Revisiting the Internal Structure of Konsoid Subgroup

Abstract

Abstract

Earlier studies on the internal structure of the Konsoid subgroup have made three different suggestions. The first suggestion is that the Konsoid subgroup consists of Konso, Diraytata and Mosittacha languages. The second suggestion is that the Konsoid subgroup consists of a single linguistic cline in the process of splitting into distinct languages. The third suggestion is that Konsoid subgroup consists of two independent languages: Konso, and Diraytata and Mosittacha. The question of the internal structure of the Konsoid subgroup is not adequately answered. The present study is, therefore, meant to address this question by making a lexicostatistical, morphological, and syntactic contrast of the three members of the Konsoid group. The data for this study was obtained from native speakers through elicitation. The findings of the study show that Konsoid subgroup is divided up into Konso and Diraytoid. Diraytoid is a linguistic cline in the process of splitting into Diraytata and Mosittacha.

Keywords: [Diraytoid, Konsoid, Lexicostatistical contrast, Morphological contrast, Syntactic contrast]