Weiter zum Inhalt

The Interrogative Element *ʾayy- in Semitic

Eran Cohen


Seiten 327 - 342

DOI https://doi.org/10.13173/zeitdeutmorggese.169.2.0327




The Semitic interrogative pro-word system includes the element 'ayy-. This element is compatible with different entity types, its functional range across the languages greatly varies, as an interrogative with nominal and/or several adverbial meanings, and it also occurs as a bare form. The pertinent linguistic literature identifies it as an interrogative formative which conveys an interrogative force to adverbs and pronouns. For this idea to be adopted, a principle is devised which accounts for this formal and functional variety of the element 'ayy-, based on comparative Semitic data. The component 'ayy- turns out to be a general constitutent-question marker that is applied to diverse semantic domains (choice/type/quality [~which], time, manner, locative, ablative and allative) to form the corresponding interrogative pro-words.

1 Barth, J. 1907: Sprachwissenschaftliche Untersuchungen. Vol. I. Leipzig.

2 Barth, J. 1913: Die Pronominalbildung in den semitischen Sprachen. Leipzig.

3 BDB = F. Brown / S. R. Driver / C. A. Briggs: A Hebrew and English lexicon of the Old Testament: with an appendix containing the Biblical Aramaic. Boston / New York 1907.

4 Brockelmann, C. 1908: Grundriss der vergleichenden Grammatik der semitischen Sprachen. Vol. I: Laut- und Formenlehre. Berlin.

5 Brockelmann, C. 1913: Grundriss der vergleichenden Grammatik der semitischen Sprachen. Vol. II: Syntax. Berlin.

6 Cohen, D. 1970: Dictionnaire des racines sémitiques. Fasc 1. Paris/La Haye.

7 Cysouw, M. 2004: “Interrogative words: an exercise in lexical typology.” Presentation at the Bantu grammar: Description and theory workshop 3, 13 February 2004 (ZAS Berlin). Unpublished.

8 Diessel, H. 2003: “The relationship between demonstratives and interrogatives.” In: Studies in Language 27,3, pp. 635–655.

9 Dillmann, A. 1907: Ethiopic Grammar, translated by James A. Crichton. London.

10 Ewald, H. 1870: Ausführliches Lehrbuch der hebräischen Sprache des alten Bundes. Göttingen.

11 Faber, A. 1988: “Indefinite Pronouns in Early Semitic.” In: Y. L. Arbeitman (ed.): FUCUS: A Semitic/Afrasian Gathering in Remembrance of Albert Ehrman. Amsterdam, pp. 221–238.

12 Faber, A. 1991: “The diachronic relationship between negative and interrogative markers in Semitic.” In: A. S. Kaye (ed.): Semitic studies in honor of Wolf Leslau. Vol. 1. Wiesbaden, pp. 411–429.

13 Fischer, W. 21987: Grammatik des klassischen Arabisch. Wiesbaden.

14 GAG = W. von Soden: Grundriss der akkadischen Grammatik. Rome 31995 (Analecta Orientalia 33).

15 Goldenberg, G. 1995: “Attribution in Semitic Languages.” In: Langues Orientales Anciennes: Philologie et Linguistique 7, pp. 1–20.

16 Goldenberg, G. 2002: “Two Types of Phrase Adjectivization.” In: W. Arnold / H. Bobzin (eds.): Sprich doch mit deinen Knechten aramäisch, wir verstehen es!: 60 Beiträge zur Semitistik: Festschrift für Otto Jastrow zum 60. Geburtstag. Wiesbaden, pp. 193–208.

17 Hogg, R. M. / R. D. Fulk 2011: A grammar of old English. Vol. 2: Morphology. Oxford.

18 Jastrow, O. 2006: “Anatolian Arabic.” In: K. Versteegh et alii (eds.): Encyclopedia of Arabic Language and Linguistics. Leiden, Vol. 1, pp. 87–96.

19 Jensen, P. 1888: “Ausruf, Frage und Verneinung in den semitischen Sprachen.” In: Zeitschrift für Völkerpsychologie und Sprachwissenschaft 18, pp. 419–430.

20 Kane, T. L. 2000: Tigrinya – English dictionary. 2 vols. Springfield, VA.

21 Kienast, B. 2001: Historische Semitische Sprachwissenschaft. Wiesbaden.

22 König, E. 1910: Hebräisches und aramäisches Wörterbuch zum Alten Testament. Leipzig.

23 Kouwenberg, N. J. C. 2012: “Spatial Deixis in Akkadian: Demonstrative Pronouns, Presentative Particles and Locational Adverbs.” In: Zeitschrift für Assyriologie und vorderasiatische Archäologie 102,1, pp. 17–75.

24 Leslau, W. 1941: Documents tigrigna (éthiopien septentrional) grammaire et textes. Paris.

25 Leslau, W. 1963: Etymological dictionary of Harari. Berkeley.

26 Leslau, W. 1987: Comparative Dictionary of Ge'ez (Classical Ethiopic): Ge'ez – English, English– Ge'ez, with an Index of the Semitic Roots. Wiesbaden.

27 Lipiński, E. 1997: Semitic languages: outline of a comparative grammar. Leuven.

28 Mackenzie, J. L. 2009: “Content interrogatives in a sample of 50 languages.” In: Lingua 119, 8, pp. 1131–1163.

29 Moscati, S. (ed.) 1980: An introduction to the comparative grammar of the Semitic languages: phonolgy and morphology. Wiesbaden.

30 Mossé, F. 1942: Manuel de la langue gotique. Paris.

31 Muysken, P. / N. Smith 1990: “Question words in pidgin and creole languages.” In: Linguistics 28,4, pp. 883–904.

32 Nöldeke, T. 1904: Compendious Syriac Grammar, translated by A. Crichton. London.

33 Pennacchietti, F. 1966: “La natura sintattica e semantica dei pronomi arabi man, mā e 'ayyun.” In: AIUON 16, pp. 57–87.

34 Rubin, A. D. 2008: “Interrogatives in Mehri: their use and etymologies.” In: ZAL 48, pp. 75–90.

35 Rubin, A. D. 2015: “The Classification of Hobyot.” In: A. Butts (ed.): Semitic Languages in Contact. Leiden, pp. 311–332.

36 Sabar, Y. 2002: A Jewish Neo-aramaic dictionary. Dialects of Amidya, Dihok, Nerwa and Zakho, Northwestern Iraq. Wiesbaden (Semitica Viva 28).

37 Sokoloff, M. 2009: A Syriac Lexicon: A Translation from the Latin, Correction, Expansion, and Update of C. Brockelmann's Lexicon Syriacum. Winona Lake / Piscataway.

38 Stein, P. 2013: Lehrbuch der sabäischen Sprache. Vol. 1: Grammatik. Wiesbaden (Subsidia et instrumenta linguarum forientis 4.1).

39 Tropper, J. 2000: Ugaritische Grammatik. Münster.

40 Versteegh, K. 2004: “What's where and how's what? Interrogatives in Arabic Dialects.” In: Estudios de dialectología norteafricana y andalusí 8, pp. 239–251.

41 Wagner, E. 1997: “Harari.” In: R. Hetzron (ed.): The Semitic Languages. London / New York, pp. 486–508.

42 Wright, W. 31898: A Grammar of the Arabic Language. Revised by W. Robertson Smith and M. J. de Goeje. Cambridge.

Empfehlen


Export Citation