Imperfective Viewpoint in Afaan Oromoo Morphosyntactic and Semantic Aspects

Abstract

Language expresses everything which is relevant to human knowledge (encyclopedic world). The means of conceptualizing this knowledge is called eventuality. Eventuality refers to happenings, occurrences, situations, states, etc., which are expressed using predicates in clause structure. This study examines imperfective viewpoint, which is one of the two a temporal (unaffected by time) dimensions (the other is perfective) of eventuality in Afaan Oromoo. It presents three families of imperfective (habitual, prospective and continuative) by analyzing their morphosyntactic and semantic features. Methodologically, written texts were collected from Afaan Oromoo written web corpora and textbooks of grades 9-12. The data are evaluated and interpreted by selected key informants and our introspection. The discussion shows that the constructions with -a, -u and -i on verbal stems are referred to as habitual aspect markers. The preference of these markers relies on the syntactic subjects of the clauses in question. The other member of imperfective in Afaan Oromoo, prospective, is denoted by -f(i) on verbal nominal stems along with the copula -ɗa‘be’ or tur-‘was’, or existential/presentative verb ʤir- ‘exist’, where the copula or the existential verb indicates the tense of the situation. The last member of imperfective is continuative which is shown by -aa on verbal stems with the existential verb along with ʤir-‘exist’ or past copula tur- ‘was’. In brief, the results show that the eventuality expressed by any of the three imperfective viewpoints in Afaan Oromoo is understood by the viewer as an occurrence, happening or state which is unbounded, uncompleted and iterated.

Axereeraa
Afaan dhimmoota beekumsa dhala namaa waliin walqabatan hunda ibsuuf tajaajila. Qorannoo hiikaa keessatti tarsiimoon beekumsi kunittiin yaadrimeessaamu taatee (eventuality) jedhamuun beekama.Taateen wantoota ykn haalawwan addunyaa (universe) keessatti rawwatamaniifi afaaniin ibsaman hunda ofkeessatti hammata. Kayyoon qorannoo kanaas Afaan Oromoo keessatti caasaa taateewwan hinraawwatamiin (imperfective viewpoint aspect) xiinxaluu dha. Malli qorannoo itti dhimma bahame mala iddatteessuu kaayyoo (purposive sampling) yoota’u kunis kitaaba barataa kan Afaan Oromoo kutaalee 9-12fi marsariitii barreeffamoota Afaan Oromoo qaban keessaa himoota kaayyoo qorannoo kanaatiif tajaajilan funaanuuni. Bu’uuruma kanaan afaanicha keessatti taatteewwaan hinraawwatamiin akaakuuwwan sadi akka qaban qorannoo kanaan addabaafameera. Kanneenis madaqqee (habitual), ittifufaa (continuative) firaajjuu (prospective) jedhamu. Akaakuuwwan taateewwanii kunniin kan addabaafaman amalalat-himaa (morphosyntactic) qabaniini. Bu’aan qorannoo kanaa keessatti latiiwwan -a, -u fi -i gocharratti ida’amuun taateewwan madaqqee akka agarsiisan adda baheera. Kana malees, taateewwan ittifufa
agarsiisan latii-aagocharratti ida’uun Akkasumas jecha gargaara aʤir- ykn tur- jedhu dhuma himaarratti ida’uuni. Miseensi taateewwan hinraawwatamiin innis adaffaaraajjuu yoota’u kun immoolatii-f(i) jedhu goch-maqaa (verbal nominal) irratti ida’uun ijaarama. Walumaa galatti, taateewwan hinraawwatamiin Afaan Oromoo keessati caasaalee sadan armaan olitti dheeramaniin ibsama.