Gorwaa
[aka Gorowa, Goroa, Kimbulu, Fiome, Ufiomi]Classification: Afro-Asiatic
·threatened
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Threatened
100 percent certain, based on the evidence available
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132,748 likely total speakers; 79,751 likely daily speakers
- DATE OF INFO
- 2014
- DOMAINS OF USE
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- SPEAKER NUMBER TRENDS
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- TRANSMISSION
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- MORE ON VITALITY
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Likely 60% of the ethnic population speak it actively
EGIDS vitality 6b-7 - SPEAKER ATTITUDE
- Older Gorwaa in rural areas tend to be enthusiastic about their language, while younger Gorwaa in urban areas view it as less useful and may be embarrassed to speak it. Some young Gorwaa use the exonym Mbulu (from a large Iraqw settlement) and say they speak Kimbulu; however, it is still the Gorwaa language. Elderly Gorwaa consultants have contributed to a large body of data including songs, traditional justic, uncommon vocabulary, etc. Young speakers involved in documentation of Gorwaa have become researchers and assumed ownership of the project.
- GOVERNMENT SUPPORT
- banned from use in public domains
- OTHER LANGUAGES USED BY THE COMMUNITY
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Swahili
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English
- LANGUAGE CONTEXT COMMENTS
Used frequently in rural areas but being replaced by Swahili for everyday use, especially in larger towns; code-switching is ubiquitous. Speakers are highly mobile; they often marry into a family, seek medical treatment, attend school, or seek work in a distant village.
- Scripts (Writing system)
- Iraqw
- More on Orthography
Instances of Gorwaa writing are rare, and show a great variety of non-standard spellings
- PLACES
- Dodoma and Manyara Regions of north-central Tanzania