Case system of Kafinoonoo
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Date
2012-06
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
This thesis is a study of the case system of Kafinoonoo. Its focus is on marking of core
and peripheral arguments. In addition, genitive case marking and case in different
constructions like NPs, pronominals and passive are also discussed. In core argument,
arguments in A/S position and arguments in O position have been seen. According to the
data by which this thesis is conducted; arguments in A/S position are not morphologically
marked. In other words nominative case in Kafinoonoo is morphologically unmarked.
This is the first study to show that proper names, morphologically marked nouns, simple
derived names behave differently with respect to O marking. Some of them are
optionally marked, some of them are obligatorily marked, and still others can occupy the
O position by lengthening their final vowels and then optionally marked. In Kafinoonoo
there is no consistent way of accusative marking. Proper names including personal names
behave in two ways in O position. They can occupy the position either by lengthening
their final vowel or they can be suffixed by -n without lengthening. Personal pronouns
especially1SIG, 1PLU, 2SIG and 3distal pronouns behave similarly in O position. As in
the proper names they can lengthen their final vowels and then they can be suffixed by -
n. Unlike these 3proximal pronouns, marked plural nouns and derived nouns are
obligatorily marked in O position by -n. Modified NPs in S/A position are not
morphologically marked, whereas they can behave differently in O position. Pronominals
are also not marked in A/S position but they too behave differently in O position. These
can either lengthen their final vowels or they can be optionally marked by -n.
Genitive in Kafinoonoo is marked in different ways. Simple juxtaposition can show the
genitive case. In addition, ‘-tʃ’ can mark the genitive case in Kafinoonoo. There is still a
phonologically conditioned variant of ‘-tʃ’ which also can mark the genitive in
Kafinoonoo. This is ‘-dʒ’ which marks the genitive of noun that end in / m/ followed by
vowel. These all are discussed in this thesis and finally the main findings are
summarized.
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Kafinoonoo