Girirra language

Last updated
Girirra
Af Girirra
Native to Ethiopia
RegionAf-Dheer Zone, Somali Region, Ethiopia
EthnicityGirirra, Somali
Native speakers
50,000 (2007) [1]
Language codes
ISO 639-3 gii
Glottolog giri1245

Girirra also called Gariire is a Cushitic language of Ethiopia. It has extensive borrowing from Somali. [2] Although not mutually intelligible with Somali, it is estimated that around 70% of the Garirra language is made up of Somali loan words. There has not been many studies on the language itself and is often grouped into a small umbrella of the Macro-Somali language family including relatives like: Rendille, Boni, Bayso, and the two dialects of Somali, being Af-Maay, and Af-Maxaa (Standard Somali). [3]

Contents

Phonology

The following are the phonemes found in Girirra: [4]

Consonant phonemes
Labial Alveolar Palato-
alveolar
Palatal Velar Glottal
Plosive/
Affricate
voiceless t k ʔ
voiced b d d͡ʒ ɡ
glottalic ɗ t͡ʃʼ
Fricative f s ʃ h
Nasal m n ɲ
Trill r
Approximant l j
Vowels
FrontCentralBack
Close i , u ,
Mid e , o ,
Open a ,

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References

  1. Girirra at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) Closed Access logo transparent.svg
  2. SILESR2002 061
  3. Blench, Roger (2006). "The Afro-Asiatic Languages Classification and Reference List" (PDF).{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  4. Mekonnen, Hundie Kumbi. 2015. The Grammar of Girirra (A Lowland East Cushitic Language of Ethiopia). (Doctoral dissertation, Addis Ababa University; xxvii+367pp.)

Further reading