Kafa language

Last updated
Kafa
Kafi noono
Native to Ethiopia
Regionin Keffa Zone
Native speakers
830,000 (2007 census) [1]
Dialects
Language codes
ISO 639-3 kbr
Glottolog kafa1242

Kafa or Kefa (Kafi noono) is a North Omotic language spoken in Ethiopia at the Keffa Zone. It is part of the Ethiopian Language Area, with SOV word order, ejective consonants, etc.

Contents

A collection of proverbs in the language has been published by Mesfin Wodajo. [2]

Phonology

Consonants

Labial Alveolar Palatal Velar Glottal
plain gem. plain gem. plain gem. plain gem.
Plosive/
Affricate
voiceless p t tʃː k ʔ
voiced b d dʒː g ɡː
ejective pːʼ tːʼ tʃʼ tʃːʼ kːʼ
Fricative voiceless f s ʃ h
voiced z
Nasal m n
Rhotic ɾ
Approximant w l j

Vowels

Front Back
Close i iː u uː
Mid ɛ ɛː ɔ ɔː
Open a aː

Manjo

Manjo
Mangiò
(speculative)
unattested
Language codes
ISO 639-3 None (mis)
Glottolog mang1364

Within the Kafa culture there is a caste of traditional hunters called the Manja/Manjo 'hunters'. They may once have spoken a different language. However, Leikola has shown that currently they speak Kafa with a number of distinctive words and constructions that they use, reinforcing the distinctions between themselves and the larger Kafa society. [4]

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References

  1. Ethiopia 2007 Census Archived 2010-11-14 at the Wayback Machine
  2. 2012. Functions and Formal and Stylistic Features of Kafa Proverbs: Functional and Structural Approach. Lambert Academic Publishing.
  3. 1 2 Theil, Rolf (2007). Kafa phonology. Journal of African Languages and Linguistics, Vol. 28, No. 2: DeGruyter Mouton. pp. 193–216.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  4. Leikola, Kirsi. 2014. Talking Manjo: Linguistic repertoires as means of negotiating marginalization. University of Helsinki: PhD dissertation.

Further reading