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21-423: It was first reported to be a separate language by Lionel Bender in 1977, based on data gathered by missionary Harvey Hoekstra. A grammar was published in 2015 (Kibebe 2015). Some early treatments classified it as a Nilo-Saharan language (Anbessa & Unseth 1989, Fleming 1991, Blench 2010), but more recent investigation (Kibebe 2015) found none of the grammatical features typical of Nilo-Saharan, and showed that

42-559: A different analysis (1998). All Surmic languages have been documented as having case suffixes (Unseth 1989). None of them have a marked accusative, but at least Majang and Murle sometimes mark nominatives, part of a broader areal pattern (König 2006). The original geographic home of the Surmic peoples is thought to be in Southwestern Ethiopia, somewhere near Maji , with the various groups dispersing from there: for example,

63-535: A pioneering work comparing the vocabulary and systems of kinship among Surmic languages, particularly from the South West node of Surmic (Abbink 2006). The starting point for linguistic and anthropological research into Surmic studies is the book edited by Dimmendaal (1998), especially the bibliography article (Abbink and Unseth 1998). The sound systems of Proto-Southwest Surmic and Proto-Southeast Surmic have been reconstructed by Yigezu (2001). Unseth has proposed

84-913: A system of marking the number of both the possessed and the possessor in possessive pronouns (Unseth 1991). Number of nominals is typically marked on a number of morphemes, with t/k marking singular and plural (Bryan 1959). Adjectives are formed by stative relative clauses. Majangir (also called Majang) and Southwest Surmic languages (Fleming 1983) share a number of traits, so they are therefore presumably reconstructable in Proto-Surmic: relative clauses (which include adjectives), demonstratives, adverbs, numerals, genitives, and possessive pronouns follow their heads, noun derivations and subject marking on verbs are marked by suffixes, VSO ( verb–subject–object ) order predominates in indicative main clauses. Some typologically exceptional points are discussed by Arensen, et al. (1997). However, Dimmendaal’s introduction proposes

105-558: A variety of terrain, from the lowlands of South Sudan and the banks of the Omo River to mountains over 2,300 meters. According to the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology , the Surmic languages are classified as follows: The Surmic languages are found in southwest Ethiopia and adjoining parts of southeast South Sudan . In the past, Surmic had been known as “Didinga-Murle” and “Surma”. The former name

126-577: A word yɛɛro afterwards. There is a suffix -ka which sometimes mark the direct object , e.g. upa kaan-ik ye "a man saw a dog" ("man dog saw"), but also has many other uses. A similar suffix is found in many Eastern Sudanic languages , but there it is specifically accusative. Shabo uses postpositions after nouns, e.g.: upa mana pond ɗɛpik moi "a man sat on a rock" (lit. "man rock on ? sat"). Lionel Bender (linguist) Marvin Lionel Bender (August 18, 1934 – February 19, 2008)

147-491: Is (C)V(C); all consonants except /pʼ/ and /tʼ/ can occur syllable-finally. The language is tonal, but its tonology is unclear. Two minimal pairs are cited by Teferra 1995, including há "kill" versus hà "meat". Basic word order is subject–object–verb; there are postpositions rather than prepositions . Shabo has an unusually complex pronoun system for Africa: The pronouns "I" and "he" have been compared to Surmic languages ; however, there are also resemblances in

168-762: Is heavily influenced by loanwords from both these languages, particularly Majang, as well as Amharic . Once the many loanwords from its immediate neighbors, Majang and Shakicho, are removed, the wordlists collected show a significant number of Koman words side by side with a larger number of words with no obvious external relationships. The tentative grammar so far collected offers few obviously convincing external similarities. On this basis, Fleming (1991) has classified Shabo as Nilo-Saharan and, within Nilo-Saharan, as nearest to Koman . Anbessa & Unseth consider it Nilo-Saharan, but present little by way of argument for their position, and no detail on its position within

189-622: The Berta Lexicon . For many years, he was closely involved with NACAL, the annual North American Conference on Afroasiatic Linguistics . Bender retired from Southern Illinois University Carbondale . Surmic languages The Surmic languages are a branch of the Eastern Sudanic language family . Today, the various peoples who speak Surmic languages make their living in a variety of ways, including nomadic herders , settled farmers, and slash and burn farmers . They live in

210-537: The National Science Foundation . Among other works, his books include Amharic Verb Morphology (his PhD dissertation - a generative study of Amharic verbal morphology ), Language in Ethiopia (co-edited with C. Ferguson, C. Bowen, R. Cooper), Nilo-Saharan Language Studies , The Non-Semitic Languages of Ethiopia , Preliminary Gaam-English-Gaam Dictionary , Omotic Verb Morphology , and

231-771: The languages of Africa , particularly those spoken in Ethiopia and Sudan , and was a major contributor to Ethiopian Studies . He did extensive work on the Afro-Asiatic and Nilo-Saharan languages spoken locally. Together with J. Donald Bowen , Robert L. Cooper , and Charles A. Ferguson , Bender carried out the Survey of Language Use and Language Teaching in East Africa, funded by the Ford Foundation in 1968-1970. He later conducted other research sponsored by

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252-648: The Majangir having moved north, the Murle having migrated clockwise around Lake Turkana (Arensen 1983:56-61, Tornay 1981), and the Mursi having moved into and out of the Omo River valley. Ethnolinguistic identities within the Surmic group have not been rigid, with ample evidence of people’s identities shifting from one ethnolinguistic group to another (Tornay 1981, Turton 1979, Unseth and Abbink 1998). Abbink has published

273-512: The Nilo-Saharan vocabulary items are loans from Surmic languages (Dimmendaal to appear, Blench 2019). Shabo speakers live in three places in the Keficho Shekicho Zone : Anderaccha , Gecha , and Kaabo . As they shift from hunting and gathering to more settled agriculture and to working as laborers, many of its speakers are shifting to other neighboring languages, in particular Majang and Shekkacho (Mocha); its vocabulary

294-569: The area, but ejective consonants are not found in Majang. Consonant length is found in several words, such as walla "goat", kutti "knee"; however, it is often unstable. Teferra tentatively postulates 9 vowels: /i/ /ɨ/ /u/ /e/ /ə/ /o/ /ɛ/ /a/ /ɔ/ , possibly with further distinctions based on advanced tongue root . Five of these, /a/ /e/ /i/ /o/ /u/ , have long counterparts. Occasionally final vowels are deleted, shortening medial vowels: e.g. deego or deg "crocodile". The syllable structure

315-445: The family. Schnoebelen (2009) in his phylogenetic analysis says that Shabo is best treated as an isolate, but does not exclude the possibility of contradicting evidence gained from applying the comparative method (which still needs to be done); Kibebe (2015) evaluates Schnoebelen as the most rigorous comparison to date. Blench (2010) maintains that Shabo does pattern with the Nilo-Saharan family, and that recent data on Gumuz helped tie

336-505: The first person singular of Proto-Southwest Surmic and the probable ancestor of the Gumuz languages but additional information is lacking and, otherwise, so far it does not seem very approximate. The number "iŋki" ("one") has been compared to Lowland East Cushitic "tneki" and Saho "inik". The consonants are: Consonants in parentheses are not entirely phonemic according to Teferra (1995): Implosive consonants are common in languages of

357-529: The languages together. More recently, Blench (2019) classifies Shabo (Chabu) as a language isolate , noting little evidence for it being part of Nilo-Saharan. Blench (2017) lists the following similarities among Shabo, Gumuz, and Koman lexical forms. The comparison with reconstructed languages of the Surmic and Koman branch as well as three languages from the Gumuz branch shows slight phonological similarity for

378-590: The pronouns with the Gumuz languages (Bender 1983). The gender distinctions made are unusual for Africa. Negation is by adding the particle be after the verb or noun negated: gumu be "(it is) not (a) stick", ʔam be-gea "he will not come" ("come not-?"). Negative forms in b are widespread in Nilo-Saharan and Afro-Asiatic languages . There appears to be a causative suffix -ka : mawo hoop "water boiled" → upa mawo hoop-ka "(a) man boiled water". A particle git ( infinitive ? subjunctive ?) marks

399-497: The verb in constructions with "want": moopa git inɗeet ("sit git want") "I want to sit". Much of the verbal morphology is uncertain; there appears to be a 3rd person singular future suffix -g- (e.g. inɗage t'a-g "he will eat") and a 2nd person plural suffix -ɗe subuk you- PL maakɛle corn kak PAST ? t'a-ɗe eat- 2PL subuk maakɛle kak t'a-ɗe you-PL corn PAST? eat-2PL "You (pl.) ate corn" Plurals are optional; when used, they are formed with

420-595: Was an American linguist. Bender was born August 18, 1934, in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania . He travelled throughout the world, particularly in Northeast Africa , and was an accomplished chess player. Dr. Bender died of complications from a stroke and brain hemorrhage on February 19, 2008, in Cape Girardeau , Missouri . Bender wrote and co-wrote several books, publications and essays on

441-815: Was too narrow by referring only to two closely related languages and the latter was a label also used to refer to a specific language (Unseth 1997b), so the label “Surmic” is now used. The relationships in the chart above are based on Fleming's work (1983). Much foundational fieldwork and analysis of Surmic languages was done by Harold C. Fleming and M. L. Bender . The most complete descriptions of Ethiopian Surmic languages are of Murle (Arensen 1982) and Tirma (Bryant 1999). All Surmic languages are presumed to be tonal, have implosive consonants, and have distinctive vowel length. Some have as many as nine vowel qualities, and more detailed study may confirm this in other Surmic languages, also. Me'en and Kwegu (also spelled Koegu) have sets of ejective consonants . The languages share

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