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Language Information By Source

Ongota (Birale), a moribund language of Southwest Ethiopia
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Critically Endangered

Native Speakers Worldwide

8

Domains of Use

No data

Speaker Number Trends

No data

Transmission

No data

Speakers

Second-language speakers

No data

Semi-speakers

No data

Child speakers

No data

Young adult speakers

No data

Older adult speakers

No data

Elder Speakers

No data

Ethnic Population

100

Non-monolingual speakers

No data

More about speakers

No data

Year of info

2003

Location and Context

Countries

No data

Coordinates

No data

Location description

No data

Government support

No data

Institutional support

No data

Speakers’s attitudes

No data

Standard orthography

No data

Script (Writing system)

No data

Other writing systems

No data

More on writing systems

No data

Other languages used

Ts'amakko

Domains of other languages

No data

More on context

"The Ongota have felt and will feel the need to change their despised status. It is therefore understandable that they have started to give up their ridiculed traditional language."

Critically Endangered

Native Speakers Worldwide

8

Domains of Use

No data

Speaker Number Trends

No data

Transmission

No data

Speakers

Second-language speakers

No data

Semi-speakers

No data

Child speakers

No data

Young adult speakers

No data

Older adult speakers

8

Elder Speakers

No data

Ethnic Population

<100

Non-monolingual speakers

All

More about speakers

No data

Year of info

2000

Location and Context

Countries

Muts'e, southwest Ethiopia

Coordinates

No data

Location description

No data

Government support

None

Institutional support

None

Speakers’s attitudes

Poor

Standard orthography

No data

Script (Writing system)

None

Other writing systems

No data

More on writing systems

No data

Other languages used

Ts'amakko, Hamar-Banna, Amharic, Borana Oromo

Domains of other languages

No data

More on context

"The Ongota abandoned their language and ceased teaching it to their children in order to avoid being teased by the Ts'amakko and the Banna."

No data

Native Speakers Worldwide

No data

Domains of Use

No data

Speaker Number Trends

No data

Transmission

No data

Speakers

Second-language speakers

No data

Semi-speakers

No data

Child speakers

No data

Young adult speakers

No data

Older adult speakers

No data

Elder Speakers

No data

Ethnic Population

No data

Non-monolingual speakers

No data

More about speakers

No data

Year of info

2007

Location and Context

Countries

No data

Coordinates

No data

Location description

No data

Government support

No data

Institutional support

No data

Speakers’s attitudes

No data

Standard orthography

No data

Script (Writing system)

No data

Other writing systems

No data

More on writing systems

No data

Other languages used

Ts'amay

Domains of other languages

No data

More on context

"Its speakers are gradually shifting towards the Cushitic language Ts'amay; interestingly, many Ts'amay are now in the process of shifting their language solidarity towards the Cushitic language Konso or the Omotic language Hamar."

Critically Endangered

Native Speakers Worldwide

8

Domains of Use

No data

Speaker Number Trends

No data

Transmission

No data

Speakers

Second-language speakers

No data

Semi-speakers

No data

Child speakers

No data

Young adult speakers

No data

Older adult speakers

No data

Elder Speakers

No data

Ethnic Population

No data

Non-monolingual speakers

No data

More about speakers

No data

Year of info

2010

Location and Context

Countries

No data

Coordinates

5.3207,37.2244

Location description

No data

Government support

No data

Institutional support

No data

Speakers’s attitudes

No data

Standard orthography

No data

Script (Writing system)

No data

Other writing systems

No data

More on writing systems

No data

Other languages used

No data

Domains of other languages

No data

More on context

No data

Critically Endangered

Native Speakers Worldwide

8

Domains of Use

No data

Speaker Number Trends

No data

Transmission

No data

Speakers

Second-language speakers

No data

Semi-speakers

No data

Child speakers

No data

Young adult speakers

No data

Older adult speakers

No data

Elder Speakers

No data

Ethnic Population

89

Non-monolingual speakers

No data

More about speakers

No data

Year of info

2009

Location and Context

Countries

Ethiopia;

Coordinates

No data

Location description

No data

Government support

No data

Institutional support

No data

Speakers’s attitudes

No data

Standard orthography

No data

Script (Writing system)

No data

Other writing systems

No data

More on writing systems

No data

Other languages used

No data

Domains of other languages

No data

More on context

No data

Critically Endangered

Native Speakers Worldwide

8

Domains of Use

No data

Speaker Number Trends

No data

Transmission

No data

Speakers

Second-language speakers

No data

Semi-speakers

No data

Child speakers

No data

Young adult speakers

No data

Older adult speakers

No data

Elder Speakers

No data

Ethnic Population

No data

Non-monolingual speakers

No data

More about speakers

No data

Year of info

2003

Location and Context

Countries

No data

Coordinates

No data

Location description

No data

Government support

No data

Institutional support

No data

Speakers’s attitudes

No data

Standard orthography

No data

Script (Writing system)

No data

Other writing systems

No data

More on writing systems

No data

Other languages used

Ts'amakko

Domains of other languages

No data

More on context

No data

Critically Endangered

Native Speakers Worldwide

8

Domains of Use

No data

Speaker Number Trends

No data

Transmission

No data

Speakers

Second-language speakers

No data

Semi-speakers

No data

Child speakers

No data

Young adult speakers

No data

Older adult speakers

No data

Elder Speakers

No data

Ethnic Population

80

Non-monolingual speakers

72

More about speakers

No data

Year of info

2007

Location and Context

Countries

Ethiopia

Coordinates

5.779966,37.287383

Location description

"Ongota is the self-designation of a population from southwest Ethiopia north of Chaw Behar (earlier lake Stefania) and east of Lake Turkana (earlier lake Rudolf in Kenya)."

Government support

No data

Institutional support

No data

Speakers’s attitudes

No data

Standard orthography

No data

Script (Writing system)

No data

Other writing systems

"Ongota is the self-designation of a population from southwest Ethiopia north of Chaw Behar (earlier lake Stefania) and east of Lake Turkana (earlier lake Rudolf in Kenya)."

More on writing systems

No data

Other languages used

Tsamay

Domains of other languages

No data

More on context

"Under a strong influence of neighboring languages as Tsamay, Gawwada; Konso, Oromo of Borana, Arbore; Hamer, Hanna, and others, Ongota was creolized or even pidginized. The most dominant process could be called a 'Tsamayization'."

No data

Native Speakers Worldwide

A handful

Domains of Use

No data

Speaker Number Trends

No data

Transmission

No data

Speakers

Second-language speakers

No data

Semi-speakers

No data

Child speakers

No data

Young adult speakers

No data

Older adult speakers

No data

Elder Speakers

No data

Ethnic Population

No data

Non-monolingual speakers

No data

More about speakers

No data

Year of info

2008

Location and Context

Countries

No data

Coordinates

No data

Location description

No data

Government support

No data

Institutional support

No data

Speakers’s attitudes

No data

Standard orthography

No data

Script (Writing system)

No data

Other writing systems

No data

More on writing systems

No data

Other languages used

No data

Domains of other languages

No data

More on context

No data

Severely Endangered

Native Speakers Worldwide

19

Domains of Use

No data

Speaker Number Trends

No data

Transmission

No data

Speakers

Second-language speakers

No data

Semi-speakers

No data

Child speakers

No data

Young adult speakers

No data

Older adult speakers

No data

Elder Speakers

No data

Ethnic Population

No data

Non-monolingual speakers

No data

More about speakers

No data

Year of info

Location and Context

Countries

No data

Coordinates

No data

Location description

No data

Government support

No data

Institutional support

No data

Speakers’s attitudes

No data

Standard orthography

No data

Script (Writing system)

No data

Other writing systems

No data

More on writing systems

No data

Other languages used

No data

Domains of other languages

No data

More on context

No data

Media Resources

No resources

No resources

No resources

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  1. Ongota or Birale: a moribund language of Gemu-Gofa (Ethiopia)
    Fleming, Harold C., Yilma Aklilu, Mitiku Birru Ayalew, Richard J. Hayward, Yukio Miyawaki, Pavel Mikesh and J. Michael Seelig. 1992. "Ongota or Birale: a Moribund Language of Gemu-Gofa (Ethiopia)." In Journal of Afroasiatic languages, 3 , no. 3: 181-225.
  2. Sociolinguistic survey report of the languages of the Gawwada, Tsamay and Diraasha areas with excursions to Birayle (Ongota) and Arbore (Irbore) part II
    Wedekind, Klaus. 2002. "Sociolinguistic Survey Report of the Languages of the Gawwada, Tsamay and Diraasha Areas with Excursions To Birayle (Ongota) and Arbore (Irbore) Part II." In SIL Electronic Survey Reports, 2002-066: Online: http://www.sil.org/silesr/abstract.asp?ref=2002-066.
    http://www.sil.org/silesr/abstract.asp?ref=2002-066
  3. Ongota: A Decisive Language in African Prehistory
    Fleming, Harold. 2006. "Ongota: A Decisive Language in African Prehistory." 64: Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz.
  4. Ongota: Back to Reality?
    Savà, Graziano and Mauro Tosco. 2007. "Ongota: Back To Reality?" In VIVA Africa 2007. Proceedings of the IInd International Conference on African Studies, Pilsen, 27-28 April, edited by Tomáš Machalík and Jan Záhorřík. 71-80. Pilsen: Dryada.
  5. Are the African Pygmies an Ethnographic Fiction?
    Roger Blench. 1999. "Are the African Pygmies An Ethnographic Fiction?" In Central African Hunter-Gatherers in a Multidisciplinary Perspective: Challenging Elusiveness, edited by Karen Biesboruck et al. 41-60. Netherlands: Research School of Asian, African and Amerindian Studies (CNWS), Universiteit Leiden.
  6. Remnant Languages of Ethiopia and Sudan
    M. L. Bender. 1983. "Remnant Languages of Ethiopia and Sudan." In Nilo-Saharan language studies, edited by Marvin Lionel Bender. 13: 336-354. East Lansing: African Studies Center, Michigan State University.
  7. Nilo-Saharan Stratum of Ongota
    Václav Blažek. 2007. "Nilo-Saharan Stratum of Ongota." In Advances in Nilo-Saharan Linguistics: Proceedings of the 8th Nilo-Saharan Linguistics Colloquium, University of Hamburg, August 22-25, 2001, edited by Mechthild Reh and Doris L. Payne. 22: 1-10. Köln: Rüdiger Köppe.
  8. Ts'amakko morphological borrowings in Ongota (or Birale)
    2002. "Ts'amakko Morphological Borrowings in Ongota (or Birale)." In Proceedings of the 1st International Symposium 'Ethiopian Morphosyntax in an Areal Perspective', 71: 75-93. Universität zu Köln.
  9. Some Thoughts on Shabo, Ongota and the Kadu Family of Languages
    Bürgisser, Philipp. 2004. "Some Thoughts On Shabo, Ongota and the Kadu Family of Languages." In Mother Tongue, 9: 192-215.
  10. The Classification of Ongota
    Savà, Graziano and Mauro Tosco. 2003. "The Classification of Ongota." In Selected Comparative-Historical Afrasian Linguistic Studies in Memory of Igor M. Diakonoff, edited by M. Lionel Bender et al.. 14: 307-316. München: Lincom.
  11. Endangered Languages Catalogue Project. Compiled by research teams at University of Hawai'i Mānoa and Institute for Language Information and Technology (LINGUIST List) at Eastern Michigan University
    2012. "Endangered Languages Catalogue Project. Compiled By Research Teams At University of Hawai'i Mānoa and Institute For Language Information and Technology (LINGUIST List) At Eastern Michigan University."
  12. Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 16th Edition (2009)
    Lewis, M. Paul (ed.). 2009. Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 16 edn. http://www.ethnologue.com/home.asp. (15 February, 2011.)
    http://www.ethnologue.com/
  13. A sketch of Ongota, a dying language of southwest Ethiopia
    Graziano Savà and Mauro Tosco. 2000. "A Sketch of Ongota, a Dying Language of Southwest Ethiopia." In Studies in African linguistics, 29: 59-136.
  14. Africa
    Dimmendaal, Gerrit J. and F. K. Erhard Voeltz. 2007. "Africa." In Encyclopedia of the World's Endangered Languages, edited by Christopher Moseley. Routledge.
  15. Loss of Linguistic Diversity in Africa
    Mous, Maarten. 2003. "Loss of Linguistic Diversity in Africa." In Language Death and Language Maintenance: Theoretical, Practical and Descriptive Approaches, edited by Mark Janse and Sjimen Tol. 240: 157-170. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
  16. Ongota (Birale), a moribund language of Southwest Ethiopia
    Savà, Graziano. 2003. "Ongota (Birale), a Moribund Language of Southwest Ethiopia." In Language death and language maintenance: theoretical, practical and descriptive approaches, edited by Mark Janse and Sijmen Tol. 171-188. John Benjamins Publ.
  17. One Thousand Languages: Living, Endangered, and Lost
    Austin, Peter. 2008. "One Thousand Languages: Living, Endangered, and Lost." University of California.
  18. World Oral Literature Project
    "World Oral Literature Project." Online: http://www.oralliterature.org.
    http://www.oralliterature.org
  19. Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger
    Moseley, Christopher (ed.). 2010. Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger, 3rd edn. http://www.unesco.org/culture/en/endangeredlanguages/atlas. (03 June, 2011.)
    http://www.unesco.org/culture/en/endangeredlanguages/atlas