Konso language
Encyclopedia
The Konso language is an East Cushitic language
spoken in southwest Ethiopia
. Native speakers
of Konso number about 200,000 (SIL 2005). Konso is closely related to Dirasha
(also known as Gidole), and serves as a "trade language"—or lingua franca
—beyond the area of the Konso
people.
The New Testament was published in the Konso language in 2002.
East Cushitic languages
The Lowland East Cushitic languages comprise two dozen languages of the Cushitic family within Afro-Asiatic. They are spoken mainly in Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Somalia, and by Cushitic groups in northern Kenya....
spoken in southwest Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
. Native speakers
First language
A first language is the language a person has learned from birth or within the critical period, or that a person speaks the best and so is often the basis for sociolinguistic identity...
of Konso number about 200,000 (SIL 2005). Konso is closely related to Dirasha
Dirasha language
Dirasha is a member of the East Cushitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic family. It is spoken in Ethiopia in the Omo Region, in the hills west of Lake Chamo, around Gidole town. A number of speakers also use Oromo or Komso...
(also known as Gidole), and serves as a "trade language"—or lingua franca
Lingua franca
A lingua franca is a language systematically used to make communication possible between people not sharing a mother tongue, in particular when it is a third language, distinct from both mother tongues.-Characteristics:"Lingua franca" is a functionally defined term, independent of the linguistic...
—beyond the area of the Konso
Konso
Konso is a town on the Sagan River in southwestern Ethiopia. The administrative center of the Konso special woreda of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region, this town has a latitude and longitude of and an elevation of 1650 meters...
people.
The New Testament was published in the Konso language in 2002.
External links
- EthnologueEthnologueEthnologue: Languages of the World is a web and print publication of SIL International , a Christian linguistic service organization, which studies lesser-known languages, to provide the speakers with Bibles in their native language and support their efforts in language development.The Ethnologue...
information on Konso