Accusative

Abstract In this chapter an overview of languages with accusative systems is given. So far thirty languages with an accusative system have been discovered in Africa. A selection of different types is presented here. A complete list is given in figure 2.1 in genealogical order. As the genealogical overview of accusative languages in figure 2.1 illustrates, most of the accusative languages belong to the Nilo-Saharan phylum. Among them are genetically fairly isolated languages like Fur, Maba, Masalit, Kunama, and Ik, a Kuliak language. In addition, there are languages belonging to larger groups, like the Saharan languages Kanuri and Tubu, and some Eastern Sudanic languages, like Nobiin, Mararit, Tama, and Nyimang. In the Afroasiatic phylum, accusative languages are found in particular within the Semitic languages, such as Amharic, Argobba, Gafat, Tigre, Tigrinya, Harari, and Gurage; the Central Cushitic languages, such as Awngi, Xamtanga, Bilin, and Kemantney; and some Omotic languages such as Masketo, Hamar, Dime, and Aari also belong here. In addition, it can be argued that the Khoisan language Khoekhoe (Nama) and the Central Heiban language of the Kordofanian phylum are accusative languages. (For Khoekhoe see section 5.4.2).