Tigrinya Negation

Tigrinya negates a declarative verbal clause with the circumfix ʔaj-…-(ɨ)n around the inflected verb (ʔaj-ts'awɛt-ɨn 'I do not play'); WALS codes the language as obligatory double negation. The suffix is confined to root declaratives, ʔɨlu-complements and the negative future: relative, subjunctive and imperative clauses take the prefix alone, in its post-prefixal allomorph ɛj- (z-ɛj-nbɨb 'that I do not read').

References

• [cacchioli-2026], ch. 5
• [dryer-haspelmath-2013], ch. 112A, 143A, 144A

def Tigrinya.Negation.aj : Morphology.Morph

The negative prefix ʔaj-.

Equations

• Tigrinya.Negation.aj = Morphology.Morph.pref "ʔaj"

def Tigrinya.Negation.ej : Morphology.Morph

ɛj-, the allomorph of aj after zɨ- and kɨ-: the glottal stop drops and the vowel changes.

Equations

• Tigrinya.Negation.ej = Morphology.Morph.pref "ɛj"

def Tigrinya.Negation.n : Morphology.Morph

The negative suffix -(ɨ)n, with epenthetic ɨ after a consonant.

Equations

• Tigrinya.Negation.n = Morphology.Morph.suff "n"

def Tigrinya.Negation.circumfix : Syntax.Negation.Marker

ʔaj-…-(ɨ)n — the standard-negation circumfix.

Equations

• Tigrinya.Negation.circumfix = { morphs := [Tigrinya.Negation.aj, Tigrinya.Negation.n] }