Chapter 2 - LOT publications

Chapter 2
12. k’orp’p’is-n k’orop’p’-is-e
grasshopper-NOM jump- CAUS 1 -3M:PF
‘A grasshopper jumped.’
13. k’orp’p’is-n barr-is-e
grasshopper-NOM fly- CAUS 1 -3M:PF
‘A grasshopper flew.’
(12) and (13) are intransitive causative of motion verbs. All structures have only one
agentive subject. Despite the presence of the causative marking –is- no additional
subject is introduced. There are also similar verbs such as daadd-is- ‘to start walking
(for a child)’. This intransitive causative is derived from a nominal form daaddee
‘walking of a child’. Verbs such as t’all-is- ‘to struggle to survive’ and k’at’t’is-
‘to walk cautiously and slowly’ are intransitive causatives which are derived
from ideophones. The fact that –is- could be dropped when the corresponding stems
are used with the verb jeɗ ‘to say’ to express the same concept shows that –is- is not
part of the verb root. For instance verbs such as k’orop’p’ jeɗ- ‘to jump/ lit., to say
jump’, barr jeɗ- ‘to fly/lit., to say fly’, t’alt’al jeɗ- ‘to struggle for survival’, k’at’
jeɗ- ‘to stop/lit., to say stop’ are ideophonic verbs. In these forms the causative –is-
alternates with the verb to say jeɗ- ‘say’. Sound emission intransitive causatives
include verbs such as korr-is- /korr jeɗ- ‘to moan’, č’all-is- / č’all jeɗ- ‘to be
quiet’, girr-is / girr jeɗ- ‘to blaze’, etc. Ideophones can be used as verbs either by
compounding them into the verb ‘to say’ or by verbalizing them through a causative
suffix –is, CAUS 1 . Note that this de-ideophonic verbalizing causative is different in
form from the de-adjectival verbalizer –(e)ess- CAUS 3 .
2.4. The Semantics of Oromo Causatives
I discuss the meanings of Oromo causatives on the basis of Kulikov (2001). According
to Kulikov (2001: 891-893), causative meanings are characterized as direct vs.
indirect, permissive, assistive, declarative and deliberate vs. accidental causation. He
also notes that causative verbs may have reciprocal, intensive, iterative and distributive
meanings although such meanings are less motivated since they are not associated
with the core function of the causative (Kulikov 2001: 894); I do not discuss
such cases since they are not observed in Oromo (Meč’a dialect).
In Oromo only direct, indirect, assistive and similative 7 causations are relevant for
the grammatical system of the language. Direct and indirect causations are known
by different terms such as contact vs. distant; immediate vs. mediated (Kulikov
2001: 892). Shibatani and Pardeshi (2001: 88) propose the terms ‘manipulative’ and
‘directive’. Direct causatives are causatives in which the causer manipulates the
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Similative causatives resemble what is called “declarative” in Kulikov (2001). I use the term
‘similative’ because such causatives express meanings such as ‘look like’.
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