Language Death in Mesmes: A Sociolinguistic and Historical-Comparative Examination of a Disappearing Ethiopian-Semitic Language

List of Maps
List of Figures
List of Tables
Acknowledgements

Introduction

1.1 The Gurage Cluster and Mesmes
1.2 The Gurage language survey of 2001
1.3 The Identification of the Lects in the Gurage Cluster
1.4 Historical Work on the Gurage Varieties
1.4.1 The Work of Leslau
1.4.2 The Work of Hetzron
1.4.3 A New Proposal for Ethio-Semitic Classification
1.5 The Debate over the Semitic Homeland
1.6 Previous Research on Mesmes
1.6.1 The Work of Bender: The Wordlist, Lexicostatistics, and Grammatical Paradigms
1.6.2 Hetzron on Mesmes



Establishing the Socio-Historical Context

2.1 The Importance of the Social Setting
2.2 The Gurage–Hadiyya Contact Situation
2.3 The Recent History and Current Status of Mesmes
2.3.1 An Interview with the Terminal Speaker
2.3.2 The Shift to Hadiyya and the Death of Mesmes
2.3.3 The Maintenance of Identity Across Language Death



The Implications of Language Death

3.1 The Reliability Question
3.1.1 The Challenge of a Terminal Speaker
3.2 An Evaluation of the Reliability of the Mesmes Data
3.2.1 The Reliability of the Mesmes Wordlist
3.2.2 The Reliability of the Mesmes Text
3.3 Linguistic Implications
3.3.1 Externally Induced Changes
3.3.2 Internally Induced Changes
3.3.3 Reduction and Replacement Trends in Language Contact
3.4 The Modes of Language Death
3.5 The “Later Loss” Hypothesis and “Rusty Speakers”
3.6 An Examination of the Mesmes Text in Light of the Linguistic Implications
3.6.1 Possible Examples of the Impact of Language Death in the Mesmes Text
3.6.2 Evidence of Maintenance of Inherited Structure in Mesmes


The Genetic Position of Mesmes

4.1 The Establishment of Mesmes as a Gurage Language
4.1.1 The Ethnonym as Evidence of Guragoid Placement
4.1.2 The Main Verb Marker Retention Attesting to a Genetic Link with Gurage
4.1.3 Morpho-Syntactic Evidence of Guragoid Relationship
4.1.4 Lexical Evidence of Close Relationship with PWG
4.2 Shared Innovations Linking Mesmes with PWG
4.2.1 Innovations in the Pronominal Paradigm
4.2.2 Markedness Reversal and the Beginnings of an Obstruent Chain Shift
4.2.3 An Examination of the Systematicity of Relative Chronology in the Mesmes Data
4.2.4 Additional Links Between Mesmes and PWG
4.2.4.1 Weakening of the Bilabial Nasal and the Genesis of the Non-Etymological /n/
4.2.4.2 Relevant Vocalic Length
4.2.4.3 Other Vocalic Changes in Mesmes
4.2.4.4 Pharyngeal Archaisms and Systematic Metathesis


Evidence of Contact-Induced Change in the Mesmes Data

5.1 The Nature of Externally-Induced Change
5.2 Loanwords in the Mesmes Wordlist
5.3 Paradigmatic Leveling in Mesmes
5.4 The Mesmes Final Vocalism
5.5 Vocalic Phenomena in Mesmes
5.6 Possible Syntactic Change as a Result of Contact
5.7 Cushitic Stop-Attacks in Endegeny and Mesmes



Conclusion

6.1 Subgrouping Internal to PWG
6.2 Unerscoring the Holistic Approach

Appendices

A Peripheral West Gurage Wordlist Comparison with Mesmes
B Mesmes, Hadiyya and Kambaata Comparison
C The Mesmes Text
D Notes on the Analysis of the Mesmes Text
E Gurage language survey Map with Principal Towns

References