The main Ge‘ez (Classical Ethiopic) verbal adjective is characterized by an ǝ-u vowel melody. Based on cognate evidence, the most basic form of this adjective, 01-stem 1ǝ2u3, derives from a *1a2uː3-.. Show moreThe main Ge‘ez (Classical Ethiopic) verbal adjective is characterized by an ǝ-u vowel melody. Based on cognate evidence, the most basic form of this adjective, 01-stem 1ǝ2u3, derives from a *1a2uː3- pattern and thus shows assimilation of *aCuː > ǝCu. This assimilation does not operate in a set of specialized numerals shaped like 1ä2u3, which should be reconstructed as *1a2u3- with short *u. Short *u also yields Ge‘ez u in the nonaccusative case of the masculine cardinal numerals, like *ɬalaːθtu > śälästu ‘three’; this ending goes back to the Proto-Semitic diptotic nominative. The assimilation of *aCuː > ǝCu, on the other hand, also affected the personal pronoun *huːʔa-tuː > wǝʾǝtu, the perfect of fientive verbs like *gabaruː > gäbru ‘they did’, and the jussive of stative verbs like *yitrapuː > yǝtrǝfu ‘may they remain’. Ə was leveled to other parts of these paradigms, solving several longstanding problems of Ge‘ez morphology. Show less
This article provides a synoptic view of research that has been carried out over the centuries on the fifteen languages that are spoken in the Ghana-Togo hills of West Africa with an outlier in... Show moreThis article provides a synoptic view of research that has been carried out over the centuries on the fifteen languages that are spoken in the Ghana-Togo hills of West Africa with an outlier in Benin. It traces the dilemmas and opportunities the languages offer for historical, descriptive and theoretical linguistics. It highlights some of the developments in the recent investigations that have taken place and concludes with an overview of the articles on GTM languages in the issue. Show less
