JAAL Volume 15, Number 1: Front and Back Pages
Publication Date : 21/02/2026
Author(s) :
Girma Demeke.
Volume/Issue :
Volume 15
,
Issue 1
(02 - 2026)
Abstract :
Volume 15 is dedicated entirely to Spatial Expressions
in Ethiopian Languages, featuring 12 well-researched
articles. This first issue (Vol. 15, No. 1) presents the first
five articles (and an introduction), while the remaining
seven will appear in the forthcoming second issue (Vol.
15, No. 2).
The editorial and review processes for this volume were
expertly managed by Professors Azeb Amha, Anbessa
Tefera, and Binyam Sisay Mendisu. We wish to express our
sincere gratitude for their dedication and professionalism;
this volume is a testament to their hard work. Following
their extensive peer review, our editorial team provided
only minor remarks and editorial inputs to ensure the
journal’s high standards were maintained.
We welcome inquiries from scholars of Afroasiatic Studies
for future collaborations. We are eager to dedicate future
special issues or volumes to exceptional research that
sheds light on Afroasiatic languages and the rich and
diverse histories and cultures of their speakers.
No. of Downloads :
7
JAAL Volume 15, Number 2: Front and Back Pages
Publication Date : 21/02/2026
Author(s) :
Girma A. Demeke.
Volume/Issue :
Volume 15
,
Issue 2
(02 - 2026)
Abstract :
Volume 15 is dedicated exclusively to the study of
Spatial Expressions in Ethiopian Languages, a collection
comprising 12 peer-reviewed articles. This current issue
(Vol. 15, No. 2) features seven of these contributions,
following the first issue’s five articles and a comprehensive
guest-editor introduction.
The development of this volume was expertly guided
by our guest editors: Professors Azeb Amha, Anbessa
Tefera, and Binyam Sisay Mendisu. We owe the success
of this collection to their tireless dedication and scholarly
rigor. Following their extensive peer-review process,
the journal’s editorial team provided only final minor
refinements to ensure consistency with our publication
standards. This volume stands as a testament to their
exceptional work
We continue to welcome inquiries from the Afroasiatic
Studies community. The journal remains committed to
dedicating future special issues to high-impact research
that explores Afroasiatic languages and the diverse
cultural and historical contexts of their speakers.
No. of Downloads :
17
Author(s) :
Azeb Amha, Anbessa Teferra, and Binyam Sisay Mendisu.
Volume/Issue :
Volume 15
,
Issue 1
(02 - 2026)
Abstract :
Space and place are fundamental concepts for humanity and its existence. This is because our lives are intertwined with these notions in numerous ways. We inhabit and move about in particular, recognizable places/spaces, locate and perceive things in them. Our actions are executed, achievements realized, and plans mapped out or designed in space-time. Space is thus fundamental to human cognition. Given this, it is hardly surprising that expressions of space are so prevalent in language. Our languages are rich with lexemes and expressions related to space and spatial concepts. This encompasses, among others, locations, dimensions, directions, and spatial relations among objects.
The grammar of spatial relations has been researched in many languages around the world. Although aspects of spatial expressions in some Ethiopian languages have been included in published works, no publication has yet brought together analyses of spatial expressions from several Ethiopian languages in one volume. Hence, this volume aims to fill this gap, facilitate typological and formal comparison, and enhance our understanding of spatial expressions in various Ethiopian languages.
No. of Downloads :
4
Author(s) :
Ongaye Oda Orkaydo.
Volume/Issue :
Volume 15
,
Issue 1
(02 - 2026)
Abstract :
This paper discusses aspects of the structure of spatial expressions in Konso, a Cushitic language spoken in southwest Ethiopia. Spatial expressions in Konso employ the use of locatives, directionals, and postpositions. Derived locatives indicate an extension of location further away from the deictic centre. Postpositions occur with a low, central unrounded vowel which appears short or long. The quality of the vowel at the end of postpositions brings change in interpretation. Much of the spatial orientations are derived from landscape and natural environment. These spatial orientations operate on the linguistic frame of reference based on a vertical opposition between “uphill” and “downhill”, with a third element crossing the plane at the horizontal level. Directionals referring to the ‘west’ and ‘east’ are derived from the natural phenomena involving the direction of the sun setting and rising. Conversely, Konso does not have directional terms that correspond to ‘north’ and ‘south’.
No. of Downloads :
3
Author(s) :
Eba Teresa Garoma.
Volume/Issue :
Volume 15
,
Issue 1
(02 - 2026)
Abstract :
Afaan Oromoo, a Lowland East Cushitic language, denotes spatial concepts through demonstratives, adverbs, verbs and adpositions, either alone or accompanied by physical manifestations such as gesture. This chapter discusses Oromo demonstratives, including demonstrative pronouns, determiners and identifiers, which are used to describe spatial expressions in the language. Demonstrative pronouns inflect for number, distingushing singular and plural forms, and they inflect for nominative and absolutive cases. Deictically, demonstratives are always speaker-centered. Proximal and distal forms are phonologically distinguished: /k/ for proximal as in kun/kana ‘this’, and /s/ for distal as in sun/sana ‘this’. The other two classes, determiners and identifiers, have the same phonological and morphological forms as demonstrative pronouns, but they are different in their distribution. I distinguish simple (Ɂasi ‘here’ vs. Ɂaʧʧ(i) ‘there’) and complex forms (Ɂaʧʧas ‘from there to here’, Ɂasirra/Ɂaʧʧirra ‘up here’/’up there’, etc.) deictic adverbs and show that (non-)directional motion verbs and locative deictics play significant roles in expressing spatial concepts.
No. of Downloads :
8
Author(s) :
Anbessa Teferra.
Volume/Issue :
Volume 15
,
Issue 1
(02 - 2026)
Abstract :
This paper examines the spatial function of demonstratives in Sidaama, a Highland East Cushitic (HEC) language spoken in southern Ethiopia. Spatial deictics are a general term for grammatical elements that indicate various spatial relationships, including distance relative to the deictic center. In Sidaama, distance is expressed through adnominal demonstratives, pronominal demonstratives, and presentatives. Adnominal demonstratives show a four-way distance distinction (proximal, medial, mesiodistal, and distal) and are inflected only for gender. They always modify their heads and are thus dependent. Pronominal demonstratives also feature a four-way distance distinction. Unlike adnominals, they are inflected for all nominal features, including gender, number, and case. Pronominals can modify a head noun or serve as a head by replacing a noun in a clause argument position. The proximal adnominals ko ‛this’ (m) and te ‛this’ (f), along with the demonstrative roots k and t, have become grammaticalized as different grammatical elements. Like other demonstratives, presentatives also display a four-way distance distinction. However, presentatives differ from pronominals because they are rarely inflected for nominal features, with case being the only exception, and even this is limited to the nominative case.
No. of Downloads :
3
