Thursday, May 12, 2011

Amharic is not a Germanic language

I compared two languages of Germanic family starting with a with a non-germanic one starting with a.

Alsacien - Amharique and Anglais - Amharic on a typic word list (Swadesh list I think they are called).

Vowels:

initial:
@- / en ~ (from initial @- to final) -a ~ 0
oo- / ma ~ hu

medial, without or including following consonant or syllable:
-A- (as in cup) / u ~ a
-â- / è
-am- / am
(-ay- / enal
-ai- / eg)
-ay- ~ -ai- / enal ~eg
-ain- / wa
-ee- / ii
-e- / e ~ è
-ef- /er
-eve- / erra
-i- / i ~ e ~ è
-ich- / et
-oo- / i ~ el
-onn- / am
-or- / è
-och- / n
-ow - /èsset
-o- / u
-un- / èa
-uu- / ii
-u- / e

final vowel or groups beginning with vowel:
-@ / è ~ ys ~ h
-a / et ~ n
-ain / èna
-ar ~ -aar / a
-at / èr
-ej / eda
-je /at
-oon / no
-oor / at ~ it
-ough / eqq
-ow /atch
-y / am

Stops (mainly), voiceless:
sp- / g
st- / s
-tt / é ~ nn
-scht / nant
-t / zé ~ n ~ a
-te /qa
-ch / zu
qu- / f
-ch- / l

Voiced:
b- / l
be- / wodè ~ (from initial be- to final) -a ~ be
-b- / b
d- / q ~ h
dh- / ezz
-d / a
-dher / bro
g- / t
ge- / a
-g- / dèg

Nasals:
m- / d ~ n ~ sèg ~ b ~ yeb ~ m
moon- / w (see also m- and -oon-!)
mor- /tw
n- / b ~ bètch ~ ah
na- / le
nii- / qerb
-n- / q
-nn / d

Fricatives voiceless:
h- / zar ~ bezz
-h- / h
f- / bem ~ ra
-f- / f
fri / arb
s- / eh ~ qed

Voiced:
j- / am
w- / sam ~ t
-w / n
v- / b
-v / y

Liquids (positions with C[onsoants] and V[owels] marked as such):
l- / g ~ yana
sl- / beq
-VlV- / b
-@l / esh
-l / e
-ll / ru
-ly / no ~a
r- / q
-VrV- / t
-CrV- / al
-r / t ~ sh

So many sounds have very unequal correspondents. Some - initial m and n come to mind - have not only unequal but varying ones. A symptom that two languages are not closely related and that any close unique correspondence in such a list is due to chance and its shortness.

Or to very chancy survivals of pre-Babel words in both.