Ometo–Chara languages
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Ometo languages of Ethiopia are a
dialect cluster A dialect continuum or dialect chain is a series of language varieties spoken across some geographical area such that neighboring varieties are mutually intelligible, but the differences accumulate over distance so that widely separated varie ...
of the Omotic family, generally accepted as part of the Afro-Asiatic language family. They include the most populous Omotic language, Wolaytta, with two million speakers. The languages have around 4 million speakers.


Classification


Bender (2000)

Bender (2000) classifies them as,Bender, M. Lionel. 2000. ''Comparative Morphology of the Omotic Languages.'' Munich: LINCOM. Classification copied in Raymond G. Gordon Jr., ed. 2005. ''Ethnologue: Languages of the World''. 15th edition. Dallas: Summer Institute of Linguistics. *South: Maale * Basketo *Central: Wolaytta (Ometo),
Oyda Oyda is one of the woredas in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region of Ethiopia. It is named after Oyda people living in this woreda. Part of the Gamo Gofa Zone, Oyda is bordered on the south by Uba Debretsehay, on the west by th ...
(Oyta), Melo (Malo), DorzeGamo-Gofa-Dawro *East: Gats'ame ( Kachama-Ganjule), Koorete (Koyra, Harro), Zayse-Zergulla


Blench (2006)

Hayward (2003) added Basketo to Central Ometo and called the result 'North Ometo', a position followed by Blench (2006). Blench (2006) lists several additional North Ometo languages, and lists Chara as unclassified within the family.Blench, 2006
The Afro-Asiatic Languages: Classification and Reference List
/ref> *North: Misketto (Basketto), Dokka, Doko-Dolo, Wolaitta (Welamo), Zala,
Oyda Oyda is one of the woredas in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region of Ethiopia. It is named after Oyda people living in this woreda. Part of the Gamo Gofa Zone, Oyda is bordered on the south by Uba Debretsehay, on the west by th ...
, Malo, DorzeLahaGamoGofaKullo-KontaDache, Ganjule, Gidicho, Kachama *East: Gatame (Haruro), Zayse (+Zergula), Koore/Koyra (Badittu) *South: Maale *?: Ch'ara He also lists ''Balta'', a regional name for Wolaytta, as a possibly separate language.


Notes

North Omotic languages Languages of Ethiopia {{Ethiopia-stub