Tigrinya Complementizers

Tigrinya (Ethio-Semitic, head-final) types its embedded clauses with prefixes on the embedded verb. zɨ- marks relative, comparative and subject noun-complement clauses; kɛmzɨ- — the similative kɛm 'like' plus zɨ- — introduces the complements of factive, cognitive non-factive, fiction, utterance and perception verbs; the subjunctive kɨ- introduces the complements of directive, desire, modal, emotive-factive, control and ECM verbs and marks purpose, future and sentential-subject clauses. The one clause-final complementizer, ʔɨlu, is an inflected 'say' form agreeing with the matrix subject and overlaps with kɛmzɨ- on cognitive non-factive, fiction and utterance verbs. All three prefixes attach to fully inflected (subject-marked) Imperfective or Perfective verbs; none carries φ-features of its own.

This file provides the four as Complementizer entries and the prefix morphs.

References

• [cacchioli-2026], chs. 2–4, Table 6.1
• [cacchioli-2023]

def Tigrinya.Complementizers.zi.morph : Morphology.Morph

The prefix zɨ- as a morph.

Equations

• Tigrinya.Complementizers.zi.morph = Morphology.Morph.pref "zɨ"

def Tigrinya.Complementizers.zi : Complementizer

zɨ- — relativizer and general subordinator: relative clauses, comparatives and superlatives, subject noun-complement clauses, seem-clauses, and the clauses of particles such as ʔɨntɛ 'if' and sɨlɛ 'because'. Doubles on verb and auxiliary in periphrastic tenses.

Equations

• Tigrinya.Complementizers.zi = { morphs := [Tigrinya.Complementizers.zi.morph], coding := some Complement.Coding.indicative, verbForm := some UD.VerbForm.Fin }

def Tigrinya.Complementizers.kem : Morphology.Morph

The prefix kɛm-, the similative preposition 'like' grammaticalized as a clause-linker; it requires a zɨ--marked verb.

Equations

• Tigrinya.Complementizers.kem = Morphology.Morph.pref "kɛm"

def Tigrinya.Complementizers.kemzi : Complementizer

kɛmzɨ- — 'that' on complement clauses of factive ('know', 'forget'), cognitive non-factive ('think', 'believe'), fiction ('dream'), utterance ('say', 'ask') and perception ('see', 'hear') verbs, including embedded questions. Factivity tracks the matrix verb, so no lexical factive value is recorded.

Equations

• Tigrinya.Complementizers.kemzi = { morphs := [Tigrinya.Complementizers.kem, Tigrinya.Complementizers.zi.morph], coding := some Complement.Coding.indicative, verbForm := some UD.VerbForm.Fin }

def Tigrinya.Complementizers.ki.morph : Morphology.Morph

The prefix kɨ- as a morph.

Equations

• Tigrinya.Complementizers.ki.morph = Morphology.Morph.pref "kɨ"

def Tigrinya.Complementizers.ki : Complementizer

kɨ- — subjunctive marker on Imperfective verbs: complements of directive, desire, modal, emotive-factive, control and ECM verbs; purpose clauses, the future construction, sentential subjects.

Equations

• Tigrinya.Complementizers.ki = { morphs := [Tigrinya.Complementizers.ki.morph], coding := some Complement.Coding.subjunctive, verbForm := some UD.VerbForm.Fin }

def Tigrinya.Complementizers.ilu : Complementizer

ʔɨlu — the clause-final complementizer, an inflected form of 'say' agreeing with the matrix subject (ʔɨl-ɛ 'COMP-1SG'). Limited to cognitive non-factive, fiction and utterance verbs.

Equations

• Tigrinya.Complementizers.ilu = { morphs := [Morphology.Morph.free "ʔɨlu"], coding := some Complement.Coding.indicative, force := some Mood.Illocutionary.declarative }

def Tigrinya.Complementizers.complementizers : List Complementizer

The complementizer inventory.

Equations

• Tigrinya.Complementizers.complementizers = [Tigrinya.Complementizers.zi, Tigrinya.Complementizers.kemzi, Tigrinya.Complementizers.ki, Tigrinya.Complementizers.ilu]