View source for Bench language

{{short description|Northern Omotic language of Ethiopia}}
{{Infobox language
| name             = Bench
| nativename       = ''Bencnon''
| image            = Bench New Testament, ISBN 9966-40-063-X.jpg
| imagecaption     = The [[New Testament]] in Bench, written in the [[Ge'ez script]]
| pronunciation    = {{IPA|[bentʂnon]}}
| states           = [[Ethiopia]]
| region           = [[Bench Maji Zone]]
| speakers         = 348,000 Bench Non, 8,000 Mer, 490 She
| date             = 2007
| ref              = e18
| familycolor      = Afro-Asiatic
| fam2             = [[Omotic languages|Omotic]]
| fam3             = [[North Omotic languages|North]]
| dia1             = Benc Non (Benesho)
| dia2             = Mer (Mieru)
| dia3             = She (Kaba)
| iso3             = bcq
| lingua           = 16-BBA-a
| notice           = IPA
| glotto           = benc1235
| glottorefname    = Bench
| ELP              = 5932
| ELPname          = Shé
| script           = [[Latin alphabet|Latin]]<br>[[Geʽez script]]
<!--d n exist | ELP2 = 5926
| ELPname2 = Mer (Ethiopia)-->| ethnicity        = [[Bench people|Bench]]
}}

'''Bench''' (''Bencnon'', '''Shenon''' or '''Mernon''', formerly called '''Gimira'''<ref name="Rapold 2006">Rapold 2006</ref>) is a Northern [[Omotic languages|Omotic]] language of the "Gimojan" subgroup, spoken by about 174,000 people (in 1998) in the [[Bench Maji Zone]] of the [[Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region]], in southern [[Ethiopia]], around the towns of [[Mizan Teferi]] and [[Shewa Gimira]]. In a 2006 dissertation, Christian Rapold described three varieties of Bench (Benchnon, Shenon, and Mernon) as "...mutually intelligible...varieties of one and the same language".<ref name="Rapold 2006"/> Bench is the ancestral language of the [[Bench people]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Giday|first1=Mirutse|last2=Asfaw|first2=Zemede|last3=Woldu|first3=Zerihun|last4=Teklehaymanot|first4=Tilahun|date=2009-11-13|title=Medicinal plant knowledge of the Bench ethnic group of Ethiopia: an ethnobotanical investigation|journal=Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine|volume=5|issue=1|pages=34|doi=10.1186/1746-4269-5-34|issn=1746-4269|pmc=2780996|pmid=19912633 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

In unusual variance from most of the other languages in Africa, Bench has [[retroflex consonant]] phonemes.<ref>Breeze 1988.</ref> The language is also noteworthy in that it has been claimed to have six phonemic [[phonemic tone|pitch levels]] in its tone system, one of only a handful of languages in the world that have this many,<ref>Wedekind 1983, 1985a, 1985b.</ref> though it has since been reanalized with five levels. Bench has a [[Whistled language|whistled form]] used primarily by male speakers, which permits communication over greater distances than spoken Bench. The whistle can be created using the lips or made from a hollow created with both hands. Additionally, this form of the language may be communicated via the 5-stringed [[krar]].<ref>Wedekind 1983</ref>

==Phonology==
The phonemic [[vowel]]s of Bench are {{IPA|/i e a o u/}}.

There are six phonemic [[tone (linguistics)|tone]]s: five level tones (numbered 1 to 5 in the literature, with 1 being the lowest) and one rising tone 23 {{IPA|/˨˧/}}. The top tone is sometimes realized as a high rising 45 {{IPA|[˦˥]}}.<ref>Note that this is the East Asian tone numbering convention, and the opposite of the literature for other African languages, where 1 is high and 5 is low. The issue will be avoided here by using [[International Phonetic Alphabet|IPA]] diacritics.</ref> On the vowel ''o,'' they are {{IPA|/ő ó ō ò ȍ ǒ/}}

The consonants are:

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! colspan="2" |
! [[Bilabial consonant|Bilabial]]
! [[Coronal consonant|Coronal]]
! [[Palatoalveolar consonant|Palato-<br>alveolar]]
! [[Retroflex consonant|Retroflex]]
! [[Velar consonant|Velar]]
! [[Glottal consonant|Glottal]]
|-
! colspan="2" | [[Nasal stop|Nasal]]
| align="center"| {{IPA link|m}}
| align="center"| {{IPA link|n}}
|
|
|
|
|-
! rowspan="3" |[[Plosive consonant|Plosive]]
! <small>[[Voiceless consonant|Voiceless]]</small>
| align="center"| {{IPA link|p}}
| align="center"| {{IPA link|t}}
|
|
| align="center"| {{IPA link|k}}
| align="center"| {{IPA link|ʔ}}
|-
! <small>[[Voiced consonant|Voiced]]</small>
| align="center"| {{IPA link|b}}
| align="center"| {{IPA link|d}}
|
|
| align="center"|{{IPA link|ɡ}}
|
|-
! <small>[[Ejective]]</small>
| align="center"| {{IPA link|pʼ}}
| align="center"| {{IPA link|tʼ}}
|
|
| align="center"| {{IPA link|kʼ}}
|
|-
! rowspan="2"|[[Affricate consonant|Affricate]]
! <small>Voiceless</small>
|
| align="center"| {{IPA link|ts}}
| align="center"| {{IPA link|tʃ}}
| align="center"| {{IPA link|tʂ}}
|
| 
|-
! <small>Ejective</small>
|
| align="center"| {{IPA link|tsʼ}}
| align="center"| {{IPA link|tʃʼ}}
| align="center"| {{IPA link|tʂʼ}}
|
|
|-
! rowspan="2" | [[Fricative consonant|Fricative]]
! <small>Voiceless</small>
| 
| align="center"| {{IPA link|s}}
| align="center"| {{IPA link|ʃ}}
| align="center"| {{IPA link|ʂ}}
|
| align="center"| {{IPA link|h}}
|-
! <small>Voiced</small>
|
| align="center"| {{IPA link|z}}
| align="center"| {{IPA link|ʒ}}
| align="center"| {{IPA link|ʐ}}
|
|
|-
! colspan="2"| [[Trill consonant|Trill]]
|
| align="center"| {{IPA link|r}}
|
|
|
| 
|-
! colspan="2" | [[Approximant consonant|Approximant]]
|
| align="center"| {{IPA link|l}}
| align="center"| {{IPA link|j}}
|
|
|
|}
All of these can occur [[Palatalization (phonetics)|palatalized]], but only before {{IPA|/a/}}, suggesting an alternate analysis of a sixth phonemic vowel {{IPA|/ja/}}.  Labialized consonants are reported for {{IPA|[p, b, s, ɡ,]}} and {{IPA|[ʔ]}}, but their phonemic status is unclear; they only occur after {{IPA|/i/}}.

For the phoneme {{IPA|/p/}} the realizations of {{IPA|[pʰ]}} and [f] are in free variation; {{IPA|/j/}} has the allophone {{IPA|[w]}} before back vowels.

The syllable structure is (C)V(C)(C)(C) + tone or (C) N (C), where C represents any consonant, V any vowel, N any nasal, and brackets an optional element.  CC clusters consist of a [[continuant]] followed by a [[plosive]], [[fricative]], or [[affricate]]; in CCC clusters, the first consonant must be one of  {{IPA|/r/ /j/ /m/ /p/}} or  {{IPA|/pʼ/}}, the second either  {{IPA|/n/}} or a voiceless fricative, and the third  {{IPA|/t/}} or  {{IPA|/k/}}.

==Grammar==

===Nouns===

Plurals may optionally be formed by adding the suffix {{IPA|[-n̄d]}}; however, these are rarely used except with definite nouns.  E.g.: {{IPA|[wű īŋɡn̄d]}} "her relatives"; {{IPA|[ātsn̄dī bá ka̋ŋɡ]}} "all the people".

===Pronouns===

====Personal pronouns====
{| class="IPA wikitable"
|-
! English
! oblique
! subject
! locative
! vocative
|-
| I
| [tá]
| [tān]
|[tȁtʼn̄]
|-
| you (sg.)
| [ní]
| [nēn]
| [nȉtʼn̄]
| [wȍ] (m.), [hȁ] (f.)
|-
| you (hon.)
| [jìnt]
| [jìnt]
| [jìnt]
|-
| he
| [jı̋]
| [jīs]
| _
|-
| he (hon.)
| [ı̋ts]
| [ı̋ts]
| [ı̋ts]
|-
| she
| [wű]
| [wūs]
| _
|-
| she (hon.)
| [ɡēn]
| [ɡēn]
| [ɡēn]
|-
| himself/herself
| [bá]
| [bān]
| [bȁtʼn̄]
|-
| we (excl.)
| [nú]
| [nūn]
| [nȕtʼn̄]
|-
| we (incl.)
| [nı̋]
| [nīn]
| [nȉtʼn̄]
|-
| you (pl.)
| [jìntȁjkʼn̄]
| [jìntȁjkʼn̄]
| [jìntȁjkʼn̄]
|-
| they
| [ı̋tsȁjkʼn̄]
| [ı̋tsȁjkʼn̄]
| [ı̋tsȁjkʼn̄]
|}

The word {{IPA|[bá]}} goes slightly beyond being a [[reflexive pronoun]]; it can mark any third person that refers to the subject of the sentence, e.g.:

{{interlinear |indent=2
|[jȉsī bá dōr ɡȍtùē]
|he.SUBJ own sheep sell.he.FIN
|"he sold his (own) sheep"}}

{{interlinear |indent=2
|[bȍdám hāŋkʼá bājístāɡùʂn̄ pāntsʼà ěz]
|road.ABL go.self self.be.STAT.DET.when leopard-NPMk {big see.he.FIN}
|"when he was going along the road, he saw a big leopard"}}

The oblique form is basic, and serves as object, possessive, and adverbial.  The subject form has three variants: normal (given above), emphatic - used when the subject is particularly prominent in the sentence, especially sentence-initially - and reduced, used as part of a verb phrase.  The "locative" term means "to, at, or for one's own place or house", e.g.:

{{interlinear |indent=2
|[kȁrtá tȁtʼn̄ tā hāŋkʼùē]
|return.I to.my.house I go.I.FIN
|"I went home"}}

====Determiners====
The main determiners are "that, the" (masc. {{IPA|[ùʂ]}}, fem. {{IPA|[èn]}}, pl. {{IPA|[ènd]}}) and "this" (masc. {{IPA|[hàʂ]}}, fem. {{IPA|[hàn]}}, pl. {{IPA|[hànd]}}).  As suffixes on a verb or an ablative or locative phrase, they indicate a relative clause. E.g.:

{{interlinear |indent=2
|[ātsn̄dà hàndīs hǎrám bād átsn̄dȁ?]
|person.PL.NPMk these.OBJ what.ABL separate make.FUT.INTL
|"how can I separate these people?"}}

{{interlinear |indent=2
|[átsín kétn̋ jískèn]
|woman house.LOC be.that
|"the woman who is in the house"}}

===Demonstratives===
The [[demonstrative]]s include {{IPA|[háŋ]}} "here", {{IPA|[ēk]}} "there (nearby)", {{IPA|[jìŋk]}} "there (far away)", {{IPA|[nēɡ]}} "down there", {{IPA|[nèk]}} "up there".  Alone, or with the determiner suffixes {{IPA|[ùʂ]}} or {{IPA|[àʂ]}} added, these function as demonstrative pronouns "this person", "that person", etc.  With the noun phrase marker {{IPA|[-à]}}, they become demonstrative adjectives.  E.g.:

{{interlinear |indent=2
|[hàŋ nás dȁdn̄ àtāɡùʂn̄]
|here man near reach.STAT.DET.when
|"when he came near to the man..."}}

{{interlinear |indent=2
|[njāʔà nēɡà hàndī]
|boy.NPMk down.there.NPMk DET.SUBJ
|"these boys down there"}}

===Numbers===
The numbers are:
{| class="IPA wikitable"
|-
| 1
| [mātʼ]
|-
| 2
| [nám]
|-
| 3
| [káz]
|-
| 4
| [ód]
|-
| 5
| [ùtʂ]
|-
| 6
| [sàpm̄]
|-
| 7
| [nàpm̄]
|-
| 8
| [njàrtn̄]
|-
| 9
| [ìrstn̄]
|-
| 10
| [ta̋m]
|-
| 100
| [bǎl]
|-
| 1000
| [wňm]
|}

20, 30, etc. are formed by adding {{IPA|[tàm]}} "ten" (with tone change) to the unit.  In compound numbers, {{IPA|[-á]}} is added to each 'figure, thus:

:13 {{IPA|[ta̋má kázá]}}
:236 {{IPA|[nám bǎlá kāztàmá sàpm̄á]}}

When a [[cardinal number]] functions as an adjective, the suffix {{IPA|[-ās]}} can be added ''(e.g.'' {{IPA|[njāʔà kázās]}} "three children").  [[Ordinal number]]s are formed by suffixing {{IPA|[-nás]}} to the cardinal, e.g.: {{IPA|[ódnás]}} "fourth".

===Adjectives===
Adjectives are sometimes intensified by changing the tone to top; e.g. {{IPA|[ěz]}} "big" → {{IPA|[e̋z]}} "very big".

===Verbs===
Verbs with monosyllabic roots can have three different forms of their active stems: the singular imperative, which is just the root; the past stem, usually identical to the root but sometimes formed by adding ''-k'' (with changes to the preceding consonant); and the future stem, usually identical to the root but sometimes formed by changing the tone from mid 3 to high 4 or from bottom 1 to top 5.  Some have causative (formed by adding {{IPA|[-ās]}} or {{IPA|[-̏s]}}, and changing mid tone to high) and passive (formed by adding {{IPA|[-n̄]}}, {{IPA|[-t]}}, or {{IPA|[-̏k]}} to the causative) forms.  Verbal nouns are formed from the stem, sometimes with tone change or addition or {{IPA|[-t]}}.

Verbs with polysyllabic roots have at least two forms, one with an intransitive or passive meaning and one with a transitive or causative meaning; the former ends in {{IPA|[-n̄]}}, the latter in {{IPA|[-ās]}}.  A passive may be formed by ending in {{IPA|[-āsn̄]}}.  Verbal nouns are formed by taking the bare stem without {{IPA|[-n̄]}} or {{IPA|[-ās]}}.

Compound verbs are formed with {{IPA|[màk]}} "say" or {{IPA|[màs]}} "cause to say", a formation common among Ethiopian languages.

The primary tenses are simple past (formed from the past stem), future (future stem plus {{IPA|[-n̄s-]}}), present perfect (from present participle stem); negative (future stem plus {{IPA|[-árɡ-]}}.)  E.g.: {{IPA|[hām]}} → {{IPA|[hāŋkʼùē]}} "he went"; {{IPA|[hámsm̄sùē]}} "he will go"; {{IPA|[hāŋkʼńsùē]}} "he has gone".

There are four corresponding participles: past (formed from the past stem), present perfect (formed from the past stem with the suffix {{IPA|[-ńs-]}}, {{IPA|[-ńɡ]}}, or {{IPA|[-áŋkʼ-]}}), imperfect (formed from the future stem with the stative suffix {{IPA|[-āɡ-]}}), and negative (formed from the future stem with the negative suffix {{IPA|[-árɡ-]}} or {{IPA|[-ù-]}} or a person/number marker.)
The order of affixes is: root-(tense)-(negative)-(foc. pn.)-person/number-marker.

==Orthography and literature==
A Latin-based orthography was adopted in 2008.<ref name=e18/> Previously, the [[New Testament]] had been published in the Bench language using an orthography based on the [[Ge'ez script|Ethiopian syllabary]].  Tones were not indicated. Retroflex consonants were indicated by such techniques as using extra symbols from the syllabary (the "''nigus'' s") and forming new symbols (the addition of an extra arm on the left side for "t").

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

==References==
*Breeze, Mary J. 1986. "Personal pronouns in Gimira (Benchnon)."  In Ursula Wiesemann (ed.), ''Pronominal systems'', 47–69. Tübingen: Gunter Narr.
*Breeze, Mary J. 1988. "Phonological features of Gimira and Dizi."  In Marianne Bechhaus-Gerst and Fritz Serzisko (eds.), ''Cushitic - Omotic: papers from the International Symposium on Cushitic and Omotic languages, Cologne, January 6–9, 1986'', 473–487. Hamburg: Helmut Buske Verlag.
*Breeze, Mary J. 1990. "A Sketch of the Phonology and Grammar of Gimira (Benchnon)". In [[Richard J. Hayward]] (ed.), ''Omotic Language Studies'', 1-67. London: School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.
*Rapold, Christian.  2006.  ''Towards a Grammar of Benchnon.'' Dissertation, [[Leiden University]].
*Wedekind, Klaus. 1983. "A six-tone language in Ethiopia: Tonal analysis of Benč non (Gimira)."  ''Journal of Ethiopian Studies'' 16: 129–56.
*Wedekind, Klaus. 1985a. "Why Bench’ (Ethiopia) has five level tones today."  In Ursula Pieper and Gerhard Stickel (eds.), ''Studia linguistica diachronica et synchronica'', 881-901. Berlin: Mouton.
*Wedekind, Klaus. 1985b. "Thoughts when drawing a map of tone languages."  ''Afrikanistische Arbeitspapiere'' 1: 105–24.
*Wedekind, Klaus. 1990. "Gimo-Jan or Ben-Yem-Om: Benč - Yemsa phonemes, tones, and words."  In Richard J. Hayward (ed.), ''Omotic language studies'' p.&nbsp;68-184. London: School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.

==External links==
*Rapold, Christian.  2006.  ''Towards a Grammar of Benchnon.'' Dissertation, [[Leiden University]]. (University webpage has a link to download a PDF of a Dutch summary.) https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/research/research-output/humanities/towards-a-grammar-of-benchnon
*Wedekind, Klaus. 1983. [https://web.archive.org/web/20110719053906/http://www.kwedekind.de///Eingang1///PdfFiles/1983_ASixToneLanguage.pdf A Six-Tone Language in Ethiopia]
*Wedekind, Klaus. 1985a. http://www.kwedekind.de///Eingang1///PdfFiles/1985_WhyBenchHasFiveLevelTonesToday.pdf
*Wedekind, Klaus. 1985a. http://www.kwedekind.de///Eingang1///PdfFiles/1985_Thoughts_when_Drawing_a_Map_of_Tone_Languages.pdf
*[[World Atlas of Language Structures]] information: https://wals.info/languoid/lect/wals_code_gim
*[https://www.bench-web.com Website maintained by the Bench community, on culture and language, in the Bench language]

{{Languages of Ethiopia}}
{{Omotic languages}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bench Language}}
[[Category:Languages of Ethiopia]]
[[Category:North Omotic languages]]
[[Category:Tonal languages]]
[[Category:Whistled languages]]