Some Morpho-Phonological Processes in GodÊ’dÊ’am Amharic

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to analyze morpho-phonological processes in Amharic, in particular in the variety spoken in Godʒdʒam. The focus of the paper is those morpho-phonological processes that have been overlooked in the previous works. The study has identified that metathesis of vowels accompanied by devocalization is one of the most peculiarities of the Godʒdʒam Amharic variety. The analysis also shows that the degemination and weakening of tʃtʃ in the morphemes -ətʃtʃ ‘sbj3sg.f’ and -otʃtʃ ‘pl’ are observed in the variety. Note that these changes are precisely morphophonemic. Moreover, it is found out that the phonological processes of vowel raising and vowel centralization are the features of the dialect.

Keywords: Amharic, GodÊ’dÊ’am, metathesis, weakening, vowel centralization