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 illuminate the grammatical concepts discussed, and each example is presented in Ethiopian 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.
Josef Tropper is Professor in the Faculty of Theology at the Humboldt-Universitat zu Berlin. He is the author of Altathiopisch: Grammatik des Ge'ez mit UEbungstexten und Glossar and Ugaritische Grammatik: Zweite, stark uberarbeitete und erweiterte Auflage. Rebecca Hasselbach-Andee is Associate Professor of Comparative Semitics at The Oriental Institute, University of Chicago. She is the author of Sargonic Akkadian: A Historical and Comparative Study of the Syllabic Texts and Case in Semitic: Roles, Relations, and Reconstruction.
"For almost two decades, Josef Tropper's Altathiopisch has been the standard grammar for Ga az. This English translation by Rebecca Hasselbach-Andee is even more useful thanks to the addition of the Ethiopic script throughout. For students and scholars alike, Classical Ethiopic is the best grammar of Ga az available in any language."-Aaron M. Butts, author of Language Change in the Wake of Empire: Syriac in Its Greco-Roman Context
