Surmic languages


The Surmic languages are a branch of the Eastern Sudanic language family.
Today, the various peoples who speak Surmic languages make their living in a variety of ways, including nomadic herders, settled farmers, and slash and burn farmers. They live in a variety of terrain, from the lowlands of South Sudan and the banks of the Omo River to mountains over 2,300 meters.

Languages

According to the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, the Surmic languages are classified as follows:
The Surmic languages are found in southwest Ethiopia and adjoining parts of southeast South Sudan. In the past, Surmic had been known as “Didinga-Murle” and “Surma”. The former name was too narrow by referring only to two closely related languages and the latter was a label also used to refer to a specific language, so the label “Surmic” is now used. The relationships in the chart above are based on Fleming's work.

History of study

Much foundational fieldwork and analysis of Surmic languages was done by Harold C. Fleming and M. L. Bender. The most complete descriptions of Ethiopian Surmic languages are of Murle and Tirma. An overview of linguistic and anthropological research on Surmic is the book edited by Dimmendaal, especially the bibliography article.

Phonology

All Surmic languages are presumed to be tonal, have implosive consonants, and have distinctive vowel length. Some have as many as nine vowel qualities, and more detailed study may confirm this in other Surmic languages, also. Me'en and Kwegu have sets of ejective consonants.

Grammar

The languages share a system of marking the number of both the possessed and the possessor in possessive pronouns. Number of nominals is typically marked on a number of morphemes, with t/''k'' marking singular and plural. Adjectives are formed by stative relative clauses.
Majangir and Southwest Surmic languages share a number of traits, so they are therefore presumably reconstructable in Proto-Surmic:
  • relative clauses, demonstratives, adverbs, numerals, genitives, and possessive pronouns follow their heads;
  • noun derivations and subject marking on verbs are marked by suffixes;
  • VSO order predominates in indicative main clauses.
Some typologically exceptional points are discussed by Arensen, et al.. However, Dimmendaal’s introduction proposes a different analysis.
All Surmic languages have been documented as having case suffixes. None of them have a marked accusative, but at least Majang and Murle sometimes mark nominatives, part of a broader areal pattern.

Reconstruction

The sound systems of Proto-Southwest Surmic and Proto-Southeast Surmic have been reconstructed by Yigezu. Unseth has proposed a reconstruction of the case suffixes for Proto-Surmic. Unseth has reconstructed the system of marking possession for Proto-Surmic. Unseth has also reconstructed a causative prefix for Proto-Surmic. Abbink has published a pioneering work comparing the vocabulary and systems of kinship among Surmic languages, particularly from the South West node of Surmic.
The original geographic home of the Surmic peoples is thought to be in Southwestern Ethiopia, somewhere near Maji, with the various groups dispersing from there: for example, the Majangir having moved north, the Murle having migrated clockwise around Lake Turkana, and the Mursi having moved into and out of the Omo River valley. Ethnolinguistic identities within the Surmic group have not been rigid, with ample evidence of people’s identities shifting from one ethnolinguistic group to another.

Numerals

Comparison of numerals in individual languages: One of the shared innovations that separates Southeast Surmic languages from the rest of Surmic is that they have a base 10 system, rather than building to 10 from 5, such as five-plus-one, etc.
ClassificationLanguage12345678910
North, MajangMajang òmóŋ, òmpɛ́ɛ́jǃ *ɟíítǃàŋàntùùltùùl à òm tùùl à pɛ́ɛ́jǃ tùùl à ɟíítǃ tùùl à àŋàn áárŋǃ
North, MajangMajang oˈmʊŋpʰɛɛjd͡ʒiitʰˈaŋantʰuultʰuula ʔom tʰuula pʰɛɛj tʰuula d͡ʒiitʰ tʰuula aŋan ˈaarin
South, Southeast, KweguKwegu (Koegu) kíumɗáajienáhurcuula tsʼoba lunkáí sal tómon
South, Southeast, KweguKwegu kiumɗaajienahurcuulatsʼobalunkaisaltomon
South, Southeast, Pastoral, Me’enMe'enkɔ̂náŋramáŋsizzíwut͡ʃhat͡ʃʼánáŋillèissabòissetsáaltɔ̂mmɔn
South, Southeast, Pastoral, SuriMursi ɗɔ́nɛ́jràmànsízzíwùʃháánáníllɛ́íssábài / also ~issábajíssé / also ~ísséjsákkàltɔ́mmɔ́n
South, Southeast, Pastoral, SuriMursi ɗɔ́nɛ́jramansízziwuʃháánánillɛisaabajissesakaltɔmɔn
South, Southeast, Pastoral, SuriSuriɗɔ́nɛràmmánsízzìwùʃ / wùyháyɛ́náìllɛ̀yìsàbbàyìssèysàkkàltɔ̀mɔ̀n
South, Southwest, Didinga-Murle, Didinga-LongarimDidingaxɔ̀ɗɛ́ɪràmːáìyyóʊ̀wwétʃt̺úɾt̪ɔ̀ɾkɔ̀nɔ́n t̪ʊ́ɾkɪ́ɾámːá t̪úɾkɪ́yyó t̪ʊ́ɾkʊ́wwétʃ ɔmɔt̪ɔ
South, Southwest, Didinga-Murle, Didinga-LongarimLaarim (Narim)odoi, codoirammaiyyiowẽẽcturtorkonom turɡerem turɡi torkõwõc õmmõtõ
South, Southwest, Didinga-Murle, MurleMurlecodoi / aˈdoirǎmiːˈyǔoic /wectǔːɾtɔrkɔnǒm turɡɛrɛ́m turɡɛ torkɔc amɔ̌tɔ
South, Southwest, Didinga-Murle, TennetTennet (Tenet)tʃɔ́ɗɛ̂rámːáíjówétʃtúɾ̥tɔ̀ɾ̥kónóm tóɾ̥ɡéɾém túɾɡè tóɾ̥kôtʃ òmòtò
South, Southwest, Kacipo-BalesiKacipo-Balesi óɗèrámmáíyówèhétűrtɔ̀rkɔ̀nɔ́tʉ̀rɡɛ̀rɛ́tùrɡètɔ́rɡɔ̀ɡɔ̀ɔ̀mɔ̀ðɔ̀
South, Southwest, Kacipo-BalesiKacipo-Balesi óóɗērámmáíyyówé ̀túrtɔ̄rkɔ́hɔ̄ tʊ̄rɡɛ́rɛ̄ tūrɡē tɔ̀rɡɔ́ɡɔ̄ ɔ̄mɔ̄ðɔ́

Relevant literature

  • Abbink, Jon. 2006. Kinship and society among Surmic-speakling people in Southwest Ethiopia: A brief comparison. Proceedings of the XVth International Conference of Ethiopian Studies, edited by Siegbert Uhlig, pp. 9–14. Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz Verlag.
  • Abbink, Jon and Peter Unseth. 1998. "Surmic Languages and Cultures: A Bibliography." Surmic Languages and Cultures, ed. by Gerrit Dimmendaal, pp. 127–142. Cologne: Köppe.
  • Arensen, Jonathan. 1983. Sticks and straw: Comparative house forms in southern Sudan. Dallas: International Museum of Cultures.
  • Arensen, Jon, Nicky de Jong, Scott Randal, Peter Unseth. 1997. "Interrogatives in Surmic Languages and Greenberg's Universals," Occasional Papers in the Study of Sudanese Languages 7:71–90.
  • Bender, M. Lionel. "The Surma language group: a preliminary report". Studies in African Linguistics, Supplement 7, pp. 11–21.
  • Bryan, Margaret. 1959. The T/K Languages: A New Substratum. Africa 29:1–21.
  • Bryant, Michael. 1999. "Aspects of Tirmaga grammar." MA thesis, University of Texas at Arlington.
  • Dimmendaal, Gerrit. 1998. "A syntactic typology of the Surmic family from an areal and historical-comparative point of view," in Surmic Languages and Cultures, ed. by Gerrit Dimmendaal, pp. 35–82. Cologne: Köppe
  • Fleming, Harold. 1983. "Surmic etymologies," in Nilotic Studies: Proceedings of the International Symposium on Languages and History of the Nilotic Peoples, Rainer Vossen and Marianne Bechhaus-Gerst, 524–555. Berlin: Dietrich Reimer.
  • König, Christa. 2006. "Marked nominative in Africa," Studies in Language 30.4: 655–732.
  • Moges Yigezu, "A comparative study of the phonetics and phonology of Surmic languages". Ph.D dissertation. Université Libre de Bruxelles, 2002
  • Tornay, Serge. 1981. "The Omo Murle Enigma," in Peoples and cultures of the Ethio-Sudan Borderland, M.L. Bender, pp. 33–60. . East Lansing: Michigan State University.
  • Turton, David. 1979. "," in Segmentary Lineage Systems Reconsidered, Ladislav Holý, 19–143.. Belfast.
  • Unseth, Peter. 1987. "A Typological Anomaly in Some Surma Languages," Studies in African Linguistics 18.357–361.
  • Unseth, Peter. 1988. "The Validity and Unity of the Southeast Surma Language Grouping," Northeast African Studies 10.2/3:151–163.
  • Unseth, Peter. 1997b. "Disentangling the Two Languages Called 'Suri'," Occasional Papers in the Study of Sudanese Languages 7:49–69.
  • Unseth, Peter and Jon Abbink. 1998. "Cross-ethnic Clan Identities Among Surmic Groups," in Surmic Languages and Cultures, Gerrit Deimmendaal, pp. 103–112. Cologne: Koppe.