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Anyuaa Oral Prose Narratives; Ethnic Genres and Social Functions
(Addis Ababa University, 1976) Tasew, Bayleyegn; Azeze, Fekade (PhD)
This thesis is concerned with studying the oral prose narratives of Anyuaa society, one of Ethiopian Nilo- Saharan groups bordering the Sudan. The major problem of the research arises from the need for paying due attention to study and appreciate the indigenous ways of catagorizing folklore in general and oral literatures in particular in various parts of the country. Thus, identifying the logical principles underlying the Anyuaa systems of generic classification of oral prose narratives, describing the distinctive features of genres and showing their most recurring social functions in the society are the main objectives of the study attained through descriptive methods of literary analysis. By so doing, the research contributes to the future tasks of categorizing oral prose narratives on national level or a larger scale. Folklore data within their social contexts are made apposite to the goals to be achieved and problems formulated. Therefore, the study depends primarily on extensive fieldwork A total of 118 narratives have been recorded using the methods of observation, interview and focus group discussion through survey, depth, local and incidental research projects. With the purpose of maintaining the contextual meanings conveyed by the source language, "word-for - word," "free" and "dynamic equivalent" translations have been employed and then validated by knowledgeable natives. After a close examination, selection, and interpretation of data, the research come up with the following original findings. (1) Three genres of oral prose narratives exist in their own rights as integral parts of the whole system of Anyuaa culture sharing common social functions identified as perpetuating culture, justifying social norms, controlling deviations, maintaining societal value systems, enculturing the youths through entertainment (2) Generic names are designated as the" Leere" , the "Wae" and the " Angade" in their local language. (3) The research also arrives at three indigenous principles with which the natives themselves make use of in delineating genres of oral prose narratives identified as (a) cultural meanings of generic names (b) narrative contents, and (c) performer's age. (4) Genres are actualized in seven natural contexts determined by the purposes of institutionalized or incidental social actions.
Ethiopian Literature in English
(Addis Ababa University, 1980-06) Seifu, Debebe; A. K., Sinha (PhD)
Looked at from the point of view of the hoary Geez and Amharic literature's, creative writing in English is a baby tradition in Ethiopia. However, this baby tradition has, so far, attracted some venerable writers in Amharic like Tsegaye Gebre Medhin and Dan iachew worku and as such it must needs be subjected to some critical app raisal. This, thus, is the main aim and purpose of this dissertation. Before I come to examine in tobQ creative writings in English, I have attempted to make some descriptive assessment s of some of the Amharic works of some of the writers by way of giving a preliminary insight and a background information. Out of the seven writers I have dealt with in this dissertation, I have delineated in chapte r one, though understan dabily cursorily, the Amha ric works of four writers as these are the ones who can be said to have produced some creative works in the vernacular. In chapter two I have given primarily thematic treatments to seven novels. Among these, The Thirteenth Sun, as a matured and intricate work, has taken much more spaoe t han the others. sahle Selass ie's three novels, arranged and tteated chronologically attempt to show his progress in a rtistio deftness and thematic manipulation . The rest have one novel each and their shortcomings notwithstanding , their attempt to use a foreign language in tackling noteworthy issues is brought out to the attention of the reader. In chapter three I have dealt with the poetic works of TsegayeGebre Medhin and EyasuGorfu. Here, I have found out Tsegaye to be a conscientious poet with a strong committment for the cause of the black people and the resuscitation of their cultures. Conversely, Eyasu tackless issues --- that have only a marginal relevance even to his home land.Among the five Engli sh plays we have in chapter four , four of t hem are authored by Tsega y e Gebre Medhin. Two of these are written in prose, whereas the rama ining two a re couched in beaut iful v e rse. The fifth play is Abbie Gubegna ' s a nd it is on e of the shoddiest works to appear in Engl ish. Finally, in a brief conclusion, I have tried to give an overall picture of the present state o f creative "ratting in English . As long as stringent censorship is prevalent in the country and as long a s Ethiopians have some thing to say artistically to t he outside world, Ethiopian literature in English will continue to com e forth, even if in lulls and a t intervals.
A Contrastive Analysis of The Phonologies of Gedeo and Amharic
(Addis Ababa University, 1981-04) Erkihun, Luiseged; Wedekind, Klaus (PhD)
The Process of this st.udy has gom, through four main stages. ~h e first stage covers the introductory part of the p aper, ",hich deals with the statemen t of th8 proble!!'., t h e val ue of the study and its limitations. It also presents a literature revie\>' of prior worl
Oroho Substantives: Some Aspects Of Their Morphology And Syntax
(Addis Ababa University, 1981-05) Yimam, Baye; Beyene, Taddensse (PhD)
This study is an attempt made to describe Oromo NOUNS and ADJECTIVES. The purpose of the study is to see if NOUNS and ADJEe- TIVES in Oromo can be treated as constituents of just one class instead of the traditional two. To this end, the formal and distributional characteristics of NOUNS and ADJECTIVES have been examined in s i x chapters.In chapter one, reviews of previous works, and purposes and limitations of the study have been made. In the second and third chapters, the inflect ional and derivational affixes of Oromo NOUNS and ADJECTIVES have been examined and compared" The inflectional affi:;~es for such grammatical categories as number t gender; and case have been examined and explained. Regarding their derivations the roots from which NOUNS and ADJECTIVES may be derived and the affixes that derive them have been identi fied. Chapter five deals with some processes of nominalization and adjectivizationso Here, attempts have been made to describe th-e proceSDeD of compounding and re!ativization. In chapter five, the syntactic positions and functions of NOUNS and ADJECTIVES along with those of p ronouns , demonstratives, and numerals have been considered" Chapter six summarizes the discussion and suggests as a possible conclusion that NOUNS and ADJECTIVES may be considered as constituents of the class of substantives on the basis of their morphological similarity.
the verbt TO BE IN OROMO
(Addis Ababa University, 1981-05) Kebbede, Ishetu; Bender, M.L (PhD)
The object;l':f'f this paper is b analyse the ve r b 'to be ' in Or omo . The pape r has seven sections : In sections one and two identification of the pr ob l em and a brief survey Df relevant lite rature a r e given. In the third section the shapes is treated. copular form ~-Da with "- In the fourth section its diffe r ent allomorphic othe r copula r expressions : Existence, Location, Attribute, Identity, and Possession in the s i mple declarative pr esent tense are dealt with . In secti~n five ¥ses of copular verbs in the different tenses is shown . I n section six the negative form of the c opular expressions~ given . In the concluding section, a brief compa ris on of mo r pho l ogy and syntax of copula r expression s of thr ee ~)anguages : Hindi, Amharic, and Japanese is carried ou t. Japanese, like Or omo , is said to be of " Rigid III" syntactic type , whereas Hind i and Amharic are supposedly transitional . I n the a na lys is of the c opu la a c ontroversial mo r pheme (~wh ich was treated as a possessive ma r ke r by ear lier write rs, is identified as a copula in this paper. This is'a poi nt of special interest and still ~ I t is evident that the analysis of the complex ~, c ontroversial. suppletive copular system of Or omo r equires fu r the r work beyond the limits of this thesis . Fo r example, the r ole of auxiliaries and vari ous transformations invol Ving copulas need to be taken up .
The Phonology of Mecha Oromo
(Addis Ababa University, 1981-06) Tola, Wako; Beyene, Taddese
The purpose of this thesis is to present a fuller analysis of the phonology of the Mecha dialect of Oromo. The paper has six sections. In the first section the relevant liter~ture is revied in brief. The second section treats the description of the phonemes, their allophones and the distributions of the phonemes. The third section deals with the phonotactics and syllabification. A frequency count of phonemes based on the Swaddesh Basic VocGbulary and on an original story in Oromo, k~amale:f ye:y:i: is also presented in this section. The fourth section deals with the major suprasegmental phenomena such as length, stress, pitch and terminal contours. Lexical pitch and stress are non-phonemic but grammatically significant. Morphophonemic processes involving assimilation of consonants, epenthesis, metathesis, deletion, vowel shortening and reduplication are dealt with in the fifth section. The concluding section presents a summary of the findings of the analysi
The Phonology of Wolayta Generative Approach
(1983-06) Ejigu, Yitbarek; Wedekind, Klaus (PhD)
The study has three main partso The first is an introduction which gives the review of literature of previous works and of the generative approacho This part also explains the purpose and scope of the study. The second part is a description of the phonology of Wolayta in detail. The possible phonetic sounds, the short and long phonemes, the allophonic and morphophonemic variants, the syllable structure and its processes including vowel harmony and supra-segmentals are discussed. The third part consists of the conclusiono It presents the summary of the preceding parts and gives remarks on further study of supra-segmentals for more complete work of Wolayta phonologyo
The Noun Phrase in Awngi
(Addis Ababa University, 1984-06) Mengistu, Taddesse; Manahlot, Demissie (PhD)
This thesis attempts to examine the syntactic structures of the noun phrase in Awngi. The paper contains three chapters including the conclusion. Chapter 1explains the background work of the thesis which involves a description about the A.gewpeople, the ilgew language and its classification, studies on Awngi and the purpose of the study. Chapter 2 discusses the noun phrase in Awngi. In so doing, methods of identifying I1.wnginoun phrases and the internal structure of the ~oun phrase, the distribution of the constituents, external distribution and functions of the noun phrase in J•.wngi have been presented. Chapter 3 deals with a summary of the major points discussed in the thesiso Awngi is an inflectional language.1 Any syntactic analysis may not be clearly discussed without an attempt of its morpho~ogical categories. Hence, a brief description of the noun morphology (gender, number and case inflections) has been appended to help readers understand the various inflectional elements in the thesiso
The Noun Phrase in Awngi
(Addis Ababa University, 1984-06) Mengistu, Taddesse; Manahlot, Demissie (PhD)
This thesis attempts to examine the syntactic structures of the noun phrase in Awngi. The ~aper contains three chapters including the conclusion. Chapter 1 explains the background work of the thesis which involves a description about the lcgew people, the Agew language and its classificat ion, studies on Awngi and the purpose of the study. Chapter 2 discusses the noun phrase in Awngi. In so doing, methods of identifying l.wngi noun phrases and the internal structure of the ~oun phrase, the distribution of the constituents, external distribution and functions of the noun phrase in j,wngi have been presented. Chapter 3 deals with a summary of the major points discussed in the thesis. Awngi is an inflectional language. 1 Any syntactic analysis may not be clearly discussed without an attempt of its morpho~ogical categories. Hence, a brief description of the noun morphology (gender, number and case inflections) has been appended to help readers understand the various inflectional elements in the thesis.
The Phonology of Awngi Generative Approach
(Addis Ababa University, 1986-06) Gela, Worku; Despatie, Gerard (PhD)
'I'eh aim of this paper is to give an account to the pho no Logy of Awngio The attempt is to detormine the number of phonemes and tonemes and their functions in the system of this language. In Chapter one, the people and their language, method and scope of the study are introducedo The consonant and vowel phonemes are described in Chapter twoo Chapter three is for the discussion of the syllable pattern and structural processes in the syllable. Finally, Suprasegmentals are briefly discussed in chapter foure
The Sound Pattern Of Kistaninna: A Generative Approach
(Addis Ababa University, 1986-06) Sima., Tesfaye; Beyene, 'T'addese (PhD)
The thesis co~sists of three maior sectioDs: (i) phonemes and ~.llophones" (ii) +uLe s of phonetic .ceali'Ti ' z.am ons , an,d""'I),Lll suprasep;men' tl8. 8 In the section deal ing w it h the phOneE1.8Sand al Lophone s , the consonent and voweI phcnemes are Lis t ed VJith their allophonic var i arrt n , giving examnl.es of their distributions, In this section also dealing Hith seqnences and clusters of consonant nhonemes ~ co'· oc cur-r-ence s of the consonants are cLas s i f i.ed in terms of their manner of articulations such as ~ stops" af'f r i cat es , fricatives, nas al.s , Li oui.d.s, glides, and their d'i s tr-i.but.Lons in wor-d.s , and in the next s ec t i.on , f i.na l.Lv culminating 'fortih a summary of the syll8ble structu~e of the language In the r-n l es of phonetic real i zat i ons , aas i.rai.Lat ory and non=as s i.mi Lat ocv r.r-o ce s se s 8S" palata I i zat i on , l~Jinli~ation, nasali~8tion, homorganic nasal assimilat ' t' iL t:' r 1 lOD., consonan as s i.nu.. a v r on \.Lengt"n 'j), vowe1 888l.8, 1.18.t'r.on , .i.nt et-voc al ic 1-Ie ake rri ng , vowe1 r-educ t i on , vowe 1. insertion and glide formation? are t100T'ol.W;h1d.:iv scus sed and an"tlysedo In the section dealing wi th supr-aseguent.aLs , consonant ~ength is analysed; and the relationship between pitch and strese .is a180 dete rnnned c The Lrrt onat i on patterns of the language are also exami.ned .
The syntax of simple declarative clauses in zaysse
(Addis Ababa University, 1989-06) Yemer, Teshome; Yimer, baye (PhD)
The Case System in Wolayta (GB.-Approach)
(Addis Ababa Universiy, 1989-06) Seyum, Bekale; Marcos, Professor Habte Mariam
This study attempts to examine and eXplain t he properties of the ease system in 'Jolayta on the basis elf the t heoretical frameworJ~ of Government and Binding ( GB ) . This theoretical framework is brieJ'ly explained in the introductory Chapter . It is shovm that the la.'1.guage has only tV/o Cases - nominative and accusative , ~0d that Case is phonetically realized in the language . The Case suffixes designating nominative and accusative, and the syntactic relationship that the noun phrases form \'lith the Case assigners are described, The manner i n \vhich both Cases are assigned in the lanGuage is also explained . Fi nally , structures of infinitival clauses , passive and raising constructions are considered in relati.on to the assignment of Case to noun phrases .
Relative Clauses in Chi\Ha a Gs Approach
(Addis Ababa University, 1990-06) Abebe, Alemayehu; Ylmarn, Baye (PhD)
This study examines the structure of relative clauses In Chaha. As a quldellne , it employs the theory of Government and Binding of Chomsky (1981, 1982, 1986) and recent developments. The theory assumes that relative clauses are Non-argument clausal complements of nouns at a maximal level. The internal structure of relative clauses are explained interms of sublhcories and principles which are assumed to be prcperttes of universal grammar. The study begins by analyzing the relativizing strategy in the language. It is argued that Chaha uses the Pro in situ strategy in Its relative clauses. This means that an empty category Pro is base generated in a relativized argument NP position of a relative clause. The relativized arqumcnt NP may be a complement of a verbal, a prepositional or a nominal head. The study shows that Chaha relative clauses are open syntactic predicates predicated of their head tJPs. The head NPs act as formal SUbjects of their predicated relative clauses, The rule which interpretes the relation between the head NPs and the predicated relative clauses is the rule of predicate Linking which applies at S-structure. In Chaha , an invariable element Iyal occurs in perfect relative clauses to introduce the clauses as predicated of their head NPs. This Iyal is treated as a complementizer and is base generated in cornp, position at D-structure. It does not phonetically occur in imperfect relative clauses. Although relativized NP positions are always empty, subject agreement affixes and pronominal object clltics play essential roles in identifying their content. The: former refers to subjects, and the latter to objects of [-N] categories.
The Focus System in Oromo A Funclional Grammar A'pproach
(Addis Ababa University, 1990-06) Yassin, Taha; Wedekin, Klaus (PhD)
This study deals with the function of focus in Oromo~ It attempts to show the different mechanisms in which focus functions are renlized. Dik (1978) developed the theory of FG with the view point of functional nature of a language. It is stated in his study that ~agmatic Function is one of the three levels of Functional nations. Focus is regarded as one of the four ~agmatic Functions. Focus presents what is relatively the most important or salient inforrn~tion in ~ given setting. Even though Focus is a universal f~ture of any language~ ~he types, the scopes, the functions and distribution of Focus vary from l~nguage to language. The :'distribution of fo study examines the types, the scopes, the functions ..;..llu."il.l. Oromo in the light of Dik (1978) and (1989). The study has three chapter.: In CMp~r;l.One ,.~a; &tatement the Significance, the Objectives, the Limitations and Methods of the study are introduced. In addition, previous related studies in Oromo are also included. The theoretical framework of Functional Grammar with the aim of introducing the basic concepts of FG in general and the treatment of focus a~ a pragmatic function in particular are described in Chapter Two. The Third Chapter discusses the various focus functions in the language. The focalizing devices, the types, the scopes ~nd functions of focus are raised and discussed. Finally, the study presents the summary of the preceding chapters.
The Structure of Noun Phrase in Kistaninna
(Addis Ababa University, 1990-06) Abcra.., Tesfaye; Marcos, Habtcmariam
This Study eXRmines the Structure of Noun Phrase in ktstaninna in terms of the X-bar theory formulated by Jackendoff (1977) and recent developments. This approach is a recent theoretical innovation in the stage of grammar which falls within the general framework of Extended Standard Theory (EST) of generative grammar. This theory has emerged from the earlier model-i.e. Standard Theory. In this new version, an attempt was made to decrease the degree of abstractness, the power of transformation was decreased and the rewrite rules of the categorial component were constrained. Other theoretical developments such as the introduction of traces and the new con~eption of S-Structures, etc. appeared. Following Jackendoff (1977) the study assumes three levels of phrasal expansions for a head noun, where a noun is a lexical head. Accordingly, the following levels of nominals are recognized: N(NO), N', Nil and Nil'. } Jun is a major lexical cptegory which is found at N(NO) level and serves as a head of NPs. This category requires certain other maximal phrasal categories as its complement. The study shows that the NPs are the only complements of the derived nominals at N' level. Such complements are inseparably linked up with the lexical category. The complements in this minimal projection are functional arguments. At the intermediate projection, the complements are genitive NPs (of source~ purpose, location, time), adjectival phrases, prepositional phrases ~nd relative clauses. All of them are referred to as restrictive modifiers. ~he maximal projection consists of non - restrictive modifiers as complements - i.e. appositives and some noun phrases. Regarding the Np specifiers, it is argued that these elements lack the potential for maximal projection. Specifier occur with a noun head in phrasal structure in order to limit the referential or quantitative scope of the head. They include articles and quantifiers. Articles are found under N'l' Whereas quantifiers are found under Nil'. In other words, they are generated at maximal and intermediAte levels, respectively.
The Focus System in Oromo ( A functional Grammar Approach )
(Addis Ababa University, 1990-06) Yassin, Tara; Wedekind, Kiaus (PhD)
This study deals with the function of focus in Oromo. It attempts to ShO~1 the different me chanisms in which focus functions are realized. Dik (1978) developed the theory of FG with the view point of functional nature of a l anguage . It is stated in his stud y that ~agmatic Functi on is one of the three levels of Functional nations. Focus is regarded as one of the four 1f.ragmat ic Functions. Focus presents .,ha t is r el ative ly the most important or salient informa,tion in ~ given setting . Even though Focus is a universal fa~ture of any language~ 'he types, the scopes, the functions and d istribution of Focus vary from language to language. The " :" distri):JUtion of fo study exam ines the types, the scopes, the funct:l.Ons .Ailu.,,~ll Oromo in the light of Dik (1978) and (1989) . The study has three chapter.: In CMpiiar:
The Structure of Noun Phrase in Kicistaninna
(Addis Ababa University, 1990-06) Abera, Tesfaye; Marcos, Hoabtemariam (PhD)
Verbal Complementation in Awingi
(Addis Ababa Universiy, 1991-06) Yigebru, Haile Leul; Yimam, Dr. Baye
This paper attempts to describe complements of Awin[i verbs following the X-Bar Theory of phrase structure rules of Jackendoff (1977) , Chomsky (1981,1986) and Radford (1981). The theory claims that in all natural languages, the major lexical categories, that is, nouns, verbs, adjectives and prepositions have similar complement structures and levels of projection. 'l'he study shows that verbs in this language take A' ", N" " P'" and CPs at V'; VPadverbials at V" ; and parentheticals at V" '. This is consistent with the claim of the theory. The position of the head in relation to its complement is always final which fixes the parameter of Awiogi as a head-final language
Gumuz Verb Morphology
(AAU, 1991-08) Zewdie, Aster; Wedekind, Klaus (Phd)
This pa per presents the ana lysis of Gumuz verb morphology. The paper consists of four par ts . The first part pr esents a brief description of the language , the people , t he review o f the lit er a ture along with the objective and me thod of the study. The second part deals with the phonology of Gumuz, in which 39 consonant and 5 vowel phonemes are identified. The syllable structure , the clusters , the suprasegmetal phoneme , t one , are discussed . The morphophonological proc esses that the a ffix e s under go are also pre se nted. The third part of the p aper is concerend with the verb infl e ctions of t he categories person, number, tense , aspect, mood and polarity. In this section several pr efixes and suffixes are identified and described. It was found out that all forms of verbs are r egular, e xcept the verb to be . The fourth part summarizes what has been discussed in the preceding sect ions.

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