Argobba language

Infobox Language
name=Argobba
states=Ethiopia
speakers=10,860 (1998)
familycolor=Afro-Asiatic
fam2=Semitic
fam3=South Semitic
fam4=Ethiopian
fam5=South
fam6=Transversal
fam7=Amharic-Argobba
iso3=agj

Argobba is an Ethiopian Semitic spoken in an area north-east of Addis Ababa by the Argobba people. It belongs to the South Ethiopian Semitic subgroup together with Amharic and the Gurage languages. Writing in the mid-1960s, Edward Ullendorff noted that it "is disappearing rapidly in favour of Amharic, and only a few hundred elderly people are still able to speak it." [Ullendorff, Edward (1965) "The Ethiopians: An Introduction to Country and People", second edition (London: Oxford University Press), pp. 131f. ISBN 0-19-285061-X.]

The language is spoken in a number of pockets and has at least four regional variations (dialects) in Harar (extinct), Aliyu Amba, Shewa Robit and Shonke.

Notes

References

* [http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=agj Ethnologue entry for Argobba]
* Cohen, Marcel (1931) "Études d'éthiopien méridional" (Collection d'ouvrages orientaux). Paris: Geuthner.
* Cohen, Marcel (1939) "Nouvelles Études d'éthiopien méridional" Paris: Ancienne Honoré Champion.
* Leslau, Wolf (1997) "Ethiopic Documents: Argobba. Grammar and dictionary" Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz. ISBN 3-447-03955-8.
* Zelealem Leyew and Ralph Siebert (1994) "Survey on Least Known Languages of Ethiopia - Argobba. S.L.L.E. Linguistic Reports" Addis Ababa: S.I.L./Institute of Ethiopian Studies, Addis Ababa University.
* Zalealem Leyew, Ralph Siebert (2002), "Sociolinguistic Survey Report of the Argobba Language of Ethiopia" SIL Electronic Survey Reports, SILESR 2002-026 ( [http://www.sil.org/silesr/2002/026/ PDF] )

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