Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

'Yes' and 'No' in the Ethiopian Languages

1962; Linguistic Society of America; Volume: 38; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.2307/410875

1535-0665

Wolf Leslau,

Language, Linguistics, Cultural Analysis

Questions can be expressed in the Ethiopian languages in either an affirmative or a negative way, as is the case in other languages. In answer to an affirmative question ('Will you come tomorrow?'), the particle is 'yes' for an affirmative statement, and 'no' for a negative statement. The verb of the question is most often repeated either in the affirmative ('Yes, I will come') or in the negative ('No, I will not come'). In answer to a negative question ('Will you not come tomorrow?'), the Ethiopian languages have various ways of expressing the affirmative or the negative. The object of the present study is to illustrate the various ways of expressing 'yes' or 'no' as an answer to a negative question. The investigation was made with the help of informants in Amharic, Tigrinya, Harari, and Chaha and Soddol of the Gurage group. As already stated, the answer for 'yes' or 'no' to an affirmative question is 'yes' or 'no', accompanied by the verb of the question in the affirmative or negative. Thus, in AMHARIC: mdkina mandat yacalal 'Does he know how to drive a car?'for 'yes': awon yacalal 'Yes, he knows'; for 'no': yallam aycalam 'No, he does not know.' In TIGRINYA: sarah yabazhakka dayyu2 'Do you have too much work?'for 'yes': 'awwa yabdzhanniyyu 'Yes, it is too much for me' (lit. 'it is too much for me, it is'); for 'no': ydlldn aybdzhiannan 'No, it is not too much for me.' In HARARI: gqs tidzjnax3 'Will you come tomorrow?'-for 'yes': t idi4ax 'Yes, I will come'; for 'no': me' idigumex 'No, I will not come'. In CHAHA: ndgd gdbaya titan-sd we4 'Will you come tomorrow to the market?'-for 'yes': ank dtdn-sa 'Yes, I will come'; for 'no': bd an6cdn 'No, I will not come.' In SODDO: ndgd tamdtaw 'Will you come tomorrow?'-for 'yes': z dmataw 'Yes, I will come'; for 'no': ydlld tdmdta 'No, I will not come.' The answer for 'yes' or 'no' is different in the case of a negative question. Thus, in AMHARIC: mdkina mdndat attacalam 'Don't you know how to drive a car?'for 'yes': yalldm acalalluh, lit. 'No, I know'; for 'no': awon aldceam, lit. 'Yes, I don't know'. It would seem that the answer particle to a negative question is a 'true' or 'false' statement: the affirmative answer to a negative question ('Don't you know how to drive a car?') first states that the implication of the question is false; the real answer for 'yes' is then expressed by the affirmative form of the verb ocalalluh 'I know'. In the negative answer to a negative question the particle states that the implication of the question is true; the real answer is then expressed by the negative verb aldcalam 'I don't know'. But the answer 'No, I don't know' to a negative question 'Don't you know?' is also expressed by ydlldm alac5abm 'No, I