Classical Ethiopic: A Grammar of Ga az

Upon its publication in 2002, Josef Tropper’s Altathiopisch: Grammatik des Ga az mit UEbungstexten 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.

Ga az 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 Ga az 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-Ga az glossary, and an updated bibliography that takes into account the developments that have occurred in the study of Ga az 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.