Endangered Languages Project

ALSO KNOWN AS		Birale, 'Ongota, Birelle, Ifa'ongota, "Shanqilla"
CLASSIFICATION		Unclassified, Afro-Asiatic?
ORTHOGRAPHY		None
CODE AUTHORITY		ISO 639-3
LANGUAGE CODE		bxe
DOWNLOAD		As csv
MORE RESOURCES		OLAC search

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Information from: “Ongota (Birale), a moribund language of Southwest Ethiopia” (171-188) . Savà, Graziano (2003) , Janse, Mark and Tol, Sijmen · John Benjamins Publ.

Critically endangered

80 percent certain, based on the evidence available
8
Native speakers worldwide
Ethnic population
100

DOMAINS OF USE

TRANSMISSION

MORE ON VITALITY

"A moribund language which is not transmitted anymore, and which is used in extremely limited contexts"

OTHER LANGUAGES USED BY THE COMMUNITY

Ts'amakko

LANGUAGE CONTEXT COMMENTS

"The Ongota have felt and will feel the need to change their despised status. It is therefore understandable that they have started to give up their ridiculed traditional language."

OTHER LANGUAGES USED BY THE COMMUNITY
LANGUAGE CONTEXT COMMENTS: "Its speakers are gradually shifting towards the Cushitic language Ts'amay; interestingly, many Ts'amay are now in the process of shifting their language solidarity towards the Cushitic language Konso or the Omotic language Hamar."

Critically endangered

80 percent certain, based on the evidence available
8
Native speakers worldwide
Ethnic population
80

DATE OF INFO: 2001

SPEAKER NUMBER TRENDS
TRANSMISSION
OTHER LANGUAGES USED BY THE COMMUNITY
LANGUAGE CONTEXT COMMENTS: "Under a strong influence of neighboring languages as Tsamay, Gawwada; Konso, Oromo of Borana, Arbore; Hamer, Hanna, and others, Ongota was creolized or even pidginized. The most dominant process could be called a 'Tsamayization'."

PLACES: Ethiopia

LOCATION DESCRIPTION: "Ongota is the self-designation of a population from southwest Ethiopia north of Chaw Behar (earlier lake Stefania) and east of Lake Turkana (earlier lake Rudolf in Kenya)."

Critically endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
8
Native speakers worldwide
Ethnic population
89

DATE OF INFO: 2000

PLACES: Ethiopia;

Critically endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
8
Native speakers worldwide

Severely endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
19
Native speakers worldwide

A handful
Native speakers worldwide

Critically endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
8
Native speakers worldwide

OTHER LANGUAGES USED BY THE COMMUNITY

Critically endangered

100 percent certain, based on the evidence available
8
Native speakers worldwide
Ethnic population
<100
OLDER ADULTS
8

DATE OF INFO: 2000

DOMAINS OF USE
SPEAKER NUMBER TRENDS
TRANSMISSION
SPEAKER ATTITUDE: Poor
GOVERNMENT SUPPORT: None
INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT: None
OTHER LANGUAGES USED BY THE COMMUNITY
LANGUAGE CONTEXT COMMENTS: "The Ongota abandoned their language and ceased teaching it to their children in order to avoid being teased by the Ts'amakko and the Banna."
Scripts (Writing system): None

PLACES: Muts'e, southwest Ethiopia

	Nilo-Saharan			2007	Nilo-Saharan Stratum of Ongota	Advances in Nilo-Saharan Linguistics: Proceedings of the 8th Nilo-Saharan Linguistics Colloquium, University of Hamburg, August 22-25, 2001	1-10	Mechthild Reh and Doris L. Payne	Köln: Rüdiger Köppe		22				Václav Blažek	Václav Blažek. 2007. "Nilo-Saharan Stratum of Ongota." In Advances in Nilo-Saharan Linguistics: Proceedings of the 8th Nilo-Saharan Linguistics Colloquium, University of Hamburg, August 22-25, 2001, edited by Mechthild Reh and Doris L. Payne. 22: 1-10. Köln: Rüdiger Köppe.	HHOLD		80	8	2001	1-9	Tsamay		"Under a strong influence of neighboring languages as Tsamay, Gawwada; Konso, Oromo of Borana, Arbore; Hamer, Hanna, and others, Ongota was creolized or even pidginized. The most dominant process could be called a 'Tsamayization'."	72	Critically Endangered (80 percent certain, based on the evidence available)	15			15	Ethiopia	"Ongota is the self-designation of a population from southwest Ethiopia north of Chaw Behar (earlier lake Stefania) and east of Lake Turkana (earlier lake Rudolf in Kenya)."	5.779966,37.287383
		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		89	8	2000	1-9					Critically Endangered (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)					Ethiopia;
9780520255609				2008	One Thousand Languages: Living, Endangered, and Lost				University of California						Peter Austin	Austin, Peter. 2008. "One Thousand Languages: Living, Endangered, and Lost." University of California.				A handful
		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			8		1-9					Critically Endangered (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)							5.3207,37.2244
	Current issues in linguistic theory, #240			2003	Ongota (Birale), a moribund language of Southwest Ethiopia	Language death and language maintenance: theoretical, practical and descriptive approaches	171-188	Janse, Mark and Tol, Sijmen	John Benjamins Publ.			Amsterdam & Philadelphia			Savà, Graziano	Savà, Graziano. 2003. "Ongota (Birale), a Moribund Language of Southwest Ethiopia." In Language death and language maintenance: theoretical, practical and descriptive approaches, edited by Mark Janse and Sijmen Tol. 171-188. John Benjamins Publ.	EBALL		100	8		1-9	Ts'amakko		"The Ongota have felt and will feel the need to change their despised status. It is therefore understandable that they have started to give up their ridiculed traditional language."		Critically Endangered (80 percent certain, based on the evidence available)	15	"A moribund language which is not transmitted anymore, and which is used in extremely limited contexts"	15
			2	2000	A sketch of Ongota, a dying language of southwest Ethiopia		59-136			Studies in African linguistics	29				Savà, Graziano and Tosco, Mauro	Graziano Savà and Mauro Tosco. 2000. "A Sketch of Ongota, a Dying Language of Southwest Ethiopia." In Studies in African linguistics, 29: 59-136.	EBALL	8	<100	8	2000	1-9	Ts'amakko, Hamar-Banna, Amharic, Borana Oromo	Poor	"The Ongota abandoned their language and ceased teaching it to their children in order to avoid being teased by the Ts'amakko and the Banna."	All	Critically Endangered (100 percent certain, based on the evidence available)	15		15	15	Muts'e, southwest Ethiopia
					World Oral Literature Project									http://www.oralliterature.org		"World Oral Literature Project." Online: http://www.oralliterature.org.				19		10-99					Severely 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			8		1-9	Ts'amakko				Critically 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.							Ts'amay		"Its speakers are gradually shifting towards the Cushitic language Ts'amay; interestingly, many Ts'amay are now in the process of shifting their language solidarity towards the Cushitic language Konso or the Omotic language Hamar."

Ongota

Language metadata

Language information by source

Critically endangered

80 percent certain, based on the evidence available

8

Critically endangered

80 percent certain, based on the evidence available

8

Critically endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

8

Critically endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

8

Severely endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

19

A handful

Critically endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

8

Critically endangered

100 percent certain, based on the evidence available

8

Discussion

Ongota

Language metadata

Language information by source

Critically endangered

80 percent certain, based on the evidence available

8

Critically endangered

80 percent certain, based on the evidence available

8

Critically endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

8

Critically endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

8

Severely endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

19

A handful

Critically endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

8

Critically endangered

100 percent certain, based on the evidence available

8

Discussion

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