Feerayso-Wag

1. Introduction

Conference on the Afar Language and Literature — preserving and transmitting the richness of the Afar language and the urgency of safeguarding oral traditions to future generations.

2. Afar Language

The richness of the Afar language — its linguistic characteristics, scientific expressions, and unique word formation patterns.

Scientific Language — Ear Examples (Ayti)

Scientific Language — Foot/Strength (Ibak Gibdi)

Afar & Greek/Latin Parallels

Some unexplained curiosities of the Afar language — words with Greek or Latin parallels:

3. Word Roots & Morphology

Qangara dab (radical) kee gamad le (suffix) — Discovery of the word radical and privative suffixes. Each suffix transforms the meaning of a root word.

4. Afar Poetry

Qadar kee gaddi mansayya — Structure of Afar poetry: syllable-based poetic forms with rich oral tradition.

12 Syllables (Mansayya)

11 Syllables

10 Syllables

8 Syllables

Poetry Forms (Saare)

Additional Forms

5. Famous Afar Authors

Profiles of influential Afar authors, poets, and scholars who have shaped Afar literature and linguistic study.

Kassow Poets

6. Traditional Songs

Muuzik Gaditteh Saqolti — Traditional Afar music and composers. A rich tradition of oral musical heritage.

Traditional Composers

Songs and Their Composers

Kassow kee Royyan Poems

7. Ancient Egypt & Afar Language

Letter to the Pharaoh (1991)

RA / AF — Mouth, Word, Opening

NOU / LE — Water, Possessing, Containing

DJ / WAAR — Serpent, Eternity

MOUT / ININ — Owl, Mother

Scholars Referenced in the Conference

8. Traditional Afar Astronomy

Afar traditional knowledge of the sky — stars, constellations, months, weekdays, calendars, and planet names.

Weekdays

Months (Alsa Alsitteh Migooqa)

Solar Months (Ayroh Alsitteh Migooqa) — Starting 23 September

Planets (Cutuk Migooqa)

Zodiac — Qado Mafdagoogi (Northern)

Zodiac — Qasa Mafdagoogi (Southern)

9. Literature Archive

A growing collection of Afar literary works, research papers, articles, and reference materials.

Aben Taama — Major Works

Matar Faxxam Mangoh — Key Topics

10. Bibliography

Complete list of references cited in the conference and related Afar language scholarship.

• Dimis, Ahmed Abdallah et Reedo, Gamal Adin. Qafar afih baritto (livre de lecture) et Qafar afak yabti rakiibo (livre de grammaire), Imprimerie parisienne de la Réunion, Paris, 1976.
• Mohamed Kadamy. "Dossier sur la langue afar", Les Nouvelles d'Addis, n° 34, mars-mai 2003.
• Mohamed Hassan Kamil. Parlons Afar. Langue et culture, L'Harmattan, Paris, 2004, 208 p.
• Didier Morin. Dictionnaire afar-français : Djibouti, Érythrée, Éthiopie, Karthala, Paris, 2012, 928 p.
• Marie-Claude Simeone-Senelle, Martine Vanhove, Makki Houmedgaba. "La focalisation en afar", in Caron, B. (ed.). Topicalisation et focalisation dans les langues africaines, Peeters, p. 289-309, 2000.
• Loren F. Bliese. 1976. "Afar", The Non-Semitic Languages of Ethiopia. Ed. Lionel M. Bender. Ann Arbor, Michigan: African Studies Center, Michigan State University. Pages 133–164.
• Loren F. Bliese. 1981. A generative grammar of Afar. Summer Institute of Linguistics publications in linguistics vol. 65. Dallas: Summer Institute of Linguistics & The University of Texas at Arlington. ISBN 0-88312-083-6.
• J.G. Colby. 1970. "Notes on the northern dialect of the Afar language", Journal of Ethiopian Studies 8:1–8.
• R.J. Hayward and Enid M. Parker. 1985. Afar-English-French dictionary with Grammatical Notes in English. London: School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.
• Richard J. Hayward. 1998. "Qafar (West Cushitic)", Handbook of Morphology. Ed. A. Spencer & A. Zwicky. Oxford: Blackwell. Pages 624-647.
• Didier Morin. 1997. Poésie traditionnelle des Afars. Langues et cultures africaines, 21 / SELAF vol. 363. Paris/Louvain: Peeters.
• Enid M. Parker. 2006. English–Afar Dictionary. Washington DC: Dunwoody Press.
• Rainer M. Voigt. 1975. "Bibliography des Saho–Afar", Africana Marburgensia 8:53–63.

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