Classical Ethiopic: A Grammar of Gəˁəz (Languages of the Ancient Near East)

Product Description

Upon its publication in 2002, Josef Tropper’s Altäthiopisch: Grammatik des Gəˁəz mit Übungstexten und Glossar was quickly recognized as the best modern grammar of Classical Ethiopic in any language. Now Eisenbrauns makes Tropper’s grammar available for the first time in English, in this revised and expanded edition by Josef Tropper and Rebecca Hasselbach-Andee.
Gəˁəz literature is diverse and of major importance for the study of early Christianity, Judaism, and the history of eastern Africa. The language of this rich literature, however, has been difficult to access until now. Designed to help language learners acquire competency with the script from the start, Classical Ethiopic provides a comprehensive treatment of Gəˁəz grammar, with detailed chapters on the language’s writing system, phonology, morphology, morphosyntax, and syntax. Numerous example sentences illustrate the grammatical concepts discussed, and each example is presented in Ethiopic script, transliteration, and English translation. The grammar concludes with an appendix presenting sample texts to be used as exercises, an English-Gəˁəz glossary, and an updated bibliography that takes into account the developments that have occurred in the study of Gəˁəz in the nearly two decades since Tropper’s original publication.
Appropriate for the classroom and for independent study, Classical Ethiopic is sure to become the standard reference in English for the study of the language.

Review

“For almost two decades, Josef Tropper’s Altäthiopisch has been the standard grammar for Gəˁəz. This English translation by Rebecca Hasselbach-Andee is even more useful thanks to the addition of the Ethiopic script throughout. For students and scholars alike, Classical Ethiopic is the best grammar of Gəˁəz available in any language.”
―Aaron M. Butts, author of Language Change in the Wake of Empire: Syriac in Its Greco-Roman Context

About the Author

Josef Tropper is Professor in the Faculty of Theology at the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. He is the author of 
Altäthiopisch: Grammatik des Geʽez mit Übungstexten und Glossar and 
Ugaritische Grammatik: Zweite, stark überarbeitete und erweiterte Auflage.

Rebecca Hasselbach-Andee is Associate Professor of Comparative Semitics at The Oriental Institute, University of Chicago. She is the author of
Sargonic Akkadian: A Historical and Comparative Study of the Syllabic Texts and
Case in Semitic: Roles, Relations, and Reconstruction.