PREFAC E. When m r z B h y late f iend M orit v . eurmann returned from is rs ourne to ub a and the or h of Ab r 1 1 fi t j y N i N t yssinia in the yea 86 , he brou h w h him a T ré ser an Abu B ekr m he had eu g t it ig v t, , who a ed at M asso a an d who had ac om g g w , c panied him already on his ra e s in the nor hern boundar es of A Dur hi a t v l t i byssinia . ing s st y at e sse he n roduced the c e er oun m an to m e and as he N i i t l v y g , s ok e bes des his na e an ua e Arab c and if I am not mis p i tiv l g g , i , aken G al a I re ues ed B eurmann to tr whe her we m h t , l , q t y , t ig t rn from him the en ra fea ur f T r of h ch at ha lea g e l t es o ig é , w i t t i r Our comm on e er ons were time nothing was known n Eu ope. x ti n fu a s our rs ues ons be on ed to some er not u success l, nd a fi t q ti l g v y s e were soon ab e to s a e the enera usual Ethiopic word , w l t t g l chan es wh ch the anc en d a ec had suffered in the modern g , i i t i l t Af er hese rs a em s w e be an a s s ema pronounciation . t t fi t tt pt g y t n wh ch we ho ed to ob a n the ou nes of a tical examinatio , by i p t i tli mm ar but here we had man d cu es to o ercome . Not gra , y iffi lti v only did the rapidity of the pronounciation and the indistinct and even fluctuating character of the vowels present a great hindrance r ho ra h but a so the consonan s es ec a to an accurate o t g p y , l t p i lly des - B es those of the S class w ere spoken in different manners . i it ca forms es ec a was no easy task to obtain certain gramm ati l , p i lly ura s for if we addressed a ues on to those of the b roken Pl l , q ti bu B ekr he of en rans a ed litterall in T r ns ead of A , t t l t it y ig é i t an r n an n or ce ersa and a wa s re u red rea swe i g its me i g, vi v , it l y q i g t a s t m ak him un ders and ha we w shed to hear the p in o e t , t t i The resu s of hese our com different forms of the same word. lt t mon exertions will be found in the following gramm atical sketch . eurmann did not aban don After having left Neisse M . v . B the dea of co c n a oca u ar f the T ré an ua e an d so i lle ti g v b l y o ig l g g , he da wro e down ho ords h ch he had heard from Abu ily t t se w , w i B ekr and as he was ob ed to s eak w h him on Arab c he , lig p it ly i ’ fo owed umb er s G u de franca s - arabe ask n a wa s the Arab c ll H t i i , i g l y i Thou h w ord of Humbert and writing down the Tigré translation . g h h l w n h ch ha Arab c e wis ed to obtain a l those ords i Tigr é , w i t t i ocabu ar con a ns ne er he ess the re ara on for his second v l y t i , v t l p p ti e ed on wh ch a as ! ha s an end re u red so xp iti , i l d o deplorable , q i much me ha e en he h al h s r ord nar ner and ti , t t v wit l i ext a i y e gy zea as not ab o n h n h had s ar ed l w le t fi ish this work . So w e e t t ’ again on the day after Christmas 186 1 in search of Vogel s re m ains with the firm in tention either to cross the whole African con nen from B en haz to Chartum and M a r e m re ti t g i assow , o n ver o to re urn the ma er a s he had co c e t , t i l lle ted were sent to me to b published . I mmed a e re ared hem for the ress arr n e the i i t ly p p t p , a g d ocab u ar af er the G erm an A hab t ad v l y t lp e , ded the Arabic words of umber in order ha m s akes wh ch H t , t t i t , i scarcely could have been a o ded m h more eas b e de ec ed v i , ig t ily t t , compared the mo dern words w h the an c ent an it i , d lastly presented the whole to the Germ an Or en a oc e to be r n ed in he r Jour i t l S i ty p i t t i nal . Though VII the ub ca on had n acce ed as n nu de a ed p li ti bee pt , it w co ti ally l y , ’ ’ ’ and so finally Munzinger s and d Abb adie s vocabularies appeared ’ o e her h D l mann s h o c d c onar t e co ee t g t wit i l Et i pi i ti y , whilst h ll on of h ad th r t ti B eurmann , w o h b een e fi st o prepare a work on the T an a e rema ned six ears in the r o of the igré l gu g , i y po tf lio ed itor. nder hese c rcums ance as the co ec n m t sma U t i t s, ll tio see ed oo ll to be published separately I accepted with the greatest pleasure the k nd offer of the Hon r eo a h cal . i ou able G gr p i Society of Leipzic, to h w ose members M . v. B ur had e on ed e mann b l g , to receive the i e work n o he r annua re or and h so much the more l ttl i t t i l p t , t is , as I regarded it as my indispensable duty to publish the only l t Jus at th m h n i terary remains of the late au thor. t e ti e w e th n th e following vocabulary was ab out to be pri ted , e English Ab ss red n n as assoc a y inian expedition was bein g prepa , a d by a e y i on of d a I u to ho e ha such a ocabu ar m h ti i e s was ind ced p , t t V l y ig t oss a ca use cam ear enou h p ibly be at this moment of pr cti l , if it e ly g A s an on ho in to the hands of the memb ers of the bys ini expediti , w would find in it abou t one thousan d very usual words of the most I herefore added the n ish words extended Abyssinian dialect. t E gl co umn and wro e a more com to the G erman series in a separate l , t h n I had former done to make the plete grammatical sketch t a ly , u a so to hose who ha e not whole collection in some degree usef l l t , v B the bera i of the G eo studied another Semitic language. y li l ty graphical Society I received a number of private copies of the ve a lar h ch o e her w h an n sh Inde and the ou nes c bu y, w i t g t it E gli x tli of the grammar form the present volume . Though nobody can be more convinced of the incompleteness h s rs essa han I m se f I ho e ha and insufficiency of t i fi t y , t y l , p , t t an no h n even an incomplete sketch will do a better service th t i g, VIII ‘ give anything: better, I recommend the words of Saadl Say to and wasp i If ha i e b tr t n dg st mt g ve e ay, do not sang.