Where the Two Systems Align
Four major noun categories are recognized in both English and Ge'ez, though the terminology differs.
Common Nouns
English common nouns — dog, house, book, teacher — name general categories of beings or objects. Ge'ez common nouns (Seme Hubare) serve the same function: Kelb (dog), Bet (house), Mets'haf (book), Memhir (teacher). In both languages, a common noun can apply to any member of a class, and it can be made plural or singular. The structure is parallel; only the words change.
Proper Nouns
English proper nouns — John, Mary, London — distinguish one specific entity from its general category. Ge'ez proper nouns (Seme Tetswe'o) function identically: Yohannes (John), Mariyam (Mary), Aksum (the holy city of Aksum). In English, proper nouns are conventionally capitalized. In Ge'ez, the distinction is semantic rather than orthographic, since the script does not use capitalization — but the grammatical function is the same.[2]
Collective Nouns
English collective nouns — herd, flock, swarm, family — refer to a group as a single unit. Ge'ez collective nouns (Seme Mi'ilad) operate on the same principle. For example, while Nihib is a common noun for a bee, Mera'iye Anihibt refers to the collective swarm. The pattern of taking a singular noun and forming a collective form is structurally parallel to English, though Ge'ez achieves this through internal morphological transformation rather than through a separate lexical item.
Abstract Nouns
English abstract nouns — love, righteousness, truth, blessing — name concepts that cannot be perceived through the senses. Ge'ez abstract nouns (Seme Reqiq) cover the same conceptual territory: Fikir (love), Tsidq (righteousness), Sert (truth), Bereket (blessing). The category exists in both languages — but as we shall see in section 6, the theological weight carried by Ge'ez abstract nouns has no exact English parallel.