‘Yes’ and ‘no’ in the Ethiopian languages

Questions can be expressed in the Ethiopian languages in either an affirmative or a negative way, as is the case in other languages. In answer to an affirmative question ('Will you come tomorrow?'), the particle is 'yes' for an affirmative statement, and ‘no’ for a negative statement. The verb of the question is most often repeated either in the affirmative ('Yes, I will come') or in the negative ('No, I will not come'). In answer to a negative question ('Will you not come tomorrow?'), the Ethiopian languages have various ways of expressing the affirmative or the negative. The object of the present study is to illustrate the various ways of expressing 'yes' or ‘no’ as an answer to a negative question. The investigation was made with the help of informants in Amharic, Tigrinya, Harari, and Chaha and Soddo of the Gurage group.