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CASE-MARKING IN ETHIO-SEMITIC AND CUSHITIC IN THE LIGHT OF LINGUISTIC CONVERGENCE AND DIVERGENCE [Abstract ID: 0806-10]
Linguistic convergence and divergence constitute recognized phenomena in the Semitic linguistic landscape, as demonstrated, e.g., in a seminal paper by Werner Diem (1978), “Divergenz und Konvergenz im Arabischen“, Arabica 25: 128-147. An issue currently debated again is the question of whether case can be generally reconstructed to early stages of Semitic. In this presentation, I will look at the distribution of case markers in both historical and modern Ethio-Semitic as well as in selected Cushitic languages. Thereby, I will resort to a unified model that pays tribute to the competing tendencies of convergence and divergence. Of special importance is the tension between a three-case model "nominative–accusative–genitive", typically assumed for early stage sof Semitic, and a two-case model "nominative-absolutive" as widely recognized to be relevant at the Afroasiatic level.