Introduction to Oromo Grammar

Chapter 2: Introduction to Oromo Grammar

This chapter provides a concise overview of the essential grammatical features of the Oromo language.

Grammar Overview

It is important to remember that Oromo has a number of dialects and that there will be some variation from the grammar presented here. The main dialectal distinction is between the Oromo spoken in the southern regions of Ethiopia and that spoken in the western, central, and eastern areas. The grammar in this guide is a standardized form of Oromo, and will be easily understood by all Oromo speakers.

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The Gadaa System

As the population grew, the complexities of communal life increased. To manage this, the Oromo people developed a social institution known as the Gadaa system.

The Gadaa system is a traditional system of governance used by the Oromo people. It is a complex system that regulates political, economic, social, and religious activities. It is based on an age-grade system, where men pass through a series of grades, with each grade having specific responsibilities and rights.

Clans and Social Structure

A region or major tribe (like Anniya, Arsi, or Tuulama) is divided into several smaller groups called gosa, or clans. For example, within the Tuulama tribe, you find clans like Abichuu, Ada'a, Galaan, and others. Each clan is further subdivided into lineages, known as warra (families), which are then divided into balbala (gates) or ibidda (hearths).

Noun Morphology

Gender

Oromo has a two-gender system. Most nouns are not marked by characteristic gender affixes. Only a limited group of nouns differ by using different suffixes for the masculine and the feminine form.

• obboleessa (brother) - obboleettii (sister)
• oggeessa (expert, m.) - oggeettii (expert, f.)

Natural female gender corresponds to grammatical feminine gender. The sun, moon, stars and other astronomic bodies are usually feminine. In some Oromo dialects geographical terms such as names of towns, countries, rivers etc. are feminine, in other dialects such terms are treated as masculine nouns. It is due to this fact that there are different subject forms for the noun biyya country, e.g. biyyi (m.) or biitti (f.).

In my sources astronomic bodies and names of places are treated as feminines.

Lafti bariite. Biiftuun baate. (The earth 'morninged'. The sun rose.)

Oromiyaan lageen akka Shabalee, Gannaalee, Gibee, Hawaas qabdi. (Oromiya has rivers such as Shabale, Ganale,Gibe, Hawas.)

Magaalaan Amboo Shawaa Lixaa keessatti argamti. (The town Ambo is situated in West Shawa.)

Some names of animals are treated as feminines in the written sources - irrespective of their natural gender, e.g. hoolaa (sheep), re’ee (goat), aduurree (cat), jeedalloo (fox), saree (dog), gaangee (mule), tisiisni (fly), waatii (calf).

Adurreen maal ariitii? (What does the cat run after?)

Waatiin maal gochaa jirtii? (What is the calf doing?)

Re’een maal sodaattii? (What is the goat afraid of?)

Some names of animals can be differentiated with respect to their gender by adding the word kormaa for male or dhaltuu for female. In some dialects nouns terminating in a long vowel are feminine.

Number

Oromo has different suffixes to form the plural of a noun. The use of these suffixes is not obligatory. They are used if the plurality of the noun is not clear from the context. In connection with numbers the plural suffix is very often considered unnecessary: harka ishee lamaaniin with her two hand(s). The use of the different suffixes differs from dialect to dialect.

In the examined sources the overwhelming majority of noun plural forms were formed by using the suffixes -(o)ota, followed by -lee, -wwan, -een, -olii/-olee and -aan. Other suffixes were found only seldom.

• -(o)ota: hiriyoota (friends), jechoota (words), lagoota (rivers), namoota (people), bineensota (animals), gilgaalota (exercises)
• -wwan: saawwan (cows), gaaffiiwwan (questions), hojjiiwwan (works), deebbiiwwan (answers)
• -lee: gaaffilee (questions), kitaabilee (books), re’eelee (goats), meeshaalee (furniture)
• -olii/-olee: gaangolii (mules), jaarsolii/jaarsolee (elders)
• -een: fardeen (horses), mukkeen (trees), laggeen (rivers), manneen (houses)
• -aan: ilmaan (sons)

Before the plural suffix -een consonants may be geminated, e.g. mukkeen (trees) from muka, laggeen (rivers) from laga, manneen (houses) from mana.

Definiteness

The Oromo language does not possess a special word class of articles. Generally demonstrative pronouns are used to express definiteness.

• namni kun - this/the man
• kitaabni kun - this/the book (S)
• nama kana - this/the man
• kitaaba kana - this/the book (O)
• afaan sun - that/the language
• kitaabni sun - that/the book (S)
• guyyaa sana - on that/the day
• kitaaba sana - that/the book (O)

To express indefiniteness emphatically the Oromo speaker may use the numeral tokko one, e.g. namni tokko one / a man.

In some Oromo dialects the suffix -icha (m.), -ittii (f.) which usually has a singulative function is used where other languages would use a definite article.

Subject	Object
otubusichi - the (certain) bus	otubusicha - the (certain) bus
afaanichi - the (certain) language	afaanicha - the (certain) language
jaarsichi - the (certain) old man	jaarsicha - the (certain) old man
jaartittii - the (certain) old lady	jaartittii - the (certain) old lady
re’eettii - the (certain) goat	re’eettii - the (certain) goat

Derived Noun Forms

The Oromo language is very productive in word formation by different means. One method is the use of different derivational suffixes. The other method is the formation of compounds.

Derivational Suffixes

Derivational suffixes are added to the root or stem of the word. One Oromo root is jab. This root is found in different words, e.g. jabaa (strong), jabeenya (strength), jabina (strength, hardness), jabee (intensive), jabummaa (strength). It seems that there is no verbal basic stem existing with the root jab. But different derived verbal stems do exist (cf. 2.5.): jabaachuu (to be strong), jabaacisuu (to make strong), jabeessuu (to make strong, firm, console), jabeeffachuu (to make strong for oneself), jajiabaachuu (to be consoled, comforted).

From derived verbal stems nouns and adjectives may be formed by means of derivational suffixes, e.g. jabeessituu.

The root aman that was lent from Arabic is found in the following words: amanaa/-tuu (fastener), amanannaa (believer), amanannoo (trust, confidence), amantaa (confidence), amantoota (belief), amantee (believers), amantii (trust, confidence), amanuu (simple verbal stem, to believe in), amanachuu (to trust, believe), amanamuu (to be believed, be trusted), amanamaa (trustworthy), amanamummaa (trustworthiness), amansiisuu (to convince, persuade), amanfachuu (to adapt).

Common Suffixes:

• -eenya: jabeenya (strength), qabeenya (wealth), fakkeenya (example), hammeenya (evilness)
• -ina: guddina (size, growth), waaltina (standardization), baay’ina (multitude), dheerina (length)
• -ummaa: haxxummaa (cleverness), bilisummaa (freedom), eenyummaa (identity), ijoollummaa (childhood)
• -annoo: sirreeffannoo (correction), yaadannoo (remembrance), himannoo (expression), injifannoo (victory)
• ...and many more.

Compound Words

It seems that the use of genitive constructions is a very old method of forming compound nouns, as traditional titles show.

• abbaa gadaa - traditional Oromo president
• abbaa caffee - chairman of the legislative assembly
• abbaa dubbii - chief speaker of the caffee assembly
• abbaa duulaa - traditional Oromo minister of war

In the last few years a large amount of new terms have come into being; among them we can detect many genitive constructions, e.g.

• mana barumsaa - school (lit. house of learning)
• beekaa afaanii - linguist (lit. somebody who knows a language)
• galmee jechootaa - lexicon (lit. archive of words)

These examples are spelled in two words, while other compounds may also be written as one word, e.g. hirmaatadubbii/hirmaata dubbii (grammar, lit. division of speech), biyyalafaa/biyya lafaa (world, lit. and of earth).