THE INFLECTIONAL AFFIXES OF BAMBASI MAO LANGUAGE: MORPHOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF MAWESE

This study aimed at describing the inflectional affixation processes in Bambasi Mao language, spoken around Bambasi area particularly at Yaku, Sshewara and Kosa in Benishangul Gumuz Regional State, Western Ethiopioa. It had two objectives: identifying inflectional affixes in the language, and analyzing their distribution in the word formation process. The Lexicalist Approach developed by Selkirk (1982) - qualitative data analysis- was used to identify the inflectional affixes and their distribution in the language. The result showed that past verbal inflection is marked by /-a/ present progressive is marked by /-biS/ past progressive is marked by /-bitè/ suffix future tense marker is also marked by the inflectional suffix /-gàmS/. Comparative adjectival inflection is marked by /-ite/ suffix superlative inflection affix is marked by /gija/ plural inflection is marked by/-wole/, and possessive inflection is marked by /-iŋ/ suffix.