Object Suffixes
Like other Semitic languages, Tigrinya has object pronoun suffixes that can appear on verbs in any tense-aspect-mood. As discussed under personal pronouns, there are two sets of such suffixes in the language, a set used for direct objects and a "prepositional" set used for dative, benefactive, locative, or adversative meanings ('to', 'for', 'against'); only one object suffix is permitted on a given verb.
As in some other Ethiopian Semitic languages, there are separate "light" and "heavy" suffixes for all but the second person and first-person plural prepositional object forms. The light suffixes (-ni, -xa, etc.) are characterized by initial ungeminated consonants and the heavy suffixes (-nni, -kka, etc.) by initial geminated consonants. For the third person direct object suffixes, there is a third form with no initial consonant at all (-o, -a, etc.). Roughly speaking, the light suffixes are used with verbs whose subjects are second or third person plural, the third person vowel-initial suffixes are used with verbs that have no agreement suffix, and the heavy suffixes are used in other cases. In the jussive/imperative, the vowel-initial suffixes cause the gemination of the preceding consonant. When an object suffix beginning with a consonant is added to a verb ending in a consonant (either a root or a suffix consonant), a vowel is inserted to break up the cluster, the particular vowel depending on the subject and object. The details are quite complicated; most of the possibilities are illustrated in the following table for two different object and four different subject categories, using the verb fälät'ä (3A) 'know'.
Object | Subject | Perfect | Imperfect | Jussive/ Imperative |
Gerundive |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
'me' | 'you(m.sg.)' | ፈለጥካኒ fälät'ka-nni | ትፈልጠኒ tǝfält'-ä-nni | ፍለጠኒ fǝlät'-ä-nni | ፈሊጥካኒ fälit'ka-nni |
'he' | ፈለጠኒ fälät'ä-nni | ይፈልጠኒ yǝfält'-ä-nni | ይፍለጠኒ yǝflät'-ä-nni | ፈሊጡኒ fälit'u-nni | |
'they(m.)' | ፈለጡኒ fälät'u-ni | ይፈልጡኒ yǝfält'u-ni | ይፍለጡኒ yǝflät'u-ni | ፈሊጦሙኒ fälit'om-u-ni | |
'they(f.)' | ፈለጣኒ fälät'a-ni | ይፈልጣኒ yǝfält'a-ni | ይፍለጣኒ yǝflät'a-ni | ፈሊጠናኒ fälit'än-a-ni | |
'him' | 'you(m.sg.)' | ፈለጥካዮ fälät'ka-yyo | ትፈልጦ tǝfält'-o | ፍለጦ fǝlät'-t'-o | ፈሊጥካዮ fälit'ka-yyo |
'he' | ፈለጦ fälät'-o | ይፈልጦ yǝfält'-o | ይፍለጦ yǝflät'-t'-o | ፈሊጡዎ fälit'u-wwo | |
'they(m.)' | ፈለጡዎ fälät'u-wo | ይፈልጡዎ yǝfält'u-wo | ይፍለጡዎ yǝflät'u-wo | ፈሊጦሙዎ fälit'om-u-wo | |
'they(f.)' | ፈለጣኦ fälät'a-’o | ይፈልጣኦ yǝfält'a-’o | ይፍለጣኦ yǝflät'a-’o | ፈሊጠንኦ fälit'än-ǝ-’o |
Read more about this topic: Tigrinya Verbs
Famous quotes containing the word object:
“Our object in the construction of the state is the greatest happiness of the whole, and not that of any one class.”
—Plato (c. 427347 B.C.)