Conjunctions
132
However, it is not unavoidable to use them this way in all cases. They can alternately come after the second component, particularly when the adjectival phrase precedes the noun.
Textual evidence:
4.1.1.15. ወእግዚእ፡ ኢየሱስኒ፡ ሖረ፡ ውስተ፡ ደብረ፡ ዘይት። (John 8:1).
wa-ʾǝgziʾ ʾiyyasusǝ-ni ḥora wǝsta dabra zayt
<Conj-NCom:m.s.Nom> <NPro:m.s.Nom-Conj> <V:Perf.3m.s> <Prep>
<NCom:unm.s.ConSt> <NCom:unm.s.Nom>
‘And the Lord Jesus went to the Mount of Olives’.
Likewise, in status constructus, the elements are attached to the dependant noun.
Textual evidences:
4.1.1.16. ወበኵረ፡ እንስሳሂ፡ ዘርኩስ፡ ታቤዙ። (Num. 17:15).
wa-bakwra ʾǝnsəsā-hi za-rəkus tābezzu
<Conj-NCom:unm.s.ConSt> <NCom:ms.s.Nom-Conj> <PRel-NCom:m.s.Nom>
<V:Im perf.2m.s>
‘And the firstborn of unclean animal, you shall redeem.’.
4.1.1.17. ለአህጉረ፡ ሰዶምኒ፡ ወጎሞራ፡ አውዐዮን። (2 Pet. 2:6).
la-ʾahgura sadomǝ-ni wa-gomorā ʾawʿay-on
<Prep-NCom:fs.p.ConSt> <NPro:unm.s.Nom-Conj> <Conj-NPro:unm.s.Nom-Part>
<V:Perf. 3m.s-PSuff:3f.p>
‘He burnt the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah’.
Further references: Num. 26:57; Ezra 2:1, 3:9, 7:7; Neh. 2:8, 9:24, 10:28; Ps. 49:10; 1 Cor.
7:25.
* Notice that the Pronominal suffix of the first person both masculine and feminine singular ኒ nni (በደረኒ badara-nni, ቀደመተኒ qadamatta-nni etc.) is not the same in function with the conjunction ኒ ni that we discussed up to now.
Conjunctions
133
nor a combined phrase, according to ʾAggabāb. But In accordance with Dillmann’s observation, ʾǝsma as a causal or justificative element is formed from sa and ma.144
However, they all keep a common grammatical function. Their major task is to introduce a subordinate clause by expressing a cause for the action or incidence mentioned in the main clause. Thus, the following conjunctions and idioms are to be their English equivalents ‘because’, ‘for’, ‘since’ and ‘for the reason that’.145
Regarding the syntactical arrangement, as part of the subordinate clause, they occur quite often after the main verb is mentioned. Though, the subordinate clause itself sometimes precedes the main clause. In such cases, the elements occur before the main verbs. However, the change in syntactic arrangement does not affect their meaning and function.
Textual evidence: (after the main verb)
4.2.1.1. ወኢአኀዝዎ፡ እስመ፡ ዓዲ፡ ኢበጽሐ፡ ጊዜሁ። (John 8:20).
wa-ʾi-ʾaḫazəww-o ʾǝsma ʿādi ʾi-baṣḥa gize-hu
<Conj-PartNeg-V:Perf.3m.p-PSuff:3m.s> <Conj> <Part> <PartNeg-V:Perf.3m.s>
<Adv-PS. uff:3m.s>
‘But they did not seize him because his time has not yet reached’.
Further references: Josh. 4:14; Ps. 6:2, 11,1, 32:20; Jer. 31:15; Matt. 2:18; John 12:39; 1 Tim. 1:13; 1 Cor. 15:33.
Textual evidence: (before the main verb)
4.2.1.2. እስመ፡ አርመምኩ፡ በልያ፡ አእጽምትየ። (Ps. 31:3).
ʾəsma ʾarmamku balyā ʾaʾṣǝmtǝ-ya
<Conj> <V:Perf.1c.s> <V:Perf:3f.p> <NCom:fs.p-PSuff:1c.s>
‘For I kept silence, my bones became old’.
Further references: Ps. 31:2; Rom. 2:12.
Moreover, ʾəsma can be used solely as a conjunction in expressing a time with the meaning ‘when’.
Textual evidence:
4.2.1.3. ተፈሣሕኩ፡ እስመ፡ ይቤሉኒ፡ ቤተ፡ እግዚአብሔር፡ ነሐውር። (Ps. 121:1).
tafaśśāḥku ʾǝsma yəbelu-ni beta ʾǝgziʾabəḥer
144 Dillmann 1907, 415.
145 Dillmann 1865, 222, 781, 746; Kidāna Wald Kǝfle 1955, 127, 129; Leslau 1989, 46, 137, 143; Yāred Šiferaw 2009,388; Yǝtbārak Maršā 2002, 156.
Conjunctions
134
<V:Perf.1c.s> <Conj> <V:Perf.3m.p-PSuff.1c.s> <NCom:unm.s.ConSt> <NCom:m.
naḥawwər s.Nom> <V:Imperf.1c.p>
‘I was glad when they said to me‚ ‘Let us go into the house of the Lord’.
It is used again as an exclamation of surprise, pleasure or assurance with the meanings
‘just’, ‘indeed’, ‘oh’.
Textual evidence:
4.2.1.4. ኦ፡ እኁየ፡ እስመ፡ አነ፡ በእንተ፡ ኵሉ፡ እጼሊ፡ ለከ፡ ከመ፡ ትሥራሕ፡ ፍኖተከ።
(3 John 1:2).
ʾo ʾǝḫu-ya ʾǝsma ʾana baʾǝnta kwǝllu ʾǝṣelli
<Int> <NCom.m.s.Nom-Psuff.1c.s> <Conj> <PPer:unm.s> <Prep> <PTot.Nom> <V:
la-ka kama tǝśrāḥ fǝnota-ka
Imperf.1c.s> <Prep-PSuff:2m.s> <Conj> <V:Subj.2m.s> <NCom:unm.s.Acc-PSuff:
2m.s>
‘O, brother, I just pray for you concerning all things so that you may be prosperous in your path’.
አኮኑ ʾakkonu has at least three basic features. The first one relates to status in a sentence. As it can be seen in the examples above, ʾamṭāna and ʾǝsma shall be attached always to verbs or nouns. But ʾakkonu is not attached by nature to any word; it occurs individually.
Second, it can equally occur before or after a verb in the subordinate clause. But in the case of ʾamṭāna and ʾǝsma, the verb in the subordinate clause is preceded by ʾǝsma or ʾamṭāna.
Thirdly, as a conjunction which is featured out of two different particles, አኮኑ ʾakkonu can provide answer for the action done by the subject in a question form.
Textual evidence:
4.2.1.5. ምንትኑ፡ ጳውሎስ፡ ወምንትኑ፡ አጵሎስ፡ አኮኑ፡ ከማክሙ፡ ሰብእ። (1 Cor. 3:5).
mǝntǝ-nu ṗāwǝlos wa-mǝntǝ-nu ʾaṗǝlos ʾakko-nu
<AInt-PartInt> <Npro:m.s.Nom> <Conj-AInt-PartInt> <NPro:unm.s.Nom> <Part kamā-kǝmu sabǝʾ
Neg-PartInt> <Prep-Psuff:2m.p> <NCom:unm.ps.Nom>
‘What is Paul and what is Apollos, are we not men like you?’.
Further references: Ps. 38:11, 61:1; Isa. 66:1; Luke 17:17, 22: 27, 48; John 11:8; Jas. 2:4.
Conjunctions
135
In a subordinate clause with two or more verbs each after a conjunction ወ wa, the conjunction used to express a cause (ʾǝsma or ʾakkonu or ʾamṭāna) does not need to be mentioned repeatedly. Its single employment is enough to serve as a cause conjunction for the subsequent verbs.
Textual evidences:
4.2.1.6. እስመ፡ ተወክፈቶሙ፡ ወኀብአቶሙ። (Heb. 11:34).
ʾǝsma tawakfatt-omu wa-ḫabatt-omu
<Conj> <V:Perf:3f.s-PSuff:3m.p> <Conj-V:Perf:3f.s-PSuff:3m.p>
‘Because she received them, and (because) she hid them’.
Further references: 1 Thess. 4:16; Heb. 5:11, 11:31.