .. . .. . ... .. . . . .. . . ..• 2
Note 1.1 Transcription used ••••••. •••. ••. •••••. •••••••• 3
1.2 Vowels 4
1.3 Consonants . • • .• •. ••• •••• • •• • •• . • • . . • •• • .•• • • . • 7
1.3.1 Plain Consonants •••••••••.•.•.•.•••.•••••••••• 7
1.3.2 Glottalized Consonants • • • . •• • . . . • •• •• .•. •• • • • • 9
Drills 9

Unit 2
Ba.sic Sentences . 12
Note 2.1 Masculine Definite Suffix /-u--w/ ••••••••••••• 13
2.2 'and' /-(i)nna/ •••••••••••.••••••••••••••••••• 14
Drills ................................................... 15

Unit 3
Ba.s ic Sentence s . 19
No te 3.1 Independent Pronouns ••.•.•••.•.•.•••••.•.•••.. 22
3.2 Suffix Pronouns ••••••••••••.••..••••••••••••.• 23
3.2.1 Verb Suffix Pronouns •••••••••••••••••••••••••• 23
3.3 Loss of Vowels ••••••••••••.•••••••••••••.•.••• 24
3.4 /w/ and /y/ glides ••••••••••••••••.•••.•.••••. 24
3.5 Verb 'be r ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 25
3.6 Forma tion of Plural •.••••••••.•••••.•••••••••• 25
3.7 Transitional Vowel li/ . 26
Drills ................................................... 27

Unit 4
Basic Sentences .......................................... 29
Note 4.1 Noun Suffix Pronouns .......................... 31
4.2 Amharic equivalents of 'have' and 'have not' ••• 32
4.3 Feminine Definite Suffix /-wa~-(y)itu--(y)itwa/. 33
4·4 Definite Suffix on Modifier •.•••••.••••••••••• 34
4.5 Suffix /-(i)n/-Specific Direct Object ••••••••• 35

iv
 BASIC COURSE

Pr e p 0 sit ion .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Preposition /b(e)-/ and /best(e)-/ ••••••• 35
Drills 36

Unit 5
Basic Sentences 43
Note 5.1 Verb. Perfective 46
5.2 'have' and 'have not' with feminine object. 49
5.3 Verb Suffix Pronouns with Perfective •.•••• 49
5.4 Verb Suffix Pronouns used in apposition ..• 51
5.5 Prepositions /k(e)-/, /isk(e)-/ and /l(e)-/ 51
5.5.1 /k ( e ) - / 'fr am ' .••••••.••.•••.•.•••.•••••• 52
5.5.2 /isk(e)-/ and /isk(e)- •.. dires/ 'up to',
'to' 52
/l(e)-/ 'for', 'to' •.•.••..•••.•..•••••• 52
Postpositions /wisT/ and /lay/ combined
with prefixes /b(e)-/ or /i-/ .•.•••••••• 52
Suffixes /-iyye/ and /-iyyo/ to nouns ••••• 53
Definite Suffixes /-iyyew/ and /iyyewa/ ••• 53
Numerals; Ordinals •••••.•••••••••••.•••• 53
Drills 54
Narrative 55

Unit 6
Basic Sentences . 57
Note 6.1 Relational Prefix /y(e)-/ .••••••••••••••• 59
6.2 Verb. Infinitive •..•••••..••.•••.••••••• 60
6.3 Verb. Imperfective •..•••.••••.•.•••.•.•• 61
6.4 Verb Classification .....•••..••••.•.•••.• 63
6.4.1 Regular Three-Radical Verbs ..•••..••••.•• 63
6.4.2 Regular Two-Radical Verbs •.•...•••••••.•• 65
6.5 Verb. Notation .•••••...••••.•.•.•••••.•• 65
6.6 Postpositlon /garHgara/ combined with pre-
f ix /k ( e ) - / •••••. •••. ••. •••••. . . ••••••• 65
6.7 Use of /k(e)- ••• befit/ and /k(e)-/ •••
behwB la/ . 66
Drills 66
Narrative 69

Unlt 7
Basic Sentences 71
Note 7.1 Verb Suffix Pronouns with Imperfective •••• 73
7.2 Equivalents of 'had' and 'had not' ••••••• 77

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 AMHARIC

Dr~lls •••••••••••••••••••.•••••••••••.••••• • •••••••••••.• 77

Narra tl. ve •••••••.•.•.••••.••••••••.••••••••••••••••••••.• 80

Un~t 8
Bas~c Sentences 81
Note 8.1 T~me 82
8.2 SuffLK /-(~)m/ 84
8.3 Suff1X /-(~)ss/ 84
Dr 1.118 ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 84
Narrat~ve ••••. • .1 • ~ ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 88

Un~t 9
BaS:LC Sentences •••.•••••••••••.•••••••••••.•.•••••••••.•• 89
Note 9.1 Imperfect~ve forms connected by /-(~)nna/ • 92
9.2 Negat~ve Perfect~ve .•..•...•...••..••••.• 92
9.3 Short Imperfect~ve •.•.•••••.•.•.••.•.••••••• 93
9.4 Negat~ve Irnperfect~ve •.•...••...••..•••..••• 95
9.5 Negat~ve Inf~n~t~ve •••.•.•....•..•.••••••.•. 99
Dr~11s •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••.••.•••• 100
Narra tl. va • •• • • • •• • • • • •• • •• • • • • • • • ••• • • .•. • • • • • ••• • • • • t • • • 103

Un~t 10
Sentence s ••••••••••••••••••••••••••.•••••••••••.••.
Ba S 1C 105
Note 10.1 Relat~onal AffLKes to Verbs .••.•..••.•.•.•.• 107
10.1.1 Relat~onal Aff1X /y(e)-- yemrn(~)-/ ~n Relat~ve
Construct~ons 107
10.2 Aff1X /~nd(e)-I 110
10.2.1 /~nd(e)-/ 'l~ke', etc. • ..•••.....••••••••..• 110
10.2.2 /~nd(e)- .•• yalle/ 'such as', etc. • .•.•••.••. III
10.2.3 /~nd(e)-/ 'as soon as' ..••..•..•.•••••••••.. III
10.2.4 /~nd(e)-/ w~th Relat~ve Construct~ons 'that' •. III
Drl11s •••.•••••••••••••.••.•••••••.•••••.••••••••••••••.• 112
Narratlve ••••••••••••••••••••••••.•••.•..•••••••••••••••• 118

Un~t 11
Bas~c Sentenues 120
Note 11.1 Verb: Regular Two-Radlcal Verbs ~n I-e/ ..... 121
11.2 Verb. Gerund ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 122
11.3 Verb: Present Perfect ............•......... 126
11.4 Verb: Past Perfect ...•....................• 127
11.5 Verb. Imperfect (Past) •...•......•.•...•.•• 128
Dr:Llls ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 129
Narratlve •••••.••..•••.•••••.•••.••••••••••.••••••••..••• 132

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 BASIC COURSE

Unl.t 12
BaSl.C Sentences 133
Note 12.1 Telll.ng Tl.me 136·
12.2 Verba Jussl.ve 136
12.3 Verb. Imperat1.ve •••.•••••••••••••••••••••••• 140
12.4 Relat1.onal AfflX /1.yy(e)-/ W1.th nouns •••••••• 144
12.5 Relatl.onal AfflX /1.yy(e)-/ w1.th verbs •••••••• 144
12.6 Relatl.onal AfflX /s(1.)-/ •••••••••••••••••.••• 145
12.7 /abro/ 'both', Itogether' •••••••••••••••••••• 147
Drl.lls 148
Narratl.ve 153

Unl.t 13
BaSl.C Sentences 155
Note 13.1 Relat1.onal Aff1.xes /1(1.)-/ and /-(1.)ll(l.)-N-
(1.)11e-/ . 158
13.1.1 /1(1.)-/ w1.th Short Imperfect1.ve ••••••••••••• 159
13.1.2 /1(1.)-/ wl.th Short Imperfect1.ve plus /new/ or 159
/nebber/ ••.••••.•.•.•.•.•...•............. 159
13.1.3 /-(1.)ll(1.)--(1.)lle-/ ••••.•••••••••••••••••• 159
13.2 Relat1.onal AfflXes /1.sk(1.)-/ and /1.sk(e)-/ ••• 160
13.2.1 /1.sk(e)-/ w1.th Relat1.ve Construct1.ons ••••••• 161
Drl.lls 161
Narratl.ve 163

Unl.t 14
BaSl.C Sentences 165
Note 14.1 Demonstrat1.ve Pronouns 168
14.2 Noun: Gender .....•.......•..•...........•.. 169
14.3.1 Relat1.onal AfflX /b(1.)-/ 'l.f' ••••••••••••••• 172
14.3.2 Relatl.onal AfflX /b(1.)-/ 'because' •••••••••• 175
14.4 SufflX /-(1.)bb(1.)-/ ••••••••••••••••••••••••• 176
14·5 PreflX /b(e)-/ w1.th Relat1.ve Clauses •••.••••• 178
14.5.1 /b ( e) - ••• g iz e / •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 178
14.5.2 /b(e)- ••• KuTl.r/ ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 178
'14.6 /b ( e )- ••• ml.kn1.ya t/ ••••••••••••••••••.••••••• 179
14.7 Relat1.onal AfflX /s1.1(e)-- s1.1emm(1.)-/ •••••••• 179
Drl.lls ................................................... 180
Narratl.ve 186

Unl.t 15
BaSl.C Sentences .......................................... 188
Note 15.1 Verb. /a-/ verbs 189

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 AMHARIC

15.2 Verb: Causat~ves ~n /a-/ and /as-/ ••.•.••••• 190

15.2.1 Causat~ve Verbs ~n /a-/ •..•.....••••.•.•••. 191
15.2.2 CausatJ.ve Verbs ~n /as-/ ••...•..•••..•••••• 191
15.3 PassJ.ve-ReflexJ.ve Verbs ••.••.•••••...•.•... 191
15.4 Class~fJ.catJ.on and NotatJ.on •.•••..••••••.•. 195
15.5 RelatJ.onal AffJ.x /k(e)-/ w~th PerfectJ.ve •.•• 197
15.5.1 /k(e)-/ '~f' ••••••••.••..•....•••••••.••.•• 197
15.5.2 /k ( e ) - / 's J.nce ' ••••••••. . •••. •••••••. . ••. •• 198
Drllls 198
Narra til ve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . •. . . . 205

Un~t 16
BaS1C Sentences . 206
Note 16.1 Relat~onal Aff~x /~nd(~)-/ ........•.•.•.••• 208
16.2 Pronoun /1"as-/ 'self' ........•..•..•...•.•. 208
16.3 Regular Four-Rad~ca1 Verbs •......••..•..••. 209
16.4 Three-and Four-Rad~cal Verbs ~n /-0-/ . 210
16.5 Verb: Noun of Agent .•....•........•.•...•. 210
16.6 Verb: Noun of Instrument ..••...•.....•.••. 212
16.7 Use of /wey~m/ and /weyJ.ss/ 'or' .....•.•.... 213
Dr~lls 214
NarratJ.ve 215

UnJ.t 17
Bas~c Sentences

Note 17.1 Verba CIa ss ~f~ca t~on

Chart I Regular Three-Rad~cal Verbs .•...•.•.••....• 222
Chart II Regular Three-Rad~cal /a-/ Verbs .••••..••.. 223
Chart III Regular Two-Rad~cal Verbs ~n /-a/ •.••••••.• 224
Chart IV Regular Two-Rad~cal Verbs ~n /-e/ ..••...•.. 225
Chart V Regular Fou~-Rad~cal Verbs ...•....••...•••. 226
DrJ.11s .................................................. 227
Narrat~ve ............................................... 230

Un~t 18
Bas~c Sentences 232
Note 18.1 Verba Use of /y~honal/ ......•.••....••.••. 233
18.2 Use of /gena/ ••••..•.•.....•........•.•.... 234
Dr~lls .................................................. 235
Narrat~ve ............................................... 239

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 BASIC COURSE

Un~t 19
Ba S 1.C Sentence s .
Note 19.1 Comparat~ve and Superlatlve •••••..••.•••.••
Drllls .
Narratlve · .
Unlt 20
Ba S lC Sentence s . 247
Note 20.1 Verb Classlflcatlon, Two-Radlcal Verbs, types
me~a~, me~o~, me~e~ and me~e~ •.•••••••.•• 248
Chart VI/l me Ia 2 ......•..........•.........•..•.....•. 250
Chart VI/2 me 102 . 251
Chart VI/3 mele2 ...................................... 251
Chart VI/4 mele2 ...................................... 252
20.2 Verbl Impersonal Cbnstructlons .••••••••••• 252
20.3 Verb: Present Perfect of verbs denotlng
'state' or 'condltlon' .••.•.•.•.•••..••.• 253
Dr~lls · . 255
Narratlve · . 256

Unlt 21
BaSlC Sentences · . 258
Drllls • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • e ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 260
Narratlve · . 261

Unlt 22
BaS1C Sentences · . 263
Drllls · . 265
Narratlve · . 267

Unlt 23
Ba s lC Sentence s · . 268
Note 23.1 ..................... 270
23.2 Questlon Words .••••••.••••....•••••••.••••• 271
23.2.1 /ma n/ . 271
23.2.2 /mln/ or /mlndln/ •••••••••••••.•.••••••.••• 273
23.2.3 /ye t / . 274
23. 2 .4 /yetu/, /yetlnnaw/ and /mannlnnaw/ ••.•••••• 274
23.3 /manrunnawlm/ or /mannaccewlm/ ••.•••..•.••• 275
23.4 /mannEn/ and /mlnlmm/ •••..•..••..••..•••.•• 275
23.5 /mlnlmm/ wlth /~nde-/ •.••••••...•.•.••••••• 276
Drllls · . 277
Narratlve .. ~ . 278

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 AMHARIC

Un~t 24
BaS1C Sentences . 280
Note 24.1 Verb: Short form of /madreg/ .•.•••.••.•.• 283
24.2 Use of /g~ddeta/ w~th /allebb-/, /honebb-/
and /nebberebb-/ 283
Dr~lls ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 284
Narrat.1ve . 288

Un~t 25
BaS1C Sentences . 291
Note 25.1 Repet~t~on and Redupl~cat~on .••..••••••••• 292
25.1.1 Repet~t1on ••••••••••.••••••••.•••••••••••• 293
25.1.2 Part~al Redupl~cat~on .•••••.••..•.•••••••• 293
25.1.3 Complete Redupl~cat~on ..••...•.••••••.•••. 294
25.2 Use of /madregiya/ ..•••••••..••...•.••••.• 295
Drllls . 295
Narrat~ve ••••••.••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 297

Unlt 26
Bas~c Sentences 300
Note 26.1 SufflX /-(l)nnet/ 301
26.2 Verb. The use of /meKnat/ .•......••••••.. 302
Drl11s . 303
Narratlve ...................•.......................... 307

Unlt 27
BaS1C Sentences
Note 27.1 SufflX /-e/ In compound words ••••••••••••• 310
27.2 Plural after numerals •..••.••.•••••••••••• 311
Drllls . 312
Narra tl ve . 313

Unlt 28
BaS1C Sentences .....................•.................. 315
Note 28.1 Verb: Hypothetlcal Condltlonal .•..•..•.••• 317
28.2 AfflX /lnd(e)-/ wlth /alle-/ and /hone-/•••• 318
28.3 Impersonal Verbs •••.•.•...•.•••••••••••... 319
Dr 1.118 •.•••••.•••.•..••.•...•••..............•....•...• 320
Narratlve . 324

Unlt 29
BaS1C Sentences . 327
Note 29.1 Verb C1asslflcatlon Three-Radlcal Verbs ~n

/-a-/ 328

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 BASIC COURSE

Chart VII 329

29.2 Use of /m1kn1yatu/ comblned w1th /s11e-/ and
/s11emm(1)-/ affLXes and the verb form /new/ 329
/k(e)- ••. yetenessa/ •••••.••.•.••••••••••••• 330
Dr111s 330
Narrat1ve 332

BaS1.C Sentences . ~ . 334

Note 30.1 Compound Verbs w1th /ma1et/ and /madreg/ •••• 335
30.1.1 Verb: Inconclus1ve Aspect ••••••••••••••••• 338
llil.lls . 340
Narrat1ve 342

UnlC 31
BaS1C Sentences 344
Note 31.1 /b(e)- ••• beklru1/ ••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 345
31.2 Use of /b1cca/ w1th Noun SufflX Pronouns and
D1rect ObJect Suff1X /-(l)n/ ••.•••••••.••. \
346
Dr111s 347
Narratlve 349

Un1t 32
BaS1C Sentences 350
Note 32.1 Suf f l.X / - g e / • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • . • • • • • • • • ••• 352
32.2 Verb: /lndehon/ w1th re1at1ve construct10ns 352
32.3 /lndehon/ wlth Short Imperfect1ve and Gerund,
'whether or not' •••••••••••••.•••••••••• 353
Verb: Inf1n1t1ve w1th Noun SufflX Pronouns
and Verb forms /new/ and /nebber/ ••••••• 354
Dr111s 355
Narrat1ve 357

Un1t 33
BaSH~ Sentences 358
Note 33.1 Verb, /s-/ negat1ve comb1ned w1th the forms
of the verb /Kerre-meKret/ •••.•••••••••••
Drl1ls ..................................................
Narrat1ve ...............................................

xi
 AMHARIC

Un~t 34
Ba s ~ c Se n tenc e s •. •••. ••. ••••. •••••. •. . . . . . •. . ••. •. •••. •. 365
Note 34.1 Verba Frequentat~ve Form ••.•••.••••.•••... 367
Chart VIII Frequenta t~ ve Verbs •••••.••.•.•••.•••.•.... 368
34.2 Verb: Rec~procal Form ..•••.••..••••••••••• 369
Chart IX Rec~procal Verbs ••••.•.••••••..•••••••••.•. 372
})r11.11s •••••••..••..•...•.•.•••.•......•..•....•...•...•. 373
Narrat~ve · . 375

Ba S J.C Sentence s . 377

Note 35.1 Use of /~nkwan/ ••.••..•..••.••....•.•.•••.• 379
35.2 /~nkwan/ comb~ned w~th /y~KrlTma/ 'let alone r,
'even though' •••••••••.....••.....•••••••.• 380
Drllls · . 381
Narrat~ve · . 383

Un~t 36
Bas ~c Sentences · . 384
Note 36.1 Relat~ve construct~ons comblned w~th lmperson-
al forms of the verb /memsel/ .•.•••••..•. 387
Drllls · . 387
Narrat~ve · . 391

Un~t 37
BaSlC Sentences · . 392
Note 37.1 Verb. /maweK/ w~th Gerund ••••..••••••••.•• 395
Dr~11s •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 396
Narrat~ve · . 398

Unlt 38
Bas~c Sentences · . 400
Dr~lls · ~ . 401
Narratlve · . 403

Unl t 39
Bas~c Sentences · ~ .
Note 39.1 Verba Use of /yel1em T/ w~th Short Imper-
fect~ve and Gerund •...•.•.•.•••.••....••• 407
Dr~lls · . 408
Narrat~ve · . 410

xii
 BASIC COURSE

Unlt 40
Ba s lC Sentence s
Drllls
Narratlves

Unlt 41
BaS1C Sentences 417
Note 41.1 Postposltlons /zend/ and /ga/ ••.•.•.•••••• 420
41.1.1 /ke- ••• zend - gal •••.••••••••••••••.•••••• 421
41.1.2 /1- •.• zend-ga/ •••••••••.•••.•••••••••••.•. 421
41.1.3 /be- ••. z end/ •.•••••.•.•.•••••.••••••••••.• 421
41.1.5 /lziih zend-lzzih gal and /lzziya zend-lzziya
gal •••.•••.•.••.•••••....•.••••••••...•. 422
41.2 Verb: Use of /zend/ as postverb .••••.••••• 422
41.2.1 Verb: /zend/ wlth Short Imperfectlve ••••.. 422
41.2.2 Verb. /ke .•• zend/ wlth Perfectlve •••••.•.• 422
41.3 Verb: Use of /kenoren/, /kenoreh/, etc. 'If
I do have' etc. . ••......•.•••.•.•••••••• 422
Verb: /menor/ used lmpersonally, 'wlll
have', 'may have'
Drl11s
Narratlve

Unlt 42
BaS1C Sentences 429
Note 42.1 Verb a Progre s s 1ve Form .•..••.•••.•••••••• 432
42.2 Verba 'whether ••. (or not)' constructlons 433
42.3 Use of /mlnlmmal1l/, /mlnlmmattll/, et~. 434
Drllls 435
Narratlve 439

Unl t 43
BaS1C Sentences 442
Note 43.1 Benefactlve or Causatlve Reclprocal Verbs •. 444
Chart X Benefactlve Verbs •.•.••.••.•.....••.•••••• 447
Drllls 448
Narratlve 449
Unlt 44
BaS1C Sentences 451
Note 41+.1 Verbal Nouns ••••••••..••.••..•.•••••.••••• 453
Drl11s e ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 455
Narratlve .............................................. 457

xiii
 AMHARIC

Unl.t 45
Bas~c Sentences ..............•...........................
Note 45.1 Use of /bl.cca sayhon/ •.•••••.•••••••••••••• 460
45.2 Adver1bla Is . 461
45.2.1 Adverbl.a1s l.n /b(e)-/ 461
45.2.2 Adverbl.a1s of Tl.me l.n /-(l.)n/ 461
'45.2.3 Gerund Forms used Adverbl.a11y 462
Drl.11s 464
Narratl.ve 468

Basle Sentences . 467

Note 46.1 /k(e)-/ used l.n combl.natl.on wl.th
/wedih-wedezzih/ and /wediya-wedezzl.ya/ 470
Dr 1.11 s . 471
Narra t~ve ••••.•.•••.•.•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• 472

Unl.t 47
BaS1.C Sentences ..................................•.•.... 474
Drl.lls . 476
Narra tl.ve . 478

Unl.t 48
BaSl.C Sentences . 480
Note 48.1 Use of /1(l.)-/ form l.n combl.natl.on wl.th /sl.l/,
/sl.ttl.1/, etc. •.••••.••••.•••.••••••••••• 483
48.2 Verb. Intensl.ve Aspect •.•.•.•..••.•••••••••••• 483
48.3 Vel'b. Cona tl.ve Aspect . . • . • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 484
Drl.lls . 485
Narra t~ve •••••••••••••••.•.••••••••••••••••••.•••••••••• 488

Unl.t 49
BaS1C Sentences . 490
Drllls . 491
Narratlve . 493

Unl.t 50
BaSl.C Sentences 495
Note 50.1 Emphatl.c Suffl.X /-a/ 497
Drl.11s 498
Narratl.ve 500

xiv
 BASIC COURSE

f .....·· ETHIOPIA
i
)
_ .• - Inh:'lIlal,onJ' b.,undiHy
- - - Pr v'f'lCe boundar,.
@ NatlOflit! Ot
( I'l~-,,'Il!~" colonial ColD,tal

,. I
.... • PrO\',nce ca;> tal
RaIlroad
~,1

'-', , Roao Of lIack

111111111 '\l"har1c Speak-
" \ inr Area
"-
_-- _':t. A.swD
. ,-
1 /"./
.:r . ./ ...-L-
['-'1
REP~L1C

-_._-
-----._-

xv
 AMHAR~

INTRODUCTION

The Amharlc Language

Amharlc lS the offlclal language of the Ethloplan Emplre used ln

government, ln buslness, ln all lnstructlon ln government schools and ln
most newspapers. It lS, however, not the only language spoken ln Ethlopla.
As can be seen from the map on page xv the area where Amh~rlc lS spoken
as a natlve tongue lS about one slXth of the whole terrltory of Ethlopla.

Amharlc belongs to the Southern Semltlc branch of the Afro-Aslatlc

(formerly called Hamlto-Semltlc) famlly of languages. The number of natlve
speakers of Amharlc together wlth the speakers of the other Semltlc languages
spoken ln Ethlopla (such as Tlgrlnlya, Tlgre, Hararl, Gurage and others) lS
less than one half the total populatlon of the Emplre. The greatest part of
Ethlopla lS lnhablted by speakers of CUShltlC languages (another branch of
the Afro-Aslatlc famlly) such as Galla, Agaw, Somall and many others. Slnce
no census has ever been taken ln Ethlopla the number of Ethloplans can only
be estlmated. Accordlng to the offlclal data of the Ethloplan government
the number of lnhabltants of Ethlopla lS between 20 and 22 mllllon. It lS
also dlfflcult to glve a rellable estlmate of the number of Amharlc speakers;
lt lS probably between 5 and 7 mllllon. There lS Ilttle doubt, however, that
due to the constantly growlng development of communlcatlons systems and the
spreadlng of educatlon Amharlc lS galnlng ground throughout the whole country.
It lS now the language of greatest prestlge and anyone who has had any educa-
tlon lS able to speak lt, even lf lt lS not hlS mother tongue. Stlll others
learn lt lnformally as a second language.

ThlS Course:

The followlng parts may be found ln a unlt:

Baslc Sentences
Classroom Expresslons
Structure Sentences
Useful Words
Grammatlcal Notes

Drllls: Substltutlon
Correlatlon
Transformatlon
Model-Transform drllls
Questlons and Answers
Narratlve

xvi
 BASIC COURSE

BaS1C Sentences and Questlons and Answers are found In each unlt. The
Narratlves begln wlth the unlt 5. The occurrence of other parts may vary.

The Course lS dlVlded lnto two volumes. Volume I - contalns unlts 1

through 50 In transcrlptl0n. Volume II - unlts 51-60 In transcrlptl0n,
Introductlon to the Amharlc Wrltlng System, The Reader (Unlts 1-60 ln Amharlc
scrlpt) and a Glossary (In transcrlptl0n).

The Reader lncludes: BaSlc Sentences

Questlons and Answers
Narratlves

Use of ThlS Course

1. 'Baslc Sentences', 'Structure Sentences I, 'Useful Words '.

The lnstructor reads the Amharlc ltem by ltem, repeatlng each ltem (a
bUl1d-up or a sentence) tWlce for each student. Each member of the class
repeats the ltem lmmedlately after the lnstructor trylng to lmltate hlS (or
her) pronunclatlon.

If In the lnstructor's 0plnlon the ltem lS mlspronounced by the student,

the lnstructor repeats lt at normal speed wlth the student repeatlng after
hlm (or her) as many tlmes as necessary. After the class hours each student
goes over the Baslc Sentences by llstenlng to the tape and repeatlng, dOlng
thlS untl1 he knows the dlalogue by heart.

After the BaS1C Sentences have been thoroughly memorlzed the students
take part and act out the dlalogues. The lnstructor may take one of the
parts the flrst tlme or two. ThlS drl11 lS to be contlnued untll any student
can take part and go through the dlalogue 11ke an actor.

2. Substltutlon, Correlatlon and Transformatl0n Drl11s are to be used

In accordance wlth the lnstructlons glven at the beglnnlng of
each drlll.

3. Model Transform Drll1s should be drllled ln the same way as other

Transformatlon Drllls.

4. Questl0ns and Answers.

The questlons and answers are to be drllled as speclfled below, but

they should not be consldered complete. Any questlon WhlCh lS wlthln the
11mlts of the students' grammar and vocabulary can be asked.

Some questlons requlre lnformatlonal answers some others slmply 'yes'

or 'no' answers.

xvii
 AMHARIC

Quest10ns requ1r1ng 1nformat10nal answers are to be dr1lled as follows:

The 1nstructor asks each student a quest10n. The student repeats the
quest10n and g1ves an answer. Any answer g1ven by the student 1S cons1dered
correct 1f 1t 1S good Amhar1c. The answer 1S corrected by the 1nstructor,
1f necessary. The student repeats the corrected answer. The 1nstructor then
g1ves the student the answer wh1ch 1S wr1tten 1n the book and the student
repeats 1t as a further dr1l1.

Quest10ns requ1r1ng 'yes' or 'no' answers should be dr1lled 1n the same

way, 1.e. the student repeats the quest10n after the 1nstructor and g1ves h1m
e1ther an aff1rmat1ve or a negat1ve answer (or both 1f so requested by the
1nstructor).

5. Narrat1ve

The 1nstructor goes through the sentences (1f any) 1llustrat1ng new
vocabulary 1tems, ln the same way as he d1d for BaS1C Sentences. After the
students have thus fam1l1ar1zed themselves w1th the new words the 1nstructor
reads through the whole Narrat1ve at a natural speed. The students l1sten
~ i ,...I J-,

for comprehens10n, books closed. The students summar1se 1n Eng11sh as much

as they understood of the Narrat1ve. The 1nstructor reads each sentence
aga1n for each student, each of whom repeats after h1m. Each student trans-
lates the sentence he repeated. Th1s drIll 1S cont1nued unt1l the students
are thoroughly fam1l1ar w1th the mater1al. The 1nstructor then asks ques-
t10ns l1sted at the end of each Narrat1ve and the students answer them as
completely as poss1ble uS1ng words conta1ned 1n the Narrat1ve. In add1t10n
to the quest10ns l1sted 1n the book the 1nstructor may ask any quest10n
pert1nent to the Narrat1ve w1th1n the llm1ts of the students' grammar and
vocabulary. The students me~or1ze the Narrat1ve by l1sten1ng to the tape
and relate the story to the 1nstructo~ the next day.

students must keep 1n m1nd that there 1S no one correct way of speak1ng
Amhar1c. Due to the poor system of commun1cat1ons 1n Eth1op1a Amhar1c has
developed var10US local d1alects. There 1S an espec1ally marked d1fference
1n pronunc1at10n, 1n vocabulary, and even 1n grammar between the northern
GOJJam1 and the southern Showa d1alects. The purpose of th1s Course 1S to
teach the language as 1t 1S spoken 1n the cap1tal of Eth10p1a, Add1S Ababa.

Add1s Ababa Amhar1c conta1ns elements of a var1ety of d1alects. The

student should have th1s 1n m1nd and should always follow the manner of
speech of h1S 1nstructor even 1f h1s (or her) speech var1es somewhat from
what 1S 1nd1cated 1n th1S book.

xviii
 BASIC COURSE UNIT 1

Symbols Used In ThlS Course

On the Engllsh slde, parentheses and quotatlon marks are used together
(t •••• t) when a more Ilteral translatlon 1S glven 1n add1t1on to the ordlnary
Engl1sh equ1valent.
Brackets [ ] are used to 1ndlcate words 1n the Engllsh equlvalent Wh1Ch
do not have an equlvalent 1n the Amharlc.

Parentheses ( ) 1nd1cate words WhlCh are In the Amhar1c but not In a

normal Engllsh equlvalent. The Engllsh slde lS not necessarlly a Ilteral
translatlon but what lS ordlnarlly sald 1n thlS sltuatlon. The use of
parentheses and brackets as explalned above should make the sltuatlon clear
In each case.

On the Amhar1c slde, parentheses are used to lndlcate sounds WhlCh are
somet1mes omltted. Brackets are used to lndlcate a more formal pronunclatlon
to be used In more del1berate speech or whlle readlng texts ~rltten 1n Amharlc
characters. Alternate pronunclatlons of the same word or alternate words are
glven after a slant llnel I.
The accent mark used lS I 'I. ThlS lndlcates the loudest syllable In a
word or phrase. Secondary stresses are not marked.

As Amharlc has an almost even d1strlbutlon of stress on each syllable,

1t 1S somet1mes extremely dlfflcult to detect where the prlnc1pal stress of
a part1cular word lles. In thlS Course phrase stress wlll be marked In the
BaS1C Sentences, but words In the bUlldups wlll be left unmarked unless the
stress 1S clearly dlstlnct1ve.

An arrow I t I lS used to 1ndlcate sharply rlslng pltch.

A perlod I.I lS used to 1ndlcate the end of a phrase accompanled by

fall1ng pltch. It mayor may not correspond to an Engllsh perlod.

A comma I ' I lnd1cates that the precedlng tone 1S carrled on evenly to

the comma and that a new pltch contour beglns followlng the comma. The
syllables lmmed1ately before I , I are Sllghtly lengthened. There mayor
may not be a break or pause after I ' I.
In the Notes slant llnes are used to set off Amharlc sounds or words
w1thln an EngllSh text. Engllsh letters and words are underllned when used
as examples.