Burji language
{{Short description|Afro-Asiatic language of Ethiopia}}
{{cleanup|date=February 2024|reason=Needs formatting cleanup}}
{{Infobox language
|name=Burji
|altname=
|nativename={{lang|bji|ቡርጂ}} ({{tlit|bji|Burji}})
|region=South of Lake Chamo
|ethnicity=Burji people
|speakers={{sigfig|83,300|2}}
|date=2007 & 2019 censuses
|ref=e25
|familycolor=Afro-Asiatic
|fam2=Cushitic
|fam3=East
|fam4=Highland East
|iso3=bji
|glotto=burj1242
|glottorefname=Burji
}}
Burji language (alternate names: Bembala, Bambala, Daashi) is an Afro-Asiatic language spoken by the Burji people who reside in Ethiopia south of Lake Chamo. There are over 49,000 speakers in Ethiopia, and a further 36,900 speakers in Kenya. Burji belongs to the Highland East Cushitic group of the Cushitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic family.
The language has the SOV (subject–object–verb) word order common to the Cushitic family. The verb morphology distinguishes passive and middle grammatical voice, as well as causative. Verbal suffixes mark the person, number, and gender of the subject.
The New Testament was published in the Burji language in 1993. A collection of Burji proverbs, translated into English, French, and Swahili, is available on the Web.Angelique Chelo. 2016. A COLLECTION OF 100 BURJI PROVERBS AND WISE SAYINGS. [http://www.afriprov.org/images/stories/ebooks/burji.pdf Web Access] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211030152200/http://www.afriprov.org/images/stories/ebooks/burji.pdf |date=2021-10-30 }}
Numerals 1-1000
| class="wikitable"
! colspan="2" | base numeral | rowspan="11" style="background-color: lightgrey;" | ! colspan="2" | +10 | rowspan="11" style="background-color: lightgrey;" | ! colspan="2" | {{times}}10 | |||
| 1 | micha
| 11 | tannaya micha
| 10 | tanna |
| 2 | lama
| 12 | tannaya lama
| 20 | lamattann |
| 3 | fadiya
| 13 | tannaya fadiya
| 30 | fadiitann |
| 4 | foola
| 14 | tannaya foola
| 40 | foolattan |
| 5 | umutta
| 15 | tannaya umutta
| 50 | umuttan |
| 6 | liya
| 16 | tannaya liya
| 60 | liittan |
| 7 | lamala
| 17 | tannaya lamala
| 70 | lamalattan |
| 8 | hiditta
| 18 | tannaya hiditta
| 80 | hidittan |
| 9 | wonfa
| 19 | tannaya wonfa
| 90 | wonfattan |
| 10 | tanna
| 20 | lamattann
| 100 | ch'ibba |
- 1,000. kuma
Syntax
= Word order =
Dhaashatee is a head-final language, which means that modifiers come before the main noun in the noun phrase. Dependent clauses come before independent clauses, while relative clauses come before the nouns they modify. The basic word order at the sentence-level is SOV, as in other HEC languages.Wedekind, Klaus. 1990. Generating Narratives – Interrelations of Knowledge, Text Variants, and Cushitic Focus Strategies. Berlin, New York: Mouton de Gruyter.
= Relative clauses =
Relative clauses in Burji (Dhaashatee) are not formally marked but they can be recognized from main clauses by having more than one completely inflected verb in a non-final position. In contrast, in a "regular" main clause with multiple verbs, all but the last one takes a converb suffix. Other types of subordinate clauses are marked by complementizers or subordinate conjunctions.
An examples of a relative clause is given below. Dhogoli functions as the subject of both the relative clause and the main clause.
{{interlinear |lang=bji |indent=2 |abbreviations=SNOM:singulative nominal; CON:conclusive
|Lama lasa eegadh-i dhab-ann-oo dhogol-i aaree-shini gal-i{{=}}k'aa akkarraga isheek-koo mar-ann-oo.
|two day wait-CVB loose-PST-CON leopard-SNOM.M/ABS anger-INS.F return-CVB{{=}}FOC evening POSS.3SG.F-ADE go-PST-CON
|'Having lost two days waiting, the leopard returned furiously, and in the evening, he went to her house.'
}}
Notes
{{Reflist}}
References
{{more footnotes|date=February 2024}}
- {{cite journal |last1=Amborn |first1=Hermann |author-link1=Hermann Amborn |first2=Alexander |last2=Kellner |date=1999 |title=Burji vocabulary of cultural items: an insight into Burji culture, based on the field notes of Helmut Straube |journal=Afrikanistische Arbeitspapiere |volume=58 |page=5-67 |s2cid=146595277}}
- {{cite book |author-link=Hans-Jürgen Sasse |last=Sasse |first=Hans-Jürgen |date=1982 |title=An Etymological Dictionary of Burji |series=Kuschitische Sprachstudien 1 |location=Hamburg |publisher=Buske |isbn=3871185612}}
- {{cite book |last1=Sasse |first1=Hans-Jürgen Sasse |first2=Helmut |last2=Straube |date=1977 |chapter=Kultur und Sprache der Burji in Süd-Äthiopien: Ein Abriss |language=de |trans-chapter=Burji Culture and Language in Southern Ethiopia: An Outline |page=239–266 |title=Zur Sprachgeschichte und Ethnohistorie in Afrika |trans-title=On linguistic history and ethnohistory in Africa |editor-first1=Wilhelm J. G. |editor-last1=Moehlig |editor-first2=Franz |editor-last2=Rottland |editor-first3=Bernd |editor-last3=Heine |location=Berlin |publisher=Dietrich Reimer |isbn=978-3-496-00100-3 |oclc=5773661}}
- {{cite journal |last=Wedekind |first=Charlotte |date=1985 |title=Burji verb morphology and morphophonemics," The verb morphophonemics of five highland east Cushitic languages, including Burji |journal=Afrikanistische Arbeitspapiere |volume=2 |location=Cologne |publisher=Institut für Afrikanistik |pages=110–145}}
- {{cite journal |last=Wedekind |first=Klaus |date=1980 |title=Sidamo, Darasa (Gedeo), Burji: phonological differences and likenesses |journal=Journal of Ethiopian Studies |volume=14 |pages=131-176}}
External links
- World Atlas of Language Structures information on [http://wals.info/languoid/lect/wals_code_brj Burji]
{{Languages of Ethiopia}}
{{Languages of Kenya}}
{{Cushitic languages}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Languages of Ethiopia