Maale (also spelled Male) is an Omotic language spoken in the Omo Region of Ethiopia.
Subject-Object-Verb (SOV): For example: ʔííní ginʔ-á-ne 3MS: NOM sleep-IPF-A:DCL “He is sleeping.” ʔííní salítsi zér-á-ne 3MS:NOM sesame:ABS sow-IPF-A:DCL “He is sowing sesame.” Pluralization In Maale, pluralization is typically achieved by adding the suffixes such as; -asti for definite nouns with a masculine gender marker.
Examples: ʔííní deetsi bássi bass-é-ne 3MS:NOM heavy load:ABS carry on back-PF -A:DCL 'He carried a heavy load' ʔííní ʔodossi mítsi tik' -é-ne 3MS:NOM tall tree: ABS cut-PF-A:DCL 'He cut a tall tree' However Maale adjectives are grouped into semantic types which are suggested in Dixon 1982 as seen below; Dimension Adjectives: - Kúmútsi (full) - Dicci (stout) - Púúpi (big) - K’ulbe (deep) - Gúútsi (thin, slim) Physical property - Wóʔʔi (wet) - Mízaɓi (beautiful) - Maasana (ugly) - Deetsi (heavy) - C’anci (bitter) Colour - Zok’k’e (red) - Kártsi (black) - Boore (white) - ɓáɓi (unripe, green) Age - gárci (old (of people) ) - ʔákki (new) - ɗégge (young (of male) ) Human Propensity - dúúɗɗi (selfish) - Walli (healthy) - Béls’a (lazy) - ʔoso (difficult) - Báró (calm, patient) Value - Kupi (poor) - Kóʃi (good) - ʔórgocci (rich) - Púrta (bad) - Wúdde (expensive) Adverbs: Maale has adverbs that modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs, indicating time, place, manner.
Examples: Time Adverbs · hannó (today) - ʔííní hannó mukk-andá-ne (he will come today) · hintó (day after tomorrow) - ʔízí hintó mukk-andá-ne (He will come the day after tomorrow) · wánte (yesterday night) - ʔííní wánte mukk-é-ne (He came yesterday night) Manner Adverbs · pálle (to do something completely/ honestly) - ʔízí pálle máɗ-á-ne (He works really good) · haccá (badly) - nu ʔác’c’-á haccá Mel-é-ne (Our area became badly dry) Place adverbs are derived from demonstrative.
tá né ʔííní ʔí nú Examples: • tá ɓaʃk-é-ne (I ran) • nú ʔársa maʒʒ-á-ne (We are making a bed) • né núú-na maɗ-andá-ne (“You will work for us”) Negation: Negation in Maale is typically marked by affixing -ibá- or -uwá- to the verb root.
For 100, it is expressed with a morphologically simplex form as attested in many other Omotic languages, that is: s’ééta hundred.