A short ethiopic vocabulary

Kebra Nagast (THE GLORY OF KINGS), translated and edited by Miguel F. Brooks, Red Sea Press, Lawrenceville, New Jersey 1996.

መመመመመመመመመመመመመመመመመመመመመመመመመመ

ተተተተተተተተተተተተተተተተተተተተተተተተተተተተተተተተተተተተተ

መመመመመመመመመመመመመመመመመመመመመመመመመመ

1 In systems used by other writers, the E (for the “fronted” Amharic short A and/or the neutral vowel of the Sixth Form) can often be ambiguous: ALL E’s in the present book are LONG E’s, the “fronted” A of the First Form rendered as a plain A, and the undotted lower-case ı , as we have seen, is used for the neutral vowel.

2 The ordinary H, like English H

3 A stronger H-sound

4 The SH in English shop

5 A deep K, pronounced in the back of the throat

6 A light T pronounced behind the teeth

7 A very strong H-sound, more rasping perhaps than the CH in Scottish loch

8’A,’U, etc. in the middle of a word. This glottal stop letter is called ALF. The glottal stop is pronounced spontaneously in English where a vowel begins a word: it would be over-fussy and confusing to write it in each time.

9 A strong guttural ghain, made by forming the mouth for the position for G but not “closing” it. In many languages written GH, etc., and sometimes in Ethiopic with a forward-pointing apostrophe, ‘ (as in the word Ge‘ez: the 8 (which can also be written as a superscript ⁸ ) is used to avoid confusion.

10 A heavier, gluey T, distinct from the other T sound.

11 This has much the same sound as TS, both as TS in hats.