Endangered Languages Project

ALSO KNOWN AS		Chabu, Shabu, Sabu, Shako, Mekeyer, Mikeyir, Mikair
CLASSIFICATION		Unclassified, Komuz?
CODE AUTHORITY		ISO 639-3
LANGUAGE CODE		sbf
DOWNLOAD		As csv
MORE RESOURCES		OLAC search

Compare Sources (10)

Information from: “"Documentation and Grammatical Description of the Shabo Language: A Very Endangered Isolate Language of Southwestern Ethiopia" HRELP Abstract” . Tsehay, Kibebe (2010)

Severely endangered

80 percent certain, based on the evidence available
<600
Native speakers worldwide
MORE ON SPEAKER NUMBERS
"Spoken by about 600 (probably less) people."

DOMAINS OF USE

TRANSMISSION

MORE ON VITALITY

"The language is still used in some of the daily life domains, but only a few children of the ethnic group are acquiring it as their mother tongue."

LANGUAGE CONTEXT COMMENTS

"Since the Shabos are scattered amongst the Majangir and Shekkacho people, almost all of them are multilingual with the languages spoken by these groups."

PLACES: Southwestern Ethiopia;

LOCATION DESCRIPTION: "Around the Sheka Forest in Southwestern Ethiopia"

Endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
400-1,867
Native speakers worldwide
MORE ON SPEAKER NUMBERS
"The total population of the Shabu, like many of the indigenous people of the region, is not clearly known. It varies from 400 (2000 M. Brenzinger) to 1867 (2007 census); out of a large ethnic population, it is constantly decreasing."

PLACES: Ethiopia

LOCATION DESCRIPTION: "The Shabu live between Shekicho zone of Southern Nations and Nationalities and Peoples Region and Mejang zone of Gambela Regional government."

Endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
~400
Native speakers worldwide

OTHER LANGUAGES USED BY THE COMMUNITY

PLACES: Ethiopia

LOCATION DESCRIPTION: "The Chabu inhabit in southwestern highlands of Ethiopia. In a recent administrative reform, they have been placed between the Sheka Zone of the Southern Nations, Nationalities and People's Regional State (SNNPR) and Majang zone of Gambella regional state."

Endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
450
Native speakers worldwide
Ethnic population
>600
MORE ON SPEAKER NUMBERS
"Ethnic population: 600 or more (2000)." Data for the number of native speakers comes from M. Brenzinger (2000).

MORE ON VITALITY

The number of speakers is decreasing.

PLACES: Ethiopia;

Endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
450
Native speakers worldwide

Endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
450
Native speakers worldwide

Endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
200-600
Native speakers worldwide

Endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
400-1,000
Native speakers worldwide
Ethnic population
400-1000

OTHER LANGUAGES USED BY THE COMMUNITY

PLACES: Southwestern Ethiopia

Some
Native speakers worldwide
MORE ON SPEAKER NUMBERS
"Unseth (1984) was able to interview some younger Shabo-speaking people (approximately 20 years old). These people had some remnant knowledge of Shabo. Whether there were still (older) people who had or have a good command of the language is not clear."

OTHER LANGUAGES USED BY THE COMMUNITY
LANGUAGE CONTEXT COMMENTS: "All the Shabo speak Majang while only a few of the Majang speak Shabo"

PLACES: Ethiopia

LOCATION DESCRIPTION: "Ethiopia, southwestern part. The Shabo live scattered among the Majang"

	Contributions to the sociology of language, #64				1992	A survey on language death in Africa	Language death: factual and theoretical explorations with special reference to East Africa	402	Brenzinger, Matthias		Mouton de Gruyter			Berlin & New York					Sommer, Gabriele	Gabriele Sommer. 1992. "A Survey On Language Death in Africa." In Language death: factual and theoretical explorations with special reference to East Africa, edited by Matthias Brenzinger. 402. Mouton de Gruyter.	EBALL		Some		"Unseth (1984) was able to interview some younger Shabo-speaking people (approximately 20 years old). These people had some remnant knowledge of Shabo. Whether there were still (older) people who had or have a good command of the language is not clear."	Majang	"All the Shabo speak Majang while only a few of the Majang speak Shabo"	All					Ethiopia	"Ethiopia, southwestern part. The Shabo live scattered among the Majang"
		December		52	2013	On the Verge of Dying: Languages in Ethiopia						Ogmios			Foundation for Endangered Languages			http://www.ogmios.org/ogmios/Ogmios_052.pdf	Dessalegn Gebeyehu	Dessalegn Gebeyehu. 2013. "On the Verge of Dying: Languages in Ethiopia." In Ogmios, Online: http://www.ogmios.org/ogmios/Ogmios_052.pdf.			400-1,867	100-999	"The total population of the Shabu, like many of the indigenous people of the region, is not clearly known. It varies from 400 (2000 M. Brenzinger) to 1867 (2007 census); out of a large ethnic population, it is constantly decreasing."				Endangered (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)				Ethiopia	"The Shabu live between Shekicho zone of Southern Nations and Nationalities and Peoples Region and Mejang zone of Gambela Regional government."
0199255911					2005	The World Atlas of Language Structures			Bernard Comrie and David Gil and Martin Haspelmath and Matthew S. Dryer		Oxford University Press			New York						2005. "The World Atlas of Language Structures." edited by Bernard Comrie et al. Oxford University Press.															7.58333333333, 35.4166666667
			16		2009	Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 16th Edition (2009)			M. Paul Lewis		SIL International			Dallas, TX				http://www.ethnologue.com/		Lewis, M. Paul (ed.). 2009. Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 16 edn. http://www.ethnologue.com/home.asp. (15 February, 2011.)	ll_pub	>600	450	100-999	"Ethnic population: 600 or more (2000)." Data for the number of native speakers comes from M. Brenzinger (2000).				Endangered (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)		The number of speakers is decreasing.		Ethiopia;
					2014	Documenting and Preserving the Chabu Oral and Material Cultures				The Language Documentation Crowd project page							Mizan-Tepi University	http://www.thelanguagedocumentationcrowd.org/chabu	Amare {Fentaw Gedamu}	Amare Fentaw Gedamu. 2014. "Documenting and Preserving the Chabu Oral and Material Cultures." Online: http://www.thelanguagedocumentationcrowd.org/chabu.			~400	100-999		Majang, Shekinnono, Kaffinono Amharic, Oromifa		Most	Endangered (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)				Ethiopia	"The Chabu inhabit in southwestern highlands of Ethiopia. In a recent administrative reform, they have been placed between the Sheka Zone of the Southern Nations, Nationalities and People's Regional State (SNNPR) and Majang zone of Gambella regional state."	7.15, 35.3255
			3rd		2010	Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger					UNESCO Publishing			Paris				http://www.unesco.org/culture/en/endangeredlanguages/atlas	Christopher Moseley (ed.)	Moseley, Christopher (ed.). 2010. Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger, 3rd edn. http://www.unesco.org/culture/en/endangeredlanguages/atlas. (03 June, 2011.)	ll_pub		450	100-999					Endangered (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)						7.327, 35.2935
					2010	"Documentation and Grammatical Description of the Shabo Language: A Very Endangered Isolate Language of Southwestern Ethiopia" HRELP Abstract												http://www.hrelp.org/grants/projects/index.php?projid=234	Tsehay, Kibebe	Tsehay, Kibebe. 2010. ""Documentation and Grammatical Description of the Shabo Language: A Very Endangered Isolate Language of Southwestern Ethiopia" HRELP Abstract." Online: http://www.hrelp.org/grants/projects/index.php?projid=234.			<600	100-999	"Spoken by about 600 (probably less) people."		"Since the Shabos are scattered amongst the Majangir and Shekkacho people, almost all of them are multilingual with the languages spoken by these groups."	Almost all	Severely Endangered (80 percent certain, based on the evidence available)	13	"The language is still used in some of the daily life domains, but only a few children of the ethnic group are acquiring it as their mother tongue."	14	Southwestern Ethiopia;	"Around the Sheka Forest in Southwestern Ethiopia"
						World Oral Literature Project												http://www.oralliterature.org		"World Oral Literature Project." Online: http://www.oralliterature.org.			450	100-999					Endangered (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)
	Current Issues in Linguistic Theory				2003	Loss of Linguistic Diversity in Africa	Language Death and Language Maintenance: Theoretical, Practical and Descriptive Approaches	157-170	Mark Janse and Sjimen Tol		Amsterdam: John Benjamins		240						Maarten Mous	Mous, Maarten. 2003. "Loss of Linguistic Diversity in Africa." In Language Death and Language Maintenance: Theoretical, Practical and Descriptive Approaches, edited by Mark Janse and Sjimen Tol. 240: 157-170. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.	HHOLD		200-600	100-999					Endangered (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)
9780700711970					2007	Africa	Encyclopedia of the World's Endangered Languages		Christopher Moseley		Routledge					7			Gerrit J. Dimmendaal and F. K. Erhard Voeltz	Dimmendaal, Gerrit J. and F. K. Erhard Voeltz. 2007. "Africa." In Encyclopedia of the World's Endangered Languages, edited by Christopher Moseley. Routledge.		400-1000	400-1,000	100-999		Majang, Shakacho			Endangered (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)				Southwestern Ethiopia

Shabo

Language metadata

Language information by source

Severely endangered

80 percent certain, based on the evidence available

<600

Endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

400-1,867

Endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

~400

Endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

450

Endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

450

Endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

450

Endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

200-600

Endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

400-1,000

Some

Discussion

Shabo

Language metadata

Language information by source

Severely endangered

80 percent certain, based on the evidence available

<600

Endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

400-1,867

Endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

~400

Endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

450

Endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

450

Endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

450

Endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

200-600

Endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

400-1,000

Some

Discussion

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