Azeb Amha
Dr Azeb Amha is a senior researcher and lecturer at the African Studies Centre Leiden. Her interest is in grammar, linguistic typology and in the interdisciplinary fields of anthropological linguistics and sociolinguistics.
Azeb did her BA and MA in linguistics at Addis Ababa University. She obtained her PhD in Linguistics from Leiden University, with her thesis on the grammar of the Maale language of Ethiopia. She publishes on Amharic, Maale, Oyda, Woalitta and Zargulla languages as well as on comparative research on the Omotic languages of the Afroasiatic phylum. Through her linguistic documentation projects, Azeb has produced audio-visual digital archives on various cultural practices, including work-songs, animal-directed speech, whistled-names, narratives and conversations on cultural and technical knowledge on house construction and farming among the Oyda and Zargula people in southern Ethiopia.
Azeb teaches in the BA and Research MA African Studies programmes on the topics language and power, linguistic diversity and language policy, research methods and inter-cultural communication. She served for 15 years as editor of the Journal of African Languages and Linguistics (JALL). Azeb is chair of the Research Master African Studies and head of the Netherlands Association of African Studies (NVAS).
Keywords: African Studies, grammatical description and typology of Omotic languages, language and power, intercultural communication, multilingualism and language endangerment, Afro-Asiatic languages, Ethiopia, Horn of Africa
Dr. A. Amha's profile on the Leiden University website
African languages archives - Unpacking local epistemologies
Collaboration and contestation in words: Dialogues and disputes in African social realities
A multi-media documentation of the Oyda Language
CorTypo: Designing spoken corpora for cross-linguistic research
Language endangerment in Ethiopia (2023)
Reimagining language: towards a better understanding of language by including our interactions with non-humans. (2023)
Symbolism and power of Abbay [the Blue Nile) river in Amharic popular songs (2023)
Research on language and culture in Africa (2022)
Singing the individual: name tunes in Oyda and Yopno (2021)
The Omotic language family (2017)
Commands in Wolaitta (2017)
Complex predicates in Zargulla (2014)
Explorations in Ethiopian linguistics: complex predicates, finiteness and interrogativity (2014)
Directives to humans and to domestic animals: the imperative and some interjections in Zargulla (2013)
Converbs, medial verbs, clause chaining and related issues: special issue of Frankfurter Afrikanistische Blätter (2010)
From gender identification to assertion: on the use of -tte and -tta in Zargulla, an endangered Omotic language (2010)
The converb in Wolaitta: form and functions (2010)
Review of: Gregory D. S. Anderson: Auxiliary verb constructions (2010)
Compound verbs and ideophones in Wolaitta revisited (2010)
The morpho-syntax of negation in Zargulla (2009)
On loans and additions to the Fidel (Ethiopic) script (2009)
Participant marking and valence in Wolaitta (2009)
Gender distinction and affirmative copula clauses in Zargulla (2008)
Are -a- and -o- in the indicative verb paradigms of Zargulla nominalizers? (2007)
Non-verbal predication in Wolaitta (2007)
Omotic and cushitic languages studies: papers from the fourth Cushitic Omotic Conference, Leiden, 10-12 April 2003 (2007)
Gender and animacy in Maale in comparative perspective (2006)
The converb in an African perspective (2006)
Verbal compounding in Wolaitta (2006)
Secondary predicates and adverbials in Nilotic and Omotic: a typological comparision (2005)
Review of: M. Lamberti and R. Sottile: The Wolaytta language (2002)
Ideophones and compound verbs in Wolaitta (2001)
The tone system of Maale (1997)
Verb derivation in Ometo: the case of Maale, Basketo, Kullo and Koorete (1994)
'Language endangerment in Ethiopia'
In: R. Meyer; B. Wakjira; Z. Leyew: 'The Oxford handbook of Ethiopian languages', Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2023.
'Symbolism and power of Abbay [the Blue Nile) river in Amharic popular songs'
In: E. Fantini; L. Nijzink: 'Nile Pop, in bridging humanities', Leiden: Brill, 2023.
'Research on language and culture in Africa'
In: S. Völkel; N. Nassenstein: 'Approaches to language and culture', Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter Mouton, 2022.
'The Omotic language family'
In: A.Y. Aikhenvald; R.M.W. Dixon: 'The Cambridge handbook of linguistic typology', Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2017.
'Commands in Wolaitta'
In: A.Y. Aikhenvald; R.M.W. Dixon: 'Commands: a cross-linguistic typology', Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2017.
'Complex predicates in Zargulla'
In: R. Meyer; Y. Treis; A. Amha: 'Explorations in Ethiopian linguistics: complex predicates, finiteness and interrogativity', Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, 2014.
'Directives to humans and to domestic animals: the imperative and some interjections in Zargulla'
In: M.C. Simeone-Senelle; M. Vanhove: 'Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Cushitic and Omotic languages, Paris, 16-18 April 2008', Köln: Köppe Verlag, 2013.
Full text
'Omotic'
In: Z. Fajzyngier; E. Shay: 'The Afroasiatic languages', Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2012.
'The converb in Wolaitta: form and functions'
In: S. Völlmin; A. Amha; C. Rapold; S. Zaugg-Coretti: 'Converbs, medial verbs, clause chaining and related issues', Köln: Köppe Verlag, 2010.
'Ometo languages'
In: S. Uhlig; A. Bausi: 'Encyclopaedia Aethiopica ; vol. 4', Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag, 2010.
'Wolaitta'
In: S. Uhlig; A. Bausi: 'Encyclopaedia Aethiopica ; vol. 4', Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag, 2010.
'Compound verbs and ideophones in Wolaitta revisited'
In: M. Amberber; B. Baker; M. Harvey: 'Complex predicates: cross-linguistic perspectives on event structure ', Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2010.
'On loans and additions to the Fidel (Ethiopic) script'
In: A. de Voogt; I.L. Finkel: 'The idea of writing: play and complexity', Leiden [etc.]: Brill, 2009.
'The morpho-syntax of negation in Zargulla'
In: L. Wetzels: 'The linguistics of endangered languages: contributions to morphology and morpho-syntax', Utrecht: LOT, 2009.
'Participant marking and valence in Wolaitta'
In: G.J. Dimmendaal: 'Participant marking: case studies from twelve African languages', Amsterdam [etc.]: John Benjamins, 2009.
'Gender distinction and affirmative copula clauses in Zargulla'
In: J.D. Bengtson: Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins, 2008.
'Kullo'
In: S. Uhlig: 'Encyclopaedia Aethiopica ; vol. 3', Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag, 2007.
'Koorete'
In: S. Uhlig: 'Encyclopaedia Aethiopica ; vol. 3', Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag, 2007.
'Maale'
In: S. Uhlig: 'Encyclopaedia Aethiopica ; vol. 3', Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag, 2007.
'Malo'
In: S. Uhlig: 'Encyclopaedia Aethiopica ; vol. 3', Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag, 2007.
'Questioning forms in Zargulla'
In: R. Voigt: '"From beyond the Mediterranean": Akten des 7. internationalen Semitohamitistenkongresses (VII. ISHaK), Berlin 13. bis 15. September 2004', Aachen: Shaker Verlag, 2007.
'Are -a- and -o- in the indicative verb paradigms of Zargulla nominalizers?'
In: A. Amha; G. Savà; M. Mous: 'Omotic and Cushitic language studies: papers from the fourth Cushitic Omotic Conference, Leiden, 10-12 April 2003', Köln: Köppe, 2007.
'Non-verbal predication in Wolaitta'
In: J. Crass; R. Meyer: 'Deictics, copula, and focus in the Ethiopian convergence area', Köln: Köppe Verlag, 2007.
'Verbal compounding in Wolaitta'
In: A.Y. Aikhenvald; R.M.W. Dixon: 'Serial verb constructions: a cross-linguistic typology', Oxford [etc.]: Oxford University Press, 2006.
'The converb in an African perspective'
In: F.K. Ameka; A. Dench; N. Evans: 'Catching language: the standing challenge of grammar writing', Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter, 2006.
'Wolaitta'
In: K. Brown: 'Encyclopedia of language and linguistics ; vol. 13 (2nd ed.)', Oxford: Elsevier, 2006.
'Gender and animacy in Maale in comparative perspective'
'XVth International Conference of Ethiopian Studies', Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag, 2006.
'Dorze language'
In: S. Uhlig: 'Encyclopaedia Aethiopica ; vol. 2', Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag, 2005.
'Secondary predicates and adverbials in Nilotic and Omotic: a typological comparision'
In: N.P. Himmelmann; E. Schultze-Berndt: 'Secondary predication and adverbial modification: the typology of depictives', Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005.
'Gofa language'
In: S. Uhlig: 'Encyclopaedia Aethiopica ; vol. 2', Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag, 2005.
'Basketo ethnography'
In: S. Uhlig: 'Encyclopaedia Aethiopica ; vol. 1', Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag, 2003.
'Basketo language'
In: S. Uhlig: 'Encyclopaedia Aethiopica ; vol. 1', Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag, 2003.
'Wolaitta'
In: J. Garry; C. Rubino: 'Facts about the world's languages: an encyclopaedia of the world's major languages: past and present', New York [etc.]: The H.W. Wilson Company, 2001.
'Ideophones and compound verbs in Wolaitta'
In: C. Kilian-Hatz; F.K.E. Voeltz: 'Ideophones', Amsterdam [etc.]: John Benjamins, 2001.
'The tone system of Maale'
In: K. Fukui; E. Kurimoto; M. Shigeta: 'Ethiopia in broader perspective: papers of the XIIIth International Conference of Ethiopian Studies, Kyoto, 12-17 December 1997', Kyoto: Shokado Book Sellers, 1997.
'Verb derivation in Ometo: the case of Maale, Basketo, Kullo and Koorete'
In: H.G. Marcus: 'New trends in Ethiopian studies : Ethiopia 94 : papers of the 12th International Conference of Ethiopian Studies, Michigan State University, 5-10 September 1994', 1994.
Explorations in Ethiopian linguistics: complex predicates, finiteness and interrogativity
R. Meyer; Y. Treis; A. Amha (editors)
Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, Abhandlungen für die Kunde des Morgenlandes ; Band 91 2014.
Converbs, medial verbs, clause chaining and related issues: special issue of Frankfurter Afrikanistische Blätter
S. Völlmin; A. Amha; C. Rapold; S. Zaugg-Coretti (editors)
Köln: Köppe Verlag, 2010.
Omotic and cushitic languages studies: papers from the fourth Cushitic Omotic Conference, Leiden, 10-12 April 2003
A. Amha; G. Savà; M. Mous (editors)
Köln: Köppe Verlag, 2007.
'Reimagining language: towards a better understanding of language by including our interactions with non-humans.'
in: Linguistics in the Netherlands, vol. 40, no. 1, pp. 309-317, 2023.
'Singing the individual: name tunes in Oyda and Yopno'
in: Frontiers in psychology, vol. 12, 2021.
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'From gender identification to assertion: on the use of -tte and -tta in Zargulla, an endangered Omotic language'
in: Journal of West African languages, vol. 37, no. 1, pp. 57 - 73, 2010.
'Aspects of the verb in Ometo'
in: Ethiopian journal of languages and literature, vol. 6, pp. 43 - 63, 1996.
'Tone-accent and prosodic domains in Wolaitta'
in: Studies in African linguistics, vol. 25, no. 2, pp. 111 - 138, 1996.
'Case in Basketo'
in: African languages and cultures, vol. 8, no. 1, pp. 1 - 17, 1995.
'Review of: Gregory D. S. Anderson: Auxiliary verb constructions'
Journal of African languages and linguistics, vol. 31, no. 1, pp. 114 - 120, 2010.
'Review of: M. Lamberti and R. Sottile: The Wolaytta language'
Journal of African languages and linguistics, vol. 23, no. 1, pp. 79 - 87, 2002.
'Review of: D. Appleyard: Colloquial Amharic'
Journal of African languages and linguistics, vol. 18, no. 2, pp. 171 - 176, 1997.